Captain Earl McNabb Hand was a 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...

 credited with five confirmed aerial victories and two unconfirmed ones.

Hand began his victory roll while flying 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...

 for 45 Squadron. He tallied his first win when he drove an 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....

 down out of control at Langemark-Poelkapelle

Langemark-Poelkapelle

Langemark-Poelkapelle is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Bikschote, Langemark, and Poelkapelle. On January 1, 2006 Langemark-Poelkapelle had a total population of 7,780. The total area is 52.53 km² which gives a population...

, Belgium on 15 November 1917. After 45 Squadron shifted from the Western Front

Western Front (World War I)

Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...

 to Italy, Hand had a couple of unconfirmed claims on 11 January 1918; he then scored four times between 30 January and 9 May 1918. A summary of his victories shows four destroyed enemy airplanes, one confirmed and two unconfirmed driven down out of control. On 1 June 1918, Hand was shot down by Austro-Hungarian ace Frank Linke-Crawford

Frank Linke-Crawford

Oberleutnant Frank Linke-Crawford , was the fourth-ranking ace of the Austro-Hungarian empire during World War I, with 27 victories.-Early life:...

. Linke-Crawford hit the gas tank of Hand's Camel and set it afire; somehow, Hand survived both the flames and the impact of the crash. However, he was badly burned and taken prisoner.

Hand was repatriated in 1919 and returned to Canada. He became a magistrate. He also helped found the Toronto Flying Club.