Cyril Ridley
Encyclopedia
Flight Lieutenant Cyril Ridley, DSC
(1895 - 1920) was a British World War I
flying ace
. He served with the Royal Naval Air Service
in 1917/1918, flying Sopwith Triplane
s and Sopwith Camel
s.
, Surrey on 15 January 1895, the son of Douglas and Victoria Ridley. He attended Arundel House School in Surbiton
, where he became a keen member of the school's Aero Club. In addition to building model aeroplanes, in 1910 when aged 15 he designed and built a man-carrying Chanute
-type biplane glider, with a wingspan of 18 feet.
, initially flying the Sopwith Triplane
. On 29 April 1917 he gained the first of 11 victories, with a share in the downing of a Albatros D.III
. After he had scored three further victories the squadron re-equipped with the Sopwith Camel
in December 1917. With the formation of the Royal Air Force
on 1 April 1918 Captain Ridley became a Flight Lieutenant with No. 201 Squadron
, and later that month he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross
. Ridley's 11th and last victory occurred on 4 July 1918, with the shooting down of a Fokker D.VII
near Foucaucourt.
On 10 July his aircraft suffered engine failure over enemy lines, he glided down and became a Prisoner of War.
in the occupied Rhineland
.
During a flight at Lindenthal, near Cologne on 17 May 1920 his aircraft collided with that flown by Flying Officer J D De Pencier. Both aircraft crashed from 450 feet and Ridley and De Pencier were both killed. Ridley was buried at Cologne Southern Cemetery.
Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the third level military decoration awarded to officers, and other ranks, of the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and British Merchant Navy and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.The DSC, which may be awarded posthumously, is...
(1895 - 1920) was a British World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
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...
. He served with 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...
in 1917/1918, flying Sopwith Triplane
Sopwith Triplane
The Sopwith Triplane was a British single seat fighter aircraft designed and manufactured by the Sopwith Aviation Company during the First World War. Pilots nicknamed it the Tripehound or simply the Tripe. The Triplane became operational with the Royal Naval Air Service in early 1917 and was...
s and 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...
s.
Early life
Cyril Burfield Ridley was born in EsherEsher
Esher is a town in the Surrey borough of Elmbridge in South East England near the River Mole. It is a very prosperous part of the Greater London Urban Area, largely suburban in character, and is situated 14.1 miles south west of Charing Cross....
, Surrey on 15 January 1895, the son of Douglas and Victoria Ridley. He attended Arundel House School in Surbiton
Surbiton
Surbiton, a suburban area of London in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, is situated next to the River Thames, with a mixture of Art-Deco courts, more recent residential blocks and grand, spacious 19th century townhouses blending into a sea of semi-detached 20th century housing estates...
, where he became a keen member of the school's Aero Club. In addition to building model aeroplanes, in 1910 when aged 15 he designed and built a man-carrying Chanute
Octave Chanute
Octave Chanute was a French-born American railway engineer and aviation pioneer. He provided the Wright brothers with help and advice, and helped to publicize their flying experiments. At his death he was hailed as the father of aviation and the heavier-than-air flying machine...
-type biplane glider, with a wingspan of 18 feet.
First World War
Captain Ridley served on the Western Front with No. 1 Squadron, RNASRoyal 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...
, initially flying the Sopwith Triplane
Sopwith Triplane
The Sopwith Triplane was a British single seat fighter aircraft designed and manufactured by the Sopwith Aviation Company during the First World War. Pilots nicknamed it the Tripehound or simply the Tripe. The Triplane became operational with the Royal Naval Air Service in early 1917 and was...
. On 29 April 1917 he gained the first of 11 victories, with a share in the downing of a Albatros D.III
Albatros D.III
The Albatros D.III was a biplane fighter aircraft used by the Imperial German Army Air Service and the Austro-Hungarian Air Service during World War I. The D.III was flown by many top German aces, including Manfred von Richthofen, Ernst Udet, Erich Löwenhardt, Kurt Wolff, and Karl Emil Schäfer...
. After he had scored three further victories the squadron re-equipped with 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...
in December 1917. With the formation of 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...
on 1 April 1918 Captain Ridley became a Flight Lieutenant with No. 201 Squadron
No. 201 Squadron RAF
No. 201 Squadron of the Royal Air Force, until March 2010, operated the Nimrod MR2, based at RAF Kinloss, Moray. It is the only squadron affiliated with Guernsey, in the Channel Islands. This affiliation started in 1935 and is commemorated in the museum on Castle Cornet. Its history goes even...
, and later that month he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the third level military decoration awarded to officers, and other ranks, of the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and British Merchant Navy and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.The DSC, which may be awarded posthumously, is...
. Ridley's 11th and last victory occurred on 4 July 1918, with the shooting down of a 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...
near Foucaucourt.
On 10 July his aircraft suffered engine failure over enemy lines, he glided down and became a Prisoner of War.
Death
After the war Cyril Ridley resumed flying with the RAF, serving with No. 12 SquadronNo. 12 Squadron RAF
No. 12 Squadron of the Royal Air Force currently operates the Tornado GR4 from RAF Lossiemouth.-History:No. 12 Squadron Royal Flying Corps was formed in February 1915 from a flight of No. 1 Squadron RFC at Netheravon. The squadron moved to France in September 1915 and operated a variety of aircraft...
in the occupied Rhineland
Rhineland
Historically, the Rhinelands refers to a loosely-defined region embracing the land on either bank of the River Rhine in central Europe....
.
During a flight at Lindenthal, near Cologne on 17 May 1920 his aircraft collided with that flown by Flying Officer J D De Pencier. Both aircraft crashed from 450 feet and Ridley and De Pencier were both killed. Ridley was buried at Cologne Southern Cemetery.