Harold Whistler
Encyclopedia
Group Captain Harold Alfred Whistler DSO
DFC and Bar
(30 December 1896–March 1940) was an English
fighter pilot
and flying ace
in World War I.
to be trained as a pilot. He was soon on operations and was wounded in action on 29 January 1917 when he was with 3 Squadron
. When he recovered he joined 80 Squadron
as a flight commander flying the Sopwith Camel
and returned to operations in France in 1918. He was credited with 23 victories ( 1 balloon, 13 destroyed, 9 'out of control') between March 1918 and October 1918, all while flying the Sopwith Camel
.
With the end of the war he stayed in the Royal Air Force
as an instructor with various units.
in operations against the Najd Bedouin tribesmen. By 1940 he was Chief of Staff of RAF India as an acting Air Commodore. On a return trip to the United Kingdom from India on an Imperial Airways
Handley Page H.P.42
it disappeared without trace over the Gulf of Oman 1 March 1940 with eight on board.
His name is inscribed on the Singapore Memorial
at the Kranji War Cemetery
Whistler was born Alfred Harold Whistler and his medal citations reflect that but other records list him as Harold Alfred Whistler.
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
DFC and Bar
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
(30 December 1896–March 1940) was an English
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
fighter pilot
Fighter pilot
A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained in air-to-air combat while piloting a fighter aircraft . Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and dogfighting...
and flying ace
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 World War I.
Early life
Alfred Harold Whistler was born in 1896 in Theddlethorpe, Lincolnshire the son the Reverend Alfred James Whistler and his wife Mary Maud. In the 1901 Census of Louth he is listed as Harold Alfred Whistler aged 4 with his parents, older brother and two older sisters living at the Rectory at Little Carlton. Whistler was educated at Ounde near Peterborough and then to the Royal Military College at Sandhurst.World War 1
Originally commissioned in the Dorsetshire Regiment in 1916 he had transferred to the Royal Flying CorpsRoyal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
to be trained as a pilot. He was soon on operations and was wounded in action on 29 January 1917 when he was with 3 Squadron
No. 3 Squadron RAF
No 3 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Typhoon F2, FGR4 and T3 from RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire.No 3 Squadron, which celebrated its 95th anniversary over the weekend of 11-13 May 2007, is unique in the RAF for having two official crests....
. When he recovered he joined 80 Squadron
No. 80 Squadron RAF
No. 80 Squadron RAF was a Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force squadron active from 1917 until 1969. It was operative during both World War I and World War II.-Establishment and early service:...
as a flight commander flying the 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...
and returned to operations in France in 1918. He was credited with 23 victories ( 1 balloon, 13 destroyed, 9 'out of control') between March 1918 and October 1918, all while flying the 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...
.
With the end of the war he stayed in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
as an instructor with various units.
Post war
In the late 1920s he commanded 55 SquadronNo. 55 Squadron RAF
No. 55 Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1916 at Castle Bromwich as a unit of the Royal Flying Corps. No. 55 Squadron was the last RAF Squadron to operationally fly the Handley Page Victor, in its Victor K.2 in-flight refuelling tanker role. It was subsequently a...
in operations against the Najd Bedouin tribesmen. By 1940 he was Chief of Staff of RAF India as an acting Air Commodore. On a return trip to the United Kingdom from India on an Imperial Airways
Imperial Airways
Imperial Airways was the early British commercial long range air transport company, operating from 1924 to 1939 and serving parts of Europe but especially the Empire routes to South Africa, India and the Far East...
Handley Page H.P.42
Handley Page H.P.42
The Handley Page H.P.42 and H.P.45 were British four-engine long-range biplane airliners designed to a 1928 Imperial Airways specification by Handley Page of Radlett in Hertfordshire....
it disappeared without trace over the Gulf of Oman 1 March 1940 with eight on board.
His name is inscribed on the Singapore Memorial
Kranji War Memorial
The Kranji War Memorial is located at 9 Woodlands Road, in Kranji in northern Singapore. Dedicated to the men and women from United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Sri Lanka, India, Malaya, the Netherlands and New Zealand who died defending Singapore and Malaya against the invading Japanese forces...
at the Kranji War Cemetery
Kranji War Cemetery
The Kranji War Cemetery is located in Kranji, Singapore, and is the final resting place for Allied soldiers who perished during the Battle of Singapore and the subsequent Japanese occupation of the island from 1942-1945 and in other parts of Southeast Asia during World War II.There are 4,461 World...
Whistler was born Alfred Harold Whistler and his medal citations reflect that but other records list him as Harold Alfred Whistler.
Honours and awards
- 3 August 1919 - Lt. (temp. Capt.) Alfred Harold Whistler is awarded the Distinguished Flying CrossDistinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
- A very courageous and enterprising patrol leader, who has rendered valuable services. He has done exceptionally good work in attacking ground targets, which he engages at very low altitudes. During the past month his patrol attacked eight enemy scouts who were flying above him. He attacked a triplane and brought it down in a crash, and whilst thus himself engaged another of his pilots destroyed a second enemy machine. The remainder of the enemy formation were then driven off.
- 2 November 1919 - Capt. Alfred Harold Whistler, DFC. (Dorset Regt.) is appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service OrderDistinguished Service OrderThe Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
- During recent operations this officer has rendered exceptionally brilliant service in attacking enemy aircraft and troops on the ground. On August 9 he dropped four bombs on a hostile battery, engaged and threw into confusion a body of troops, and drove down a hostile balloon, returning to his aerodrome after a patrol of one and a half hours duration with a most valuable report. He has in all destroyed ten aircraft and driven down five others out of control.
- 8 February 1919 - Capt. Alfred Harold Whistler, DSO, is awarded a bar to the Distinguished Flying CrossDistinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
, This officer has twenty-two enemy machines and one balloon to his credit. He distinguished himself greatly on 29 September, when he destroyed two machines in one combat, and on 15 September, when, following two balloons to within twenty feet of the ground, he destroyed one and caused the observer of the second to jump out and crash. He has, in addition, done arduous and valuable service in bombing enemy objectives and obtaining information. Captain Whistler is a gallant officer of fine judgment and power of leadership.