Frank Douglas Stevens
Nickname(s)"Inky"
Born7 April 1893[1]
Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, England
DiedDelgany, County Wicklow, Ireland
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchBritish Army
Royal Air Force
Years of service1914–1919
RankCaptain
UnitSuffolk Regiment
Motor Machine Gun Service
Royal Flying Corps
Battles/warsWorld War I
  Western Front
AwardsOrder of the British Empire
Other workBrewing engineer, Guinness Brewery, Dublin

Captain Frank Douglas Stevens OBE (7 April 1893 – ) was a British First World War flying ace credited with five aerial victories.[2]

Military service

Stevens was commissioned as a temporary second lieutenant in the infantry on 22 September 1914.[3] He served briefly in the 9th (Service) Battalion, Suffolk Regiment, before being seconded for service with the Motor Machine Gun Service on 21 November 1914,[4] and was later transferred to the General List.[5] He was promoted to lieutenant on 1 March 1915.[6]

Stevens joined the Royal Flying Corps to serve as an gunner/observer, being appointed a flying officer (observer) on 21 June 1916,[7] but soon trained a pilot, and was appointed a flying officer on 21 November 1916.[8] He was posted to No. 20 Squadron RFC, to fly the F.E.2d two-seater fighter, where he gained his first victory on 3 May 1917 by driving down "out of control" an Albatros D.III.[2] On 9 June 1917 he was appointed a flight commander, with the acting rank of captain,[9] and gained his remaining four victories, all D.IIIs driven down, between 17 May and 16 August 1917.[2] His observer/gunners included fellow ace Lieutenant William Cambray.[10]

On 1 April 1918, the Army's Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service were merged to form the Royal Air Force, and Stevens was appointed a captain in the new service that day.[11] On 21 July 1918 he was appointed an acting-major.[12]

List of aerial victories

Combat record[2]
No. Date/Time Aircraft/
Serial No.
Opponent Result Location
13 May 1917
@ 1715
F.E.2d
(A6444)
Albatros D.IIIOut of controlWestrozebeke
23 July 1917
@ 1600
F.E.2d
(A6516)
Albatros D.IIIOut of controlBecelaere
36 July 1917
@ 1830
F.E.2d
(A6516)
Albatros D.IIIOut of controlComines
417 July 1917
@ 1955
F.E.2d
(A6516)
Albatros D.IIIOut of controlPolygon Wood
516 August 1917
@ 1100
F.E.2d
(A6516)
Albatros D.IIIOut of controlSouth-east of Polygon Wood

Post-war career

After the end of the war, on 21 March 1919, Stevens was transferred to the RAF unemployed list,[13] and on 3 June, in the King's Birthday Honours, he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire "in recognition of distinguished services rendered during the War".[14]

On 7 July 1921 he married Eva May, youngest daughter of William Gore of Sandymount, Dublin, at Sandymount Presbyterian Church.[2]

References

  1. Surrey, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1912
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Frank Douglas Stevens". The Aerodrome. 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  3. "No. 28910". The London Gazette. 22 September 1914. p. 7488.
  4. "No. 29052". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 January 1915. p. 896.
  5. "No. 29091". The London Gazette. 5 March 1915. p. 2243.
  6. "No. 29181". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 June 1915. p. 5366.
  7. "No. 29653". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 July 1916. p. 6707.
  8. "No. 29858". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 December 1916. p. 12090.
  9. "No. 30152". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 June 1917. p. 6361.
  10. Shores, Franks & Guest (1990), p. 352.
  11. The Monthly Air Force List. March 1919. p. 47. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  12. "No. 31206". The London Gazette. 28 February 1919. p. 2860.
  13. "No. 31279". The London Gazette. 8 April 1919. p. 4575.
  14. "No. 31378". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 May 1919. p. 7028.

Bibliography

  • Shores, Christopher F.; Franks, Norman & Guest, Russell F. (1990). Above the Trenches: a Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces 1915–1920. London, UK: Grub Street. ISBN 978-0-948817-19-9.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.