Fred Everest Banbury
| Fred Everest Banbury | |
|---|---|
| Born |
27 October 1893 Wolseley, Saskatchewan, Canada |
| Died | 1 April 1918 |
| Hazebrouck Communal Cemetery | Nord, France |
| Allegiance | King George of the British Empire |
| Service/branch | Aviation |
| Years of service | 1916–1918 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | No. 9 Squadron RNAS |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Cross |
Captain Fred Everest Banbury was a Canadian flying ace during World War I. While flying for the Royal Naval Air Service, he was credited with 11 official aerial victories.
Early life
Fred Everest Banbury was the son of Susannah B. and Robert B. Banbury of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. The younger Banbury attended Victoria University, Toronto from 1911–12; he then transferred to University College, Toronto from 1912–14. In March 1916, he travelled to Newport News, Virginia to enroll in the Curtiss Flying School. He earned his pilot's certificate with the highest marks ever seen in the school. He then traveled to England to join the RNAS.[1]
World War I
On 28 June 1916 Fred. E. Banbury was commissioned as a temporary Flight Sub-Lieutenant.[2] On 21 April 1917, Second Lieutenant F. E. Banbury resigned his commission in a Guards regiment.[3]
Banbury was posted to 9 Naval Squadron, and scored his first aerial victory on 31 May 1917, when he used a Sopwith Pup to share in sending a German reconnaissance plane down out of control over Ostend. The following day, he used the same Pup, serial number N6188, to drive down a Halberstadt recon plane. Banbury then switched to a Sopwith Camel. Beginning 25 July 1917, he ran off a string of eight wins that would take him through 23 November. He scored one final time, on 26 March 1918, when he helped capture a German recon two-seater. In summary, Banbury single-handedly destroyed an Albatros D.V and sent down a German recon plane out of control. The rest of his wins were shared ones, with squadronmates such as John Pinder, Oliver Redgate, Stearne Edwards, Roy Brown, Merrill Samuel Taylor, Cedric Edwards, Francis Mellersh, John Paynter, and others.[1]
Banbury was killed in a flying accident on 1 April 1918.[1] His award of the Distinguished Service Cross was gazetted on the 26th.[4]
Endnotes
- 1 2 3 http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/canada/banbury.php Retrieved 8 March 2011.
- ↑ (The London Gazette, 2 March 1917) http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/29967/pages/2120 Retrieved 5 March 2011.
- ↑ (The London Gazette, 20 April 1917) http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/30028/pages/3761 Retrieved 5 March 2011. Note: British and Commonwealth pilots were often seconded to flying duty, and often resigned their commissions in ground units as a prelude to transferring permanently to aviation duties.
- ↑ Retrieved 8 March 2011.
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