George William Patrick Dawes (1880-1960) played an important role in the development of military aviation in Britain.
1881 Born in Dublin
The story of army aviation in Ulster dates back to September 1913 when Captain George Dawes of the Royal Flying Corps landed on the beach at Newcastle, co Down.
A career soldier and much decorated Boer War veteran, Lieutenant George Dawes served with the Royal Berkshire Regiment and was one of the first Britons to learn to fly, gaining his pilot's license (No. 17) in 1910.
Promoted to Captain soon after, he was transferred to the newly formed Royal Flying Corps and commanded No. 11 Squadron (for eight months in 1915) before being posted to the Balkans as Officer Commanding, RFC in that theatre of war, a position he held from 1916 to 1918.
Mentioned in dispatches on seven occasions, Dawes was honoured by the Greek and Serbian Governments and awarded the French Croix de Guerre.