longer ron thanks for that, looks as if Wikipedia and others may have 'upgraded' him to Group Captain then!
This site claims he rec'd his private certificate in 1924 in an Anzani powered Sopwith, and
Flight mag of Oct 1952 had this to say:
"
....Many people in aviation got to know Cobb — and like him well
—when he was an A.T.A. ferry pilot. For a time he was in the
R.A.F. (those who saw the film Target for Tonight may remember
recognizing him in the control-room scene) but, becoming
discontented with ground duties, he applied to re-join the A.T.A.
During the last two years of the war he was flying almost every
day on a wide variety of aircraft...."
FP.