Robert Gregory. Vintage photograph of Gregory in his pilot’s gear

Robert Gregory. Vintage photograph of Gregory in his pilot’s gear

c. 1917

From a photo album belonging to his mother, Lady Gregory.

Among other pursuits, Robert Gregory designed sets and costumes for the Abbey Theatre and contributed illustrations for some of his mother’s books. Yet after joining the Royal Flying Corp, he found perhaps his greatest success as the first Irish pilot to be designated a “fighter ace” by Britain, awarded the Military Cross and Legion d’Honneur. He died after being shot down over the Italian front.