Lieutenant Charles Henry Arnison was a British 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. He won the Military Cross for valour in World War I, and returned to his nation's service for World War II before vanishing into obscurity.

World War I

On 26 May 1917 Sergeant

Sergeant

Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....

 C. H. Arnison of the Territorial Force

Territorial Force

The Territorial Force was the volunteer reserve component of the British Army from 1908 to 1920, when it became the Territorial Army.-Origins:...

 was commissioned as a second lieutenant

Second Lieutenant

Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...

 and transferred to the General List of 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...

. On 28 June 1917 he was confirmed as a second lieutenant and appointed a Flying Officer

Flying Officer

Flying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...

.

By early 1918, he was assigned to 62 Squadron as a Bristol F.2 Fighter

Bristol F.2 Fighter

The Bristol F.2 Fighter was a British two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War flown by the Royal Flying Corps. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter or popularly the "Brisfit" or "Biff". Despite being a two-seater, the F.2B proved to be an agile aircraft...

 pilot; he began his victories with them with a win on 12 April 1918, and ran his string out at nine with his last victory on 15 May 1918. On both 6 and 20 June 1918 he was reported wounded in Flight magazine, although it is uncertain if this is a reference to two separate woundings. His exploits won him the Military Cross, gazetted 16 September 1918:

Post World War I

Arnison remained in the Royal Air Force after the war. On 28 October 1919 he was appointed as a Flight Lieutenant

Flight Lieutenant

Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...

 in the reorganized RAF. However, less than a year later, on 6 October 1920, he retired due to injuries, retaining his rank.

He was unheard of until 25 January 1941, when he was appointed a probationary Flying Officer

Flying Officer

Flying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...

 in Administrative and Special Duties Branch of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve

Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve

The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve consists of a number of groupings of individual military reservists for the management and operation of the Royal Air Force's Air Training Corps and CCF Air Cadet formations, Volunteer Gliding Squadrons , Air Experience Flights, and also to form the...

. On 17 July 1941 he was reported wounded or injured in action in Flight magazine. His fate is unknown after that.

List of aerial victories

No.	Date/time	Aircraft	Foe	Result	Location	Notes
1	12 April 1918 @ 1420 hours	Bristol F.2 Fighter Bristol F.2 Fighter The Bristol F.2 Fighter was a British two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War flown by the Royal Flying Corps. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter or popularly the "Brisfit" or "Biff". Despite being a two-seater, the F.2B proved to be an agile aircraft...  serial number C4859	Albatros D.V fighter	Driven down out of control	East of Estaires Estaires -References:*...	Observer/gunner: Samuel Parry
2	21 April 1918 @ 1000 hours	Bristol F.2 Fighter s/n C4859	Pfalz D.III Pfalz D.III |-See also:-Bibliography:* Gray, Peter and Owen Thetford. German Aircraft of the First World War. London: Putnam, 1962. ISBN 0-93385-271-1.* Grosz, Peter M. Pfalz D.IIIa . Berkhamsted, Herts, UK: Albatros Publications, 1995. ISBN 0-94841-425-1.* Guttman, Jon. Balloon-Busting Aces of World War 1 ...  fighter	Driven down out of control	Estaires-Lille Lille Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...	Observer/gunner: Samuel Parry
3	21 April 1918 @ 1000 hours	Bristol F.2 Fighter s/n C4859	Pfalz D.III fighter	Driven down out of control	Estaires-Lille	Observer/gunner: Samuel Parry
4	3 May 1918 @ 1115 hours	Bristol F.2 Fighter s/n C4859	Albatros D.V fighter	Driven down out of control	East of Armentières	Observer/gunner: Samuel Parry
5	3 May 1918 @ 1116 hours	Bristol F.2 Fighter s/n C4859	Albatros D.V fighter	Driven down out of control	East of Armentières	Observer/gunner: Samuel Parry
6	3 May 1918 @ 1117 hours	Bristol F.2 Fighter s/n C4859	Albatros D.V fighter	Destroyed by fire	East of Armentières	Observer/gunner: Samuel Parry
7	9 May 1918	Bristol F.2 Fighter s/n C4859	Pfalz D.III fighter	Destroyed	South of Herlies Herlies -References:*...	Observer/gunner: Horace Ernest Merritt
8	9 May 1918	Bristol F.2 Fighter s/n C4859	Pfalz D.III fighter	Driven down out of control	Northeast of La Bassée La Bassée La Bassée is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.-Heraldry:-History:La Bassée was the birthplace of the painter and draftsman Louis-Léopold Boilly .-References:*...	Observer/gunner: Horace Ernest Merritt
9	15 May 1918 @ 1745 hours	Bristol F.2 Fighter s/n C4859	German reconnaissance plane	Destroyed	Albert Albert Albert may refer to:* Albert , a family name * Albert * Albertet, an Occitan diminutive of AlbertFictional characters:* Albert , minor character in Dario Argento's 1977 film Suspiria... -Ayette Ayette Ayette is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France.-Geography:A farming village located 9 miles south of Arras at the junction of the D7 and D919 roads.-Population:-Places of interest:...	Observer/gunner: C. D. Wells

Endnotes

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