Lieutenant William Henry Brown was a Canadian World War I 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...

 credited with nine aerial victories.

Early life

William Henry Brown was born in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada on 12 March 1894. He joined the 1st Canadian Signal Corps of the Canadian Expeditionary Force

Canadian Expeditionary Force

The Canadian Expeditionary Force was the designation of the field force created by Canada for service overseas in the First World War. Units of the C.E.F. were divided into field formation in France, where they were organized first into separate divisions and later joined together into a single...

 to serve in World War I. He subsequently transferred to the Royal Flying Corps

Royal 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...

 in early 1917.

World War I

By August 1917, Brown was posted to 84 Squadron as a 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...

. He scored his first aerial victory with them on 26 November 1917, and would continue to score with them until 3 April 1918. Five days later, he was transferred off combat duty and returned to Home Establishment in England. He won a Military Cross for his valour. As the award citation makes clear, his bravery in dogfights was not the only reason for his medal; ground attacks against enemy troops were also prized.

Brown's Military Cross was gazetted on 22 June 1918:

Post World War I

Although Brown survived the war, his subsequent life is a mystery until his death on 28 February 1969 in Stellacoom, Washington, USA.

List of aerial victories

No.	Date/time	Aircraft	Foe	Result	Location	Notes
1	28 November 1917 @ 0800 hours	Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a serial number B559	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....	Driven down out of control	Between Fonsommes Fonsommes Fonsomme is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.It is the source of the river Somme.-See also:*Communes of the Aisne department...  and Mont-d'Origny Mont-d'Origny Mont-d'Origny is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.-References:*...
2	23 December 1917 @ 1300 hours	Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n B559	German reconnaissance plane	Driven down out of control	North of Saint-Quentin Saint-Quentin Places called Saint-Quentin include:*Saint-Quentin, Aisne, Aisne, Picardie, France*Saint-Quentin, New Brunswick, Canada*Saint-Quentin Parish, New Brunswick, CanadaSaint-Quentin is part of the name of several places, including:...	Victory shared with Edward Pennell Edward Pennell Captain Edward Robert Pennell was a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories. He served on his home town's city council, being four times chairman. He later returned to service during World War II....
3	10 March 1918 @ 1420 hours	Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n C5384	German reconnaissance plane	Driven down out of control	Bellicourt Bellicourt Bellicourt is a commune in the department of Aisne in Picardy in northern France.It lies on the N44 road between Cambrai and Saint-Quentin and over the principal tunnel of the St. Quentin Canal....
4	17 March 1918 @ 1730 hours	Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n C9263	Fokker Triplane Fokker Dr.I The Fokker Dr.I Dreidecker was a World War I fighter aircraft built by Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. The Dr.I saw widespread service in the spring of 1918...	Driven down out of control	Crevecoeur
5	18 March 1918 @ 1130 hours	Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n C9263	Albatros D.V	Driven down out of control	Saint-Souplet Saint-Souplet Saint-Souplet is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.-Geography:Saint Souplet-Escaufourt is on the route 115. It is part of the canton Cateau-Cambrésis, 6 km from Cateau, 30 km south east of Cambrai and 86 km from Lille.Located in the south of Cateau-Cambrésis and on...
6	18 March 1918 @ 1130 hours	Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n C9263	Albatros D.V	Driven down out of control	Saint-Souplet
7	25 March 1918 @ 0920 hours	Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n C9267	German reconnaissance plane	Destroyed	Flers Flers Flers is the name or part of the name of several communes in France:* Flers, Orne, in the Orne département* Flers, Nord, a former commune of the Nord département, now part of Villeneuve d'Ascq...
8	25 March 1918 @ 0930 hours	Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n C9267	German reconnaissance plane	Set on fire; destroyed	Flers	Victory shared with Robert Grosvenor Robert Grosvenor (aviator) Captain Robert Arthur Grosvenor was a World War I flying ace credited with 16 aerial victories.He was the son of Helen Sheffield and Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Hugh Grosvenor....
9	3 April 1918 @ 1200 hours	Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n C9263	Albatros D.V	Driven down out of control	West of Villers-Bretonneux Villers-Bretonneux Villers-Bretonneux is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Villers-Bretonneux is situated some 19 km due east of Amiens, on the D1029 road and the A29 motorway.-History - World War I:...

Endnotes