Robert George ( RAF officer ) Air Vice Marshal Sir Robert Allingham George KCMG , KCVO , KBE , CB , MC ( 27 July 1896 – 13 September 1967 ) was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force and Governor of South Australia from 23 February 1953 until 7 March 1960 . He was born in the County of Ross and Cromarty , Scotland , on 25 July 1896 , and educated at Invergordon and Inverness . In May 1927 , he married Sybil Elizabeth Baldwin . Military career . When the First World War began in 1914 , George enlisted in the Seaforth Highlanders and was sent to France . He was transferred to the Royal Flying Corps and was awarded the Military Cross for his night bombing . In 1919 he was appointed to a permanent commission in the Royal Air Force . He was appointed Officer Commanding No . 100 Squadron in 1930 and Officer Commanding No . 33 Squadron in 1932 . George later served as Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters RAF Far East in Singapore from 1934 and as Station Commander at RAF Hawkinge from 1937 . At the start of World War II he was Air Attaché in Ankara . He went on to be Air Officer Commanding AHQ Iraq and Persia in 1944 . After the War he served as Air Attaché in Paris until he retired in 1952 . He was appointed CBE in 1944 and CB in 1948 , promoted to substantive air vice - marshal in 1950 and knighted in 1952 . Governor of South Australia . Sir Robert was appointed Governor of South Australia in August 1952 . He and Lady George arrived in Adelaide early the following year . The Premier , Sir Thomas Playford , noted in his welcome address to Sir Robert that governors were expected to be " an inspiration in times of danger . " Playford ' s words turned out to be portentous - South Australia would suffer through earthquake , fire and flood in consecutive years during Sir Robert ' s tenure . In March 1954 , the worst earthquake in Adelaide ' s history damaged Government House , along with many other buildings in the city . Less than a year later , the Governor ' s summer residence at Marble Hill was destroyed in the Black Sunday Bushfires of January 1955 . He and his wife and staff sheltered under wet blankets in the driveway , and were lucky to escape with their lives . In a particularly cruel twist of fate , all Sir Robert and Lady George ' s possessions were lost in the fire , having been relocated to Marble Hill while Government House was undergoing repairs for the damage suffered in the earthquake . Finally , the 1956 Murray River flood was the largest in recorded history . On 20 August , Sir Robert surveyed the flood - hit areas in a light aircraft , and said he was " appalled at the tremendous area underwater and the terrific damage which had resulted . " Sir Robert was a colourful governor , once demanding a personal helicopter from Premier Playford . Although admired for his bravery , Sir Robert was considered old - fashioned by the masses , particularly due to his impatience , polo - playing , and his habit of carrying a fly - whisk and a cane . Lady George was an ardent supporter of many charities , but her support for traditional family roles was not popular with the emerging feminists ; once , while officiating at the opening of new laboratories at a girls ' college , she claimed : " The most important thing for a girl is to learn how to run a home well . " Despite their frequent clashes , Playford supported George and the dignity of the Vice - Regal post in a 1956 court case regarding the cook ' s wages . The prosecuting lawyer was future Labor premier Don Dunstan . Playford negotiated an out of court settlement on condition that Dunstan and his Labor colleagues in the House would not debate the budget item . Labor maverick Samuel Lawn ( the member for Adelaide ) did not honour the agreement , and tried to raise a public scandal . Playford responded by extending George ' s term . Freemasonry . George was appointed Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of South Australia in 1956 . Retirement and Accidental Death . George and his family retired to England in 1959 after which he held no further government appointments . He died in a London Hospital on 13 September 1967 , after being accidentally hit by a car and not regaining consciousness .