WWI Aviators - Decorations

[David Cochrane]

As a companion to the list in the Second World War section, here are the decorations for the most successful First World War pilots (30+ victories this time instead of 20):

W. A. Bishop, VC, DSO & Bar, MC, DFC - 72 victories / 5 decorations
E. Mannock, VC, DSO & 2 Bars, MC & Bar - 61 / 6
R. Collishaw, DSO & Bar, DSC, DFC - 60 / 4
J. T. B. McCudden, VC, DSO & Bar, MC & Bar, MM - 57 / 6
A. F. W. Beauchamp-Proctor, VC, DSO, MC & Bar, DFC - 54 / 5
D. R. MacLaren, DSO, MC & Bar, DFC - 54 / 4
W. G. Barker, VC, DSO & Bar, MC & 2 Bars - 50 / 6
R. A. Little, DSO & Bar, DSC & Bar - 47 / 4
G. E. H. McElroy, MC & 2 Bars, DFC & Bar - 46 / 5
A. Ball, VC, DSO & 2 Bars, MC - 44 / 5
T. F. Hazell, DSO, MC, DFC & Bar - 43 / 4
P. F. Fullard, DSO, MC & Bar - 40 / 3
J. I. Gilmour, DSO, MC & 2 Bars - 39 / 4
W. L. Jordan, DSC & Bar, DFC - 39 / 3
A. C. Atkey, MC & Bar - 38 / 2
W. G. Claxton, DSO, DFC & Bar - 37 / 3
J. I. T. Jones, DSO, MC, DFC & Bar - 37 / 4
J. S. T. Fall, DSC & 2 Bars - 36 / 3
F. R. G. McCall, DSO, MC & Bar, DFC - 35 / 4
H. W. Woollett, DSO, MC & Bar - 35 / 3
S. M. Kinkead, DSO, DSC & Bar, DFC & Bar - 33 / 5
F. G. Quigley, DSO, MC & Bar - 33 / 3
G. H. Bowman, DSO, MC & Bar, DFC - 32 / 4
R. S. Dallas, DSO, DSC & Bar - 32 / 3
A. E. McKeever, DSO, MC & Bar, DFC - 31 / 4
S. F. H. Thompson, MC, DFC - 30 / 2

The VCs almost all went to people who were either the top living British Empire ace at some point in the War, or - in the case of Captain Beauchamp-Proctor - the top ace of an Empire nation. The only exception on this list is Major Barker: although he was the top ace of the Italian front, his VC was for an act over France.

The other big difference between this list and the one for the Second World War is the willingness to bestow more than three awards on the same level of the pyramid - most notably Captain McElroy, who was decorated five times, all of them MCs and DFCs.

As the scores fall, DSOs become less frequent - indeed, very few aces with fewer than 30 victories received it at all - but people who were successful before 1918 tended to be more highly-decorated than those with similar scores.

Additionally, RNAS pilots tended to be less well-decorated than their RFC counterparts - Collishaw, Little, Jordan, Fall, Kinkead, Dallas - with even Captain Little, who not only held the title of top Australian ace but also traded back and forth the title of 'Top Living Empire Ace' with Captain Bishop in the summer of 1917, falling into this category. In fact, he was the sole holder of that title during the War not to receive the VC (the others were Hawker, Rees, Ball, Bishop & McCudden).

Two-seater pilots also tended to be less well-decorated: Captain Atkey, in spite of setting a Wartime record for the most victories scored in a single month (27), received only two MCs. Observers, such as his longtime gunner Charles Gass, often received even less (one MC). This makes a third notable departure from Second World War patterns, where night-fighter crews (not just pilots) tended to be decorated very handsomely.

[anthony]

A great post with many interesting observations. I am not surprised not many DSOs went to aces with fewer than 30 victories since the DSO was not a gallantry award but sometimes given to junior officers because it was more prestigious than the Military Cross on the Order of Wear. Is there any correlation between number of decorations and the number of credited claims? Did any ace not get a decoration and survived the war?

[David Cochrane]

There does seem to be, although of course it's not a perfect correlation - people who amassed scores earlier in the War tended to be more heavily-decorated, and there's always the possibility of a certain action being considered particularly noteworthy and therefore getting a higher decoration.

For instance, eleven out of twelve pilots with 40 victories or more received at least one DSO. Capt McElroy was the exception, but with three MCs and two DFCs he received more (if not necessarily higher) awards than Lt-Col Collishaw, Maj MacLaren, Capt Little & Capt Fullard (all of whom but Fullard had higher scores). Majors Mannock, McCudden & Barker all received six decorations, including VCs - which makes them, I think, the most heavily-decorated servicemen of the War. Certainly Major Barker is often called 'the most highly-decorated Canadian' over here. Capt Fullard, with his DSO and two MCs, received the least of the pilots with 40+ victories, which is a bit surprising considering that all of his kills were amassed in 1917, when such a high score was rare (only Bishop & Ball had more by year's end).

Of fourteen pilots with 30-39 victories, nine received DSOs, but nobody got more than one, and nobody was decorated more than four times in total. In keeping with one of the patterns noted earlier, the two pilots to receive the fewest - Capt Atkey & Capt Thompson - flew two-seaters.

Twenty-one pilots had 25-29 victories, only four of whom received DSOs; like the 30-39 group, the maximum was four awards, but now the minimum was just one DSC/MC/DFC. There was one pilot - Maj Carter - who received two DSOs and no MC (the highest-scoring pilot not to get an award on that level), but his being at the rank of Major for both awards was a likely factor.

Thirty-four pilots had 20-24, of whom seven received DSOs, and nobody more than one. Once again, the maximum number of awards was four, and the minimum one.

For a further idea of what the highest score was throughout the War, here is a roster of the Empire's top ace from 1915-1918 (date, pilot, score, VC if they got one):

Aug 1915-Jul 1916 - L. G. Hawker (5-7) (VC)
Jul-Aug 1916: L. W. B. Rees (8) (VC)
Aug 1916-Aug 1917: A. Ball (9-44) (VC)
Aug 1917-Feb 1918: W. A. Bishop (45-47) (VC)
Feb-Jun 1918: J. T. B. McCudden (48-57) (VC)
Jun-Nov 1918: W. A. Bishop (58-72) (VC)

If you're looking instead for the top living pilot throughout the War, it reads as follows:

Aug 1915-Jul 1916 - L. G. Hawker (5-7) (VC)
Jul-Aug 1916: L. W. B. Rees (8) (VC)
Aug 1916-May 1917: A. Ball (9-44) (VC)
May 1917: W. A. Bishop (19)
May 1917: R. A. Little (20) (two days only)
May-Jul 1917: W. A. Bishop (21-36)
Jul-Aug 1917: R. A. Little (37-38) (two weeks)
Aug 1917-Feb 1918: W. A. Bishop (39-47) (VC)
Feb-Jun 1918: J. T. B. McCudden (48-57) (VC)
Jun-Nov 1918: W. A. Bishop (58-72) (VC)

[anthony]

Thank you for some extraordinary information. For an online biography of Little adb.anu.edu.au/biography/little-robert-alexander-7207 at the Australian War Memorial - www.awm.gov.au/advanced-search?query=Little%2C+Robert+Alexander&collection=true















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































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Medal sought for Civil War hero who saved flag through battle and captivity


Bob Gross, Times HeraldPublished 7:40 a.m. ET Sept. 27, 2017 | Updated 7:02 p.m. ET Sept. 29, 2017









636420946672530465-sgt-sheppard.jpg

(Photo: Submitted by Rep. Shane Hernandez)



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Rep. Shane Hernandez, R-Port Huron, has submitted a resolution in the Michigan House of Representatives seeking to posthumously honor a Civil War hero who saved a battle flag with the Congressional Medal of Honor.

The resolution, which is being considered by the full House, would urge the U.S. Congress to award the medal to Sgt. Thomas Henry Sheppard of Marlette.

Sheppard, according to a news release from Hernandez's office, was a color guard in the First Michigan Cavalry, carrying the unit's flag into battle. Flags during that era were the primary means of communication on the battlefield.

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At the Battle of Gettysburg, Union cavalry under the command of Gen. George Armstrong Custer thwarted an attempt by Confederate forces under Gen. J.E.B. Stuart to attack the rear of Union infantry during Pickett's Charge.

Sheppard was captured during the action and spent 505 days in Confederate prisoner of war camps.








Sheppard was able to keep his flag concealed from guards during his captivity, at times wrapping it around his body beneath his clothing. The flag returned home with Sheppard in 1866, according to the news release, riddled with 72 bullet holes. It is on display at the Dearborn Historical Museum.

Andrew Kercher, chief assistant curator at the Dearborn Historical Museum, is a 2008 graduate of Port Huron Northern High School. He said Sheppard brought the flag, which measures about 3 by 7 feet, home to Marlette where it figured in another story.

In 1884, former Union Gen. Black Jack Logan was seeking the vice presidency. At a campaign whistlestop in Marlette, Logan related his favorite story about a Union soldier who had wrapped a battle flag around his body to keep it safe from his Confederate captors.


Sheppard identified himself as the soldier and said he had only two things of value, his farm and the flag and he would sell the farm before giving up the flag.

Logan reportedly told him he should be buried with the flag and with that as his countersign, would gain immediate entrance through the gates of heaven.

Kercher said the action at Gettysburg was one of the largest cavalry charges of the Civil War, and Sheppard was in the front lines.

The flag, he said, was made by the women of Marlette.