Summary
Lieutenant Clement Graham Boothroyd DFC became an ace during the First World War. He flew as an observer/gunner in a Bristol F.2 Fighter, and in conjunction with his pilots, was credited with 12 confirmed aerial victories.[1]
Clement Graham Boothroyd | |
|---|---|
| Born | 25 August 1899 Halifax, Yorkshire, England |
| Died | 6 February 1952 (aged 52) Jesmond, Newcastle on Tyne, England |
| Allegiance | England |
| Service/ | Aviation |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Unit | No. 20 Squadron RAF |
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross, Mentioned in dispatches |
First World War service edit
Boothroyd's initial aerial success with 20 Squadron came on 2 July 1918, when he destroyed a Fokker D.VII near Geluwe. On 11 August, he destroyed a kite balloon south of Heule. Then, on 20 September, he began a streak of ten victories that took him through double wins on 23 and 30 October; for this latter pair of double triumphs, he was piloted by fellow ace Capt.Horace Percy Lale. His final tally was: one balloon busted, one Fokker D.VII set afire in mid-air, nine others destroyed in flight, and one sent down out of control.[2]
Post First World War edit
Boothroyd remained in the service postwar. On 1 August 1920, Observer Officer Clement Graham Boothroyd was Mentioned in Dispatches by General C. C. Monro for exemplary service in Waziristan.[3] On 12 December 1922, Boothroyd transferred to the Class A Reserve.[4] Exactly four years later, he surrendered his commission.[5]
Honors and awards edit
The citation for his Distinguished Flying Cross reads as follows:
2nd Lieut. Clement Graham Boothroyd. (FRANCE) An officer of high courage. On 23 October, after attacking with bombs a railway station the formation with which this officer was flying was engaged with about fifteen enemy scouts; of these, he destroyed one and his pilot accounted for a second. In all he has to his credit eight enemy aircraft and one kite balloon.[6]
References edit
- ^ "Clement Boothroyd". The Aerodrome. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
- ^ Franks, Norman; Guest, Russell; Alegi, Gregory (25 August 2008). Above the War Fronts: The British Two-seater Bomber Pilot and Observer Aces, the British Two-seater Fighter Observer Aces, and the Belgian, Italian, Austro-Hungarian and Russian Fighter Aces, 1914-1918. Grub Street. p. 6. ISBN 978-1898697565.
- ^ "No. 32353". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 June 1921. pp. 4697, 4699.
- ^ "No. 32776". The London Gazette. 12 December 1922. p. 8799.
- ^ "No. 33229". The London Gazette. 14 December 1926. p. 8187.
- ^ "No. 31170". The London Gazette. 8 February 1919. p. 2035.