Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
R.J. Groome fonds
General material designation
- Graphic material
Parallel title
Description type
Private
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
Level of description
Fonds
Repository
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
-
1917-1935 or before (Creation)
- Creator
- Groome, Roland John, 1897-1935
Physical description area
Physical description
1 album (ca. 260 photographs)
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Roland John Groome was born in Kettering, Northamptonshire, England on July 10, 1897 to Frederick and Ruth Emmaline (Jaquest) Groome. In 1908, Groome moved with his family to Regina, Saskatchewan, where he attended Albert Public School.
In March 1917 Groome enlisted in the Royal Canadian Flying Corps and served in the First World War as a flying instructor at Camp Mohawk, Ontario. Groome may have been part of the contingent of Canadian pilots who conducted flight training in the Fort Worth, Texas area during the winter of 1917-1918. In April 1919, Groome returned to Regina, where he established Aerial Service Company, a commercial aviation company, with Edward Clarke and Robert McCombie. On May 19, 1919, Groome and McCombie completed the first flight between Regina and Saskatoon and on May 27, Groome made the first delivery of a morning newspaper by air route in Canada when he delivered the Regina Morning Leader to Moose Jaw. On July 31, 1920, Groome became the first licensed commercial pilot in Canada.
Around 1924, the Aerial Service Company was dissolved and Groome became secretary to J.A. Caulder, the general manager of Co-operative Creameries Ltd. In 1927, Groome and four other individuals established Universal Air Industries in Regina. Groome was a founding director of the Regina Flying Club and served as the club's chief flying instructor from 1927 to 1935. On September 20, 1935, Groome and student pilot Arnold Sym died during a training flight near the Regina Airport when their plane crashed into the ground.
Groome's contributions to the aviation industry have been widely acknowledged. Groome Avenue (in the Albert Park subdivision of Regina) and Roland J. Groome Field at the Regina International Airport were named in his honour. The Regina Chapter of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society bears his name and Transport Canada presents the Roland Groome Award for Excellence in Aircraft Maintenance. Groome was inducted posthumously into the Saskatchewan Aviation Hall of Fame in 2000.
Roland Groome was married and had two children: Raymond and Ariel.
Custodial history
Ariel Sarber, daughter of Roland Groome, and Les Groome, brother of Roland Groome, donated these records to the Regina office, Saskatchewan Archives in one accession in 1977: R77-237 (June 30, 1977).
Scope and content
This fonds consists of a photograph album created, accumulated and used by Roland Groome of Regina Saskatchewan. The photographs date from 1917 to 1921 (and possibly beyond) and document flight training in Ontario and Texas, his business activities in Moose Jaw and Saskatoon and his general interest in aviation.
Individual photographs in the album have not been assigned photograph numbers. Some pages of the album are numbered.
Notes area
Physical condition
Some captions for the photographs have faded; most of the photographs are in good physical condition.
Immediate source of acquisition
Arrangement
Arrangement reflects original order.
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
Records are open for research use.
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Use, publication, and/or reproduction of records are subject to terms and conditions of the Copyright Act.
To consult the records, visit or contact the Regina office.
Finding aids
SAFA 303 consists of a fonds description and item descriptions of photographs. The photo database includes descriptions of the photograph album and pages within the album. Please consult reference archivist for assistance.
Uploaded finding aid
Associated materials
Associated material: This collection was deaccessioned from Library and Archives Canada. The R.J. Groome collection in Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame, Wetaskiwin, Alberta, consists of a photograph of the Curtiss JN-4 aircraft G-CAAA of the Aerial Service Co. Ltd., the commercial air pilot's certificate (Number 1) issued to Roland Groom, and a portrait of Mr. Groome.
Additional photographs of Camp Mohawk and Camp Rathbun's operations during the First World War can be found in the Deseronto Archives.
Additional photographs of Canadian flight training in the Fort Worth, Texas area can be found in the Benbrook Texas Public Library.
Related material: R-E575: A scrapbook compiled by Paul Groome, brother of Roland Groome, that documents Roland's career and early aviation history in Saskatchewan.
Additional photographs of Roland Groome are located in the Historical Photographs (Regina) collection.
Accruals
No further accruals are expected.
General note
Title of fonds taken from cover page for the photograph album and from contemporary newspaper accounts about Groome, including those from his subsequent death.
Location for retrieval: Regina - Hillsdale
Alpha-numeric designations
Photographs: Roland John Groome Album
Alternative identifier(s)
Original ID
Standard number area
Standard number
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
Genre access points
Control area
Description record identifier
Institution identifier
Rules or conventions
Saskatchewan Archives. Archival Description Manual 2004.
Status
Final
Level of detail
Language of description
- English
Script of description
- Latin
Sources
Content of the fonds.