British World War I flying ace
Captain
Rupert Norman Gould Atkinson
MC
DFC*
(17 July 1896 ? 7 March 1919) was a British
World War I
flying ace
credited with five aerial victories.
[1]
Biography
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Rupert Atkinson was born in
Shanghai
, China,
[1]
the elder son of John Brenan Atkinson and Amelie Sophie Gould.
[2]
He was educated at
Orley Farm School
,
Harrow
, and at
Marlborough College
, Wiltshire. He was enrolled at
Pembroke College, Cambridge
in June 1914,
[1]
and joined the 16th (Public Schools) Battalion,
Middlesex Regiment
in September.
[3]
On 2 December 1914 he received his commission as a temporary Second Lieutenant
[4]
in the 15th Middlesex Regiment.
[3]
On 28 July 1915, he was sent to
Cameroon
,
[3]
where he was attached to the
West African Frontier Force
in the
Kamerun campaign
. Atkinson was eventually invalided back to England, arriving at Liverpool aboard the
SS
Mendi
on 2 April 1916.
[1]
In August 1916 Atkinson joined the
Royal Flying Corps
,
[3]
receiving
Royal Aero Club
Aviator's Certificate No.3646 at the military flying school at
Brooklands
on 28 September.
[1]
He arrived at the Western Front in November 1916,
[3]
joining
10 Squadron RFC
.
[1]
He was promoted to captain in July 1917, becoming a
flight commander
shortly afterwards.
[3]
Atkinson was engaged in reconnaissance, night-bombing, and ground attacks,
[3]
and was awarded the
Military Cross
on 18 October 1917.
[5]
His citation reads:
- Temporary Captain Rupert Norman Gould Atkinson, General List and RFC.
- For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. This officer has done a large amount of successful artillery work, has taken part in many night bombing raids, and has continually distinguished himself by his fearlessness and determination in descending to low altitudes in order to attack hostile infantry and machine guns. On one occasion, also, he successfully attacked and drove down a hostile balloon.
[6]
Between May and October 1918 while flying an
Airco DH.9
and serving with
98 Squadron RAF
, and later with
206 Squadron RAF
, Atkinson scored five aerial victories.
[1]
On 2 November 1918 he was awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross
:
- Captain Rupert Norman Gould Atkinson, MC.
- A gallant and determined officer whose services over the lines since May last in long-distance and photographic reconnaissances, and as leader of bomb raids, have been of a very high order. On a recent occasion, when on solitary photographic reconnaissance at 15,000 feet, his machine was attacked by eight Fokker biplanes; one of these he shot down.
[7]
After the end of hostilities he served with the occupation forces in
Cologne
, Germany,
[1]
in
90 Squadron RAF
.
[8]
On 7 March 1919,
[3]
while at home on leave, Atkinson died from
pneumonia following influenza
.
[1]
He is buried in the cemetery of the
Church of St Peter, Great Berkhamsted
, Hertfordshire.
[8]
[9]
He was awarded
a bar
to his DFC on 30 May 1919,
[10]
and the
Croix de guerre
from Belgium on 11 July 1919,
[11]
both posthumously.
References
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