William Melville Alexander
| William Melville Alexander | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Mel |
| Born |
8 November 1897 Toronto, Ontario |
| Died |
4 October 1988 (aged 91) Toronto, Ontario |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom[1] |
| Service/branch |
Royal Naval Air Service; Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1916-18 |
| Rank | Acting Major |
| Unit |
No. 10 Squadron RNAS; No. 210 Squadron RAF |
| Battles/wars | First World War |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Cross |
William Melville Alexander, DSC (8 November 1897 – 4 October 1988) was a Canadian First World War flying ace, officially credited with 22 victories.[2]
World War I service
Alexander was commissioned in the RNAS in 1916 and served with 3 Wing in France from early 1917, flying Sopwith 1½ Strutter aircraft. When 3 Wing disbanded in April 1917, Alexander was posted to the newly-formed 10(N) Squadron, which was flying Sopwith Triplane aircraft. Alexander was in the notable Canadian Ace Raymond Collishaw's 'Black Flight'.[3] The unit converted to Sopwith Camels, in which Alexander continued to achieve successes in actions against enemy aircraft, becoming a flight commander. He completed four hundred and sixty-five hours of war-time flying and returned to Home Establishment in May 1918.[4]
His war time tally consisted of 5 aircraft destroyed, and 17 'out of control' victories, one of which was shared with other pilots.[5]
Text of citations
Distinguished Service Cross
"Flt. Lieut. (Act. Flt. Cdr.) William Melville Alexander, R.N.A.S.
On 16 August 1917, he attacked at about 3,000 feet two hostile scouts, one of which, after a short combat, fell completely out of control.
On 20 August 1917, while returning from patrol, he observed three enemy scouts. These he pursued until they turned to fight. One of the scouts he shot down completely out of control, and the remaining two dived away.
On 21 August 1917, while on an offensive patrol, he attacked and drove down completely out of control an enemy scout, which was attacking another member of his patrol.
Flt. Lieut. Alexander has at all times shown the greatest bravery and determination."
References
Notes
- ↑ Canadian airmen were required to complete an Attestation Paper in which they declared an oath of allegiance to King George the Fifth and agreed to serve in any arm of the service for the duration of the war between Great Britain and Germany. aerodrome.com
- ↑ http://www.theaerodrome.com
- ↑ Shores, C., Franks, N., Guest, R. Above the Trenches. Grub Street, 1990. p.50 ISBN 0-948817-19-4
- ↑ Shores, C. etc p.50
- ↑ Above the Trenches, Shores 1990, page 50
Websites
- "WWI Aces of Canada". www.theaerodrome.com. Retrieved 14 June 2008.
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