Colin Brown (aviator)
Encyclopedia
Air Vice Marshal Colin Peter Brown began his military career as a flying ace
in the Royal Naval Air Service
during World War I, being credited with 14 aerial victories. He remained in the RAF postwar and served until invalided from the service on 15 March 1954.
Colin Brown was educated at Dulwich College
. He then joined the RNAS in June 1917, being commissioned a Flight Sub-Lieutenant on the 13th. He became noted for his willingness to fight, as he attacked land and sea targets as well as enemy aircraft. He even went so far as to strafe Zeebrugge
Harbor in a night attack. He scored his first aerial victory on 13 November 1917, using a Sopwith Camel
. There was a five month lapse, but when he started scoring again on 27 April 1918, he accrued victories steadily until his climactic solo destruction of three Fokker D.VII
s on 4 October 1918. In summary, he destroyed eight enemy planes and drove down six out of control in 374 flying hours. Eleven of his wins were over first-rate German fighter planes, Albatros D.V
s and Fokker D.VIIs. In two of his three victories over observation planes, he was teaming with other pilots, such as future admiral David Ingalls.
In the midst of his winning streak, he was promoted to Lieutenant on 1 April 1918, then appointed a Flight Commander with the rank of Captain later in 1918. He chose to remain in the RAF at war's end.
Flying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
in the Royal Naval Air Service
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
during World War I, being credited with 14 aerial victories. He remained in the RAF postwar and served until invalided from the service on 15 March 1954.
Colin Brown was educated at Dulwich College
Dulwich College
Dulwich College is an independent school for boys in Dulwich, southeast London, England. The college was founded in 1619 by Edward Alleyn, a successful Elizabethan actor, with the original purpose of educating 12 poor scholars as the foundation of "God's Gift". It currently has about 1,600 boys,...
. He then joined the RNAS in June 1917, being commissioned a Flight Sub-Lieutenant on the 13th. He became noted for his willingness to fight, as he attacked land and sea targets as well as enemy aircraft. He even went so far as to strafe Zeebrugge
Zeebrugge
Zeebrugge is a village on the coast of Belgium and a subdivision of Bruges, for which it is the modern port. Zeebrugge serves as both the international port of Bruges-Zeebrugge and a seafront resort with hotels, cafés, a marina and a beach.-Location:...
Harbor in a night attack. He scored his first aerial victory on 13 November 1917, using a Sopwith Camel
Sopwith Camel
The Sopwith Camel was a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter introduced on the Western Front in 1917. Manufactured by Sopwith Aviation Company, it had a short-coupled fuselage, heavy, powerful rotary engine, and concentrated fire from twin synchronized machine guns. Though difficult...
. There was a five month lapse, but when he started scoring again on 27 April 1918, he accrued victories steadily until his climactic solo destruction of three Fokker D.VII
Fokker D.VII
The Fokker D.VII was a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the summer and autumn of 1918. In service, the D.VII quickly proved itself to be a formidable aircraft...
s on 4 October 1918. In summary, he destroyed eight enemy planes and drove down six out of control in 374 flying hours. Eleven of his wins were over first-rate German fighter planes, Albatros D.V
Albatros D.V
|-See also:-Bibliography:*Bennett, Leon. Gunning for the Red Baron. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 2006. ISBN 1-58544-507-X....
s and Fokker D.VIIs. In two of his three victories over observation planes, he was teaming with other pilots, such as future admiral David Ingalls.
In the midst of his winning streak, he was promoted to Lieutenant on 1 April 1918, then appointed a Flight Commander with the rank of Captain later in 1918. He chose to remain in the RAF at war's end.