- Charles Arnison
-
Charles Henry Arnison Born 13 January 1893
Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland, EnglandDied After 17 July 1941 Allegiance England Service/branch Aviation Rank Lieutenant Unit No. 62 Squadron RAF Awards Military Cross Other work Returned to service during World War II Lieutenant Charles Henry Arnison was a British World War I flying ace credited with nine aerial victories. He won the Military Cross for valour in World War I, and returned to his nation's service for World War II before vanishing into obscurity.
Contents
Early life
Charles Henry Arnison was born in Newcastle-on-Tyne on 13 January 1893.[1]
World War I
On 26 May 1917 Sergeant C. H. Arnison of the Territorial Force was commissioned as a second lieutenant and transferred to the General List of the Royal Flying Corps.[2] On 28 June 1917 he was confirmed as a second lieutenant and appointed a Flying Officer.[3]
By early 1918, he was assigned to 62 Squadron as a Bristol F.2 Fighter pilot; he began his victories with them with a win on 12 April 1918, and ran his string out at nine with his last victory on 15 May 1918.[4] On both 6 and 20 June 1918 he was reported wounded in Flight magazine, although it is uncertain if this is a reference to two separate woundings.[5][6] His exploits won him the Military Cross, gazetted 16 September 1918:
....He has destroyed four enemy aircraft and driven down four others completely out of control. He has always shown the greatest skill, keenness and gallantry, and has been largely instrumental in the fine achievements of his squadron.[7]Post World War I
Arnison remained in the Royal Air Force after the war. On 28 October 1919 he was appointed as a Flight Lieutenant in the reorganized RAF.[8] However, less than a year later, on 6 October 1920, he retired due to injuries, retaining his rank.[9]
He was unheard of until 25 January 1941, when he was appointed a probationary Flying Officer in Administrative and Special Duties Branch of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.[10] On 17 July 1941 he was reported wounded or injured in action in Flight magazine.[11] His fate is unknown after that.
List of aerial victories
No. Date/time Aircraft Foe Result Location Notes 1 12 April 1918 @ 1420 hours Bristol F.2 Fighter serial number C4859 Albatros D.V fighter Driven down out of control East of Estaires Observer/gunner: Samuel Parry 2 21 April 1918 @ 1000 hours Bristol F.2 Fighter s/n C4859 Pfalz D.III fighter Driven down out of control Estaires-Lille Observer/gunner: Samuel Parry 3 21 April 1918 @ 1000 hours Bristol F.2 Fighter s/n C4859 Pfalz D.III fighter Driven down out of control Estaires-Lille Observer/gunner: Samuel Parry 4 3 May 1918 @ 1115 hours Bristol F.2 Fighter s/n C4859 Albatros D.V fighter Driven down out of control East of Armentières Observer/gunner: Samuel Parry 5 3 May 1918 @ 1116 hours Bristol F.2 Fighter s/n C4859 Albatros D.V fighter Driven down out of control East of Armentières Observer/gunner: Samuel Parry 6 3 May 1918 @ 1117 hours Bristol F.2 Fighter s/n C4859 Albatros D.V fighter Destroyed by fire East of Armentières Observer/gunner: Samuel Parry 7 9 May 1918 Bristol F.2 Fighter s/n C4859 Pfalz D.III fighter Destroyed South of Herlies Observer/gunner: Horace Ernest Merritt 8 9 May 1918 Bristol F.2 Fighter s/n C4859 Pfalz D.III fighter Driven down out of control Northeast of La Bassée Observer/gunner: Horace Ernest Merritt 9 15 May 1918 @ 1745 hours Bristol F.2 Fighter s/n C4859 German reconnaissance plane Destroyed Albert-Ayette Observer/gunner: C. D. Wells[12] See also
Aerial victory standards of World War I
Endnotes
- ^ http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/england/arnison.php Retrieved 22 June 2011.
- ^ (Flight, 20 September 1917, p. 980) http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1917/1917%20-%200980.html Retrieved 18 June 2011.
- ^ (Flight, 20 September 1917, p. 981) http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1917/1917%20-%200981.html Retrieved 18 June 2011.
- ^ http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/england/arnison.php Retrieved 22 June 2011.
- ^ (Flight, 20 June 1918) http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1918/1918%20-%200619.html Retrieved 18 June 2011.
- ^ (Flight, 20 June 1918) http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1918/1918%20-%200691.html Retrieved 18 June 2011.
- ^ (Supplement to the London Gazette, 16 September 1918) http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/30901/supplements/10912; http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/30901/supplements/10915 Retrieved 15 June 2011.
- ^ (The London Gazette, 28 October 1919, p. 715) http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/31620/pages/13139 Retrieved 15 June 2011.
- ^ (The London Gazette, 5 October 1920) http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/32074/pages/9695 Retrieved 15 June 2011.
- ^ (Flight, 6 March 1941, p. 200) http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1941/1941%20-%200590.html Retrieved 18 June 2011.
- ^ (Flight, 17 July 1941, p. 40) http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1941/1941%20-%201606.html Retrieved 18 June 2011.
- ^ http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/england/arnison.php Retrieved 15 June 2011.
People and aircraft Campaigns and battles Strategic bombing (German, Cuxhaven) · Bombing of cities · Fokker Scourge · Flight over Vienna · Bloody April · BattlesEntente Powers air services Australian Flying Corps · British air services (Royal Flying Corps, Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force) · French Air Service · Imperial Russian Air Force · Italian Military Air Corps · United States Army Air Service · Greek air services (Army Air Service, Naval Air Service)Central Powers air services German air services (Army Air Service, Navy Air Service) · Austro-Hungarian Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops · Ottoman Air Force · Bulgarian Army Aeroplane Section
Categories:- 1893 births
- People from Newcastle upon Tyne
- British World War I flying aces
- Recipients of the Military Cross
- 1941 deaths
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