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Aces and Aviators International Database WW1


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As Defence Journal describes it, at the outbreak of the First World War (WW1) in 1914, military aviation consisted of light wooden bi/tri planes with maximum speeds of under 100 mph and very limited load carrying capacity.

Their roles were initially restricted to reconnaissance and artillery observations.

While there may not have been any air power doctrine on the eve of WW1, there was no shortage of alarming speculations about strikes from the sky, thanks to pre-war novels from H.G Wells and others.

Within seven weeks of WW1 beginning, Sopwith Tabloids of Britain's Royal Naval Air Service conducted an air raid on the Zeppelin (airship) sheds in Germany. A year later Germany retaliated when Zeppelins in turn bombed English cities.

The actual damage in all these raids may have been minimal but the psychological impact on civilians and populations was profound.

With both sides using increasing numbers of aircraft for reconnaissance, artillery observations and occasional bombing raids, the inevitable happened and aircraft started to shoot at each other to prevent the adversary from taking military advantage of the new medium. This marked the birth of fighter aircraft whose numbers proliferated whilst their performance took a quantum leap. The battle for control of the air had truly begun. The writing was clearly on the wall for military tactics and precepts that had stood for hundreds of years as the full flower of air power's potential to change the course of events and even win wars had to be acknowledged.

The Air War assumed a giant scale on both sides. By way of example, the British had upwards of 2,000 planes active by war end. And the war saw many tactics and strategies develop that were further developed in the Second World War.

Recovering names and details from over 100 years ago is a big task. If you have additions or corrections, or know of places we can contact to request their data, please let us know via the Helpdesk.

Searching here is powerful. Check the Search Tips first. You can search on single items (a surname for example, or a country) and you can search on combinations: thus a search on 'Australia and Camel' will find all records where BOTH Australia and Camel are mentioned.

You can search on 2 characters or more

Searching is possible on French squadrons, but with some care. The French named their squadrons for the plane each flew, thus N95 was a squadron flying Nieuport, SPA 150 flew the SPAD. To search for squadron N95 search for 'Nieuport N95'. Squadrons flying the Caudron were designated C50 for example, so in this case search for 'Caudron C50'.

Be aware we have used dozens of different sources. Some use special characters (such as umluats on German), others use Anglicized versions of the word. Thus some use Göring, and some use Goering. Try different approaches.

Countries/Nationalities Included: Agentina, Australia, Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austria, Belgium, Bermuda, Bulgaria, Canada, Canada Newfoundland, Canada French Canada, Chile, China, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Germany Bavaria, Germany Sudetenland, Great Britain (Wales, Scotland, Ireland separately listed), Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mauritius, Mexico, Netherlands, Slovakia, Hungary, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Swaziland, Switzerland, Turkey Ottoman Empire, USA, Venezuela, Vietnam.

The reader is referred to a site of great scholarship on WWl aviation. airhistory.org is comprehensive and valuable.

Refer to Paul McGuiness RAAF Archive WW1
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These are the results of your search:

You searched for: “Camel AND DFC

#Name*First NamesRankAwardsCountryAllianceRoleVictoriesDetailsUnitsAir ServiceDeathNotes/AircraftSourcesLinksPhoto
301 WhiteJames ButlerCaptCanadaAlliesPilot12[10+2] (7 kills+5 Lost Control)8Sqn, 208SqnRNAS & RAFCamel ace, 1918.Shores
302 WhiteJoseph Leonard MariesCapt
DFC and Bar

Belgium Croix de Guerre

Medal for Military Valour
CanadaAlliesPilot22[20+2] (12 kills+10 Lost Control)65 SqnRAF1925-02-24
Camel ace, 1918. KIFA.
Citation: DFC 'Lt. Joseph Leonard Maries White (late Canadian Machine Gun Corps). This officer is distinguished for his bravery and dash in action, never hesitating to attack, regardless of the enemy's numerical superiority. He has destroyed three enemy aircraft and driven down two out of control. In addition he has carried out most valuable reconnaissance service at low altitudes.'
Citation: DFC - Bar 'Lt. (T./Capt.) Joseph Leonard Maries White, DFC (Can. M.G.C.). In company with another pilot this officer recently attacked a hostile formation of fourteen scouts. One of these he shot down in flames, and a second out of control. Captain White not only displays courage and skill of a high order in attacking machines in the air and troops on the ground, but he has rendered excellent service on reconnaissance duty, obtaining most valuable information.' (Photo courtesy François Dutil)
Shores (Other sources 31)

303 WhiteheadLewis EwartCaptGreat BritainAlliesPilot7[5+2]60Sqn, 65SqnRFC & RAF20/05/1918Nieuport, 1916; Camel, 1918. KIA.Shores
304 WilliamsThomas FredericCaptCanadaAlliesPilot14[12+2] (10 kills+4 Lost Control)45Sqn, 28SqnRFC & RAFCamel ace, France and Italy, 1917-18.Shores
305 WilsonPercyCaptGreat BritainAlliesPilot7(1 balloon)28SqnRFC & RAFCamel ace, Italian front, 1918.Shores
306 WinterRupert RandolphFLtGreat BritainAlliesPilot5[2+3] (4 kills+1 Lost Control)6(N)Sqn, 9(N)SqnRNAS03/02/1918Nieuport, Camel, 1917-18. KIA.Shores
307 WomersleyJohn Herbert GreenwoodCaptGreat BritainAlliesPilot5[4+1] (2 kills+3 Lost Control)43SqnRFCStrutter, Camel, 1917.Shores
308 WoodArthur WilliamFs/LtGreat BritainAlliesPilot11[8+3] (8 kills+3 Lost Control)9(N)SqnRNASCamel ace, 1917.Shores
309 WoollettHenry WinslowCaptDSO, Military Cross and Bar, CdeLd'hGreat BritainAlliesPilot35(11 balloons)24Sqn, 43SqnRFC & RAFDH2, DH5, 1917; Camel ace, 1918.Shores (Other sources 36 victories)
310 WrightWilliam AllanCaptGreat BritainAlliesPilot8[6+2] (6 kills+2 Lost Control)45SqnRFCStrutter, Camel, 1917.Shores
311 YeatesVictor MaslinLtGreat BritainAlliesPilot5[2+3] (4 kills+1 Lost Control)46SqnRAFCamel ace, 1918.Shores
312 HayneEdwin Tufnell
DSC

DFC
South AfricaAlliesPilot153 Sqn, 203 SqnRNAS28 April 1919South African WWI fighter ace, Edwin Tufnell Hayne was born 28/5 1895. A Sopwith Camel pilot, Edwin Tufnell Hayne joined the Royal Naval Air Service in 1916. Posted to 3 Naval Squadron (later 203 Squadron) in 1917, he scored his first victory in August, shooting down an Albatros D.V south of Middelkerke. In 1919, Hayne was killed in a crash while flying a Bristol Fighter. Living in Johannesburg, South Africa, before the war; attended King Edward VII School, at Johannesburg.
Citation DSC: Flt. Sub-Lieut, (now Flt. Lieut.) Edwin Tufnell Hayne, RNAS In recognition of his services with a Wing of the RNAS at Dunkirk between March and September, 1917. He has had numerous engagements with enemy aircraft and on the 16th August, 1917, attacked an enemy aerodrome and placed a whole flight of machines out of action by machine-gun fire. During a flight of over two hours, during which time he attacked transport and railways, he never exceeded a height of 1,000 feet.
Citation DFC: Lieut. (Hon. Capt.) Edwin Tufnell Hayne, DSC (late RNAS.). During the recent enemy offensive this officer carried out forty-eight special missions. Flying at extremely low altitudes he has inflicted heavy casualties on massed troops and transport. In addition he has accounted for ten enemy machines, destroying three and driving down seven out of control; in these encounters he has never hesitated to engage the enemy, however superior in numbers. On one occasion he observed ten hostile aeroplanes harassing three Dolphines; he attacked three of the enemy, driving one down in flames.


313 StubbsWilliam HenryLtGreat BritainAlliesPilot54 SqnRAF25 June 1918 (died as PoW)Lt William Henry Stubbs of 54 Squadron RAF aged 19. 25th June 1918. The son of Laban and Hannah Stubbs of Winsford Cheshire. He was shot down while flying a Sopwith Camel B7164 near Ypres in June 1918. Originally posted as 'missing' he was later confirmed as having died of wounds whilst a POW. He is buried in Grave Vlll.A2 at The Aeroplane Cemetery, Ypres (Ieper), Arrondissement Ieper, West Flanders (West-Vlaanderen), Belgium and commemorated on his parent’s grave in Weaver Methodist Church, Winsford, Cheshire. His observer Lt Robert Milne aged 20, the son of The late Robert and Jeannie S. Milne, of Broughty Ferry, Forfarshire was also killed and is buried alongside him in Linselles in Grave D4.

Information and Photo Courtesy Mike McQuaid
314 AllanJohn Alexander MacdonaldCaptNew ZealandAlliesPilotNo. 2 School Special FlyingRAF1918-05-20 (Age 23)Sopwith Camel FI B5693
Son of Mrs. Margaret Macdonald Allan, of "Rockvale," Waikari, North Canterbury, New Zealand, and the late Alexander Allan
Redcar Cemetery Grave M.9.9
Erroll Martyn
315 MoirAlexander E2nd LtMilitary Medal
Great BritainAlliesPilotShot down by German Naval Air Service 'Ace' Oblt zur See Gotthard Sachsenberg. Buried Anvaing Churchyard65 Sqn
RFC RAF1918-10-26 (25 years old)Sopwith Camel. Formerly Pte-Sgt 23rd (Sportsmans Bn) Royal Fusiliers

Son of Alexander and Mary J. C. Gray or Moir, of 13, Castle Terrace, Broughty Ferry.



Anvaing Churchyard



316 BuddenGilbertLieutenantGreat BritainAlliesPilot70 SqnRFC, RAF1953-06Wounded in combat with Hermann Goering

Gilbert Budden was born in October 1890, the son of a school master from Macclesfield, Cheshire, and was educated at Clifton College and Manchester University, where he gained a BSc in engineering in 1912. By the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914 he was employed as a mining engineer out in Mexico, but he made his way home and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers in April 1915. And going out to France in 12th Field Company, R.E. in July 1915, he would have been present in the Hooge operations in the following month, thereby qualifying for the 1914-15 Star - the whereabouts of which remains unknown. Transferring to the Royal Flying Corps in the summer of 1916, Budden attended No. 2 School of Aviation prior to being posted as a pilot to 70 Sqn in March 1917, but was hospitalised with shock on 23 April after a heavy crash-landing. Returning to duty in the following month, he fought in combats over Menin on the 4th and Roulers on the 5th, while his Sopwith Camel was damaged by A.A. fire during a photographic reconnaissance on the 12th. Budden also participated in ground strafing operations, an attack on enemy transport near Menin being a case in point, when 250 rounds resulted in two lorries colliding.

But his most memorable sortie occurred on 5 August 1917. Norman Franks and Hal Giblin take up the story in Under the Guns of the German Aces: ‘Many of Goring’s successes occurred in the evening hours and this proved no exception. Ten of Jasta 27’s Albatross Scouts took off at 19.45, formed up and headed for Ypres looking for trouble. They found what they were looking for almost half an hour later when they ran into a patrol of Sopwith Camels from 70 Sqn. Goring picked out an opponent and attacked. The Camel’s pilot seemed anxious to keep the fight above the trench lines and to avoid straying too far over the German side. Goring followed him closely, firing at a range of no more than 50 metres. According to Goring, flames began to come from the Sopwith and, trailing smoke, it went into a spin and was lost in a cloud. The Staffelfuhrer was certain he had shot the Camel down and it seemed his judgement was vindicated when, on 29 August, he was officially credited with the victory. In fact, Goring’s opponent was Lieutenant Gilbert Budden and although he was wounded in the combat and his machine badly damaged, he still managed to land the Camel near Bailleul.’ Declared ‘unfit for any service’ for many months as a result of the serious nature of the wound to his left arm, Budden returned to instructional duties on the Home Establishment shortly before the Armistice and was transferred to the Unemployed List in September 1919. After the War, he took up posts as a metallurgical engineer with the Marzipil Copper Company in Mexico and the U.S.A., but he returned to the U.K. on the renewal of hostilities in September 1939, and served as the Assistant County Secretary for the Red Cross in Cambridgeshire. He died in June 1953, aged 62 years.

317 CliffordReginald Morgan Flt Sub Lt RNASGreat BritanAlliesPilotRNAS, RAFSchneider Seaplane in operations against targets in Aden in 1916

Reginald Morgan Clifford was born in April 1889 and entered the Royal Naval Air Service as a Probationary Flight Sub. Lieutenant in May 1915, direct from his appointment as a Second Officer in the Mercantile Marine. Taking his Aviator’s Certificate (No. 1741) at the Grahame-White School, Hendon, that September, he joined the seaplane carrier H.M.S. Empress a few weeks later, in which capacity he remained actively employed in the Eastern Mediterranean until the end of 1916, on occasion on attachment to another seaplane carrier, the Raven II, and to No.2 Wing R.N.A.S. at Thasos. And as evidenced by official records, he undertook a number of bombing sorties against targets in Aden in the same period - thus two Schneider seaplane operations mounted from Raven II in the Red Sea on 31 March 1916, when Clifford dropped four bombs on an enemy camp near Waht - ‘there was considerable rifle and machine-gun fire at the camp and the three seaplanes that reached it were all several times hit’ - and later that day four more on the western village at Subar. In fact Clifford flew another double-sortie from Raven II the very next day, his seaplane being engaged by a gun situated between Abdurrub Bubakr and Amr Maudtha, while in the course of a reconnaissance flight from El Arish to Bir on 25 April, he ran into an enemy aircraft. His flight report takes up the story: ‘Reconnoitred North Road at a height of 2,000 feet. No movements were observed on the road. When in the vicinity of Lake Bardawil observed enemy aeroplane astern about six miles at altitude of about 5,000 feet, diving and giving chase. Altered course to seaward and kept machine down, attaining a speed of 80 knots and dropping rapidly. Enemy machine continued chase to about 15 miles out at sea, firing machine-gun (apparently mounted abaft the pilot’s seat) at intervals. When at 200 feet released bombs to lighten machine and altered course sharply in direction of ship. Enemy machine ceased fire and sheered off, steering south and climbing. His machine appeared to be a two-seater, with pilot in front; only one gun was carried which could not fire ahead. Damage to machine - one shot in chassis strut and two holes in fuselage fabric.’ The same report notes that Clifford’s sole defensive armament was ‘one Webley semi-automatic pistol.’ Invalided home from Malta with malaria in December 1916, Clifford returned to duty at East Fortune in July 1917, but ‘made a bad landing in a seaplane, bouncing on to the beach and totally wrecking the aircraft - pilot sustained severe cuts to face, legs and head’ (his service record refers), as a consequence of which he requested a transfer from seaplanes to aeroplanes. Advanced to Acting Flight Commander in February 1918, his request appears to have been accepted, since he ended the War as ‘a Camel Flight Commander’ in No. 205 (Training) Squadron back in France. Clifford was placed on the Unemployed List in July 1919 but was re-appointed as a Flying Officer in the General Duties Branch in May 1923, and attained the rank of Flight Lieutenant prior to resigning his commission in September 1924;

318 MillerClinton CharlesLtAltipiani Medal (Italy)

Great BritainAlliesObserver, Pilot8 Sqn

34 Sqn

RFC, RAFSopwith Camel, BE2. Born on 21 June 1888 and attested for the Royal Sussex Regiment, serving with them as a Corporal during the Great War on the Western Front from 18 February 1915. He was commissioned Second Lieutenant in the West Riding Regiment on 9 July 1915. Transferring to the Royal Flying Corps as an observer on on 10 October 1916, he served initially with No. 8 Squadron, and was wounded in France on 6 October 1916. Promoted Lieutenant on 20 July 1917, he subsequently served with 34 Squadron, part of 14 Wing, flying Sopwith Camels and B.E.2’s, and transferred to the Royal Air Force on its formation on 1 April 1918. He relinquished his commission on 28 May 1919. Sold with copied service papers and Medal Index Card. Note: The Italian Altipianio Medal was presented by General Montuori, Commanding 6th Italian Army, to British officers in commemoration of the defeat of the Austrian attack on the Asiago Plateau, 15-16 June 1918.

319 McCloughry (later McClaughry)Wilfred AshtonDSO

MC

DFC

MiD (x3)

AustraliaAlliesPilot34 SqnAustralian Flying Corps1943Wilfred Ashton McCloughry (1894-1943) and Edgar James McCloughry (1896-1972), airmen, were the first and second sons of James Kingston McCloughry from Larne, Northern Ireland, and his Australian-born wife Charlotte Rebecca Ashton. Wilfred was born on 26 November 1894 at Knightsbridge, Adelaide, and Edgar on 10 September 1896 at Hindmarsh. Wilfred later changed his surname to McClaughry and Edgar became Kingston-McCloughry. Wilfred was educated at Queen's School, North Adelaide, University of Adelaide and the Adelaide School of Mines. Commissioned into the Australian Military Forces in 1913, he transferred to the Australian Imperial Force in 1914 and went overseas with the 9th Light Horse Regiment. On Gallipoli from May to August 1915 he was wounded twice. Seconded to the Royal Flying Corps in March 1916, after flying training he served in a home defence squadron operating against German airships. He joined No.100 Squadron, the R.F.C.'s first night bomber unit, on its formation and in March 1917 accompanied it to France as a flight commander. He was awarded the Military Cross in July. One of the experienced Australians in the R.F.C. selected to strengthen the expanding Australian Flying Corps, Wilfred joined the Second Squadron and accompanied it to France as a flight commander in September 1917. In October he was recalled to England to command the Fourth Squadron and took that overseas in December. Quiet but firm, he led one of the most efficient Sopwith Camel squadrons on the Western Front in 1918. He flew frequent daylight missions and undertook several risky night sorties against enemy heavy bombers in Camels not equipped for night flying. Credited with three victories, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Distinguished Service Order and was mentioned in dispatches three times.

During the battle of Britain Wilfred commanded No.9 Fighter Group and in 1942, appointed C.B. and air vice marshal, became Air Officer Commanding, Egypt. Died Accidental (air crash), Heliopolis, Egypt, 4 January 1943, aged 48 years. Buried Heliopolis War Cemetery





Heliopolis

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