Frederick Britnell
Encyclopedia
Captain Frederick John Shaw Britnell was a flying ace
in the Royal Naval Air Service
and Royal Air Force during World War I. He was credited with nine aerial victories. He returned to service for World War II, remaining in the Royal Air Force until 1954.
in Royal Naval Air Service
on the same day as John Denis Breakey
. On 27 October 1917, he was promoted to temporary Flight Sub-Lieutenant.
By early 1918, he had been posted to 3 Naval Squadron; he scored his first aerial victory with them on 10 March 1918. His victory streak with them continued as the unit transitioned into 203 Squadron RAF, culminating in his destruction of an observation balloon
on 2 October 1918.
His bravery was rewarded with a Distinguished Flying Cross, although the citation for it was not gazetted until after war's end, on 8 February 1919:
On 10 May 1938, he was commissioned in the Equipment Branch of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
as an acting Pilot Officer with seniority from 15 May 1936. On 10 November 1938, he was promoted to Flying Officer. On 16 December 1941, he was promoted from Flight Lieutenant to Squadron Leader
.
On 31 January 1950, he relinquished his commission as a Flying Officer.
On 10 February 1954, he relinquished his commission while retaining the rank of Squadron Leader.
Britnell's retirement life and eventual death remain unknown.
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 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...
and Royal Air Force during World War I. He was credited with nine aerial victories. He returned to service for World War II, remaining in the Royal Air Force until 1954.
Early life
Frederick John Shaw Britnell was born in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England on 16 April 1899.World War I
Just past his 18th birthday on 3 June 1917, Britnell was appointed a Flight OfficerFlight officer
The title flight officer was a military rank used by the United States Armed Forces where it was an air force warrant officer rank. It was also an air force rank in several Commonwealth nations where it was used for female officers and was equivalent to the rank of flight lieutenant...
in 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...
on the same day as John Denis Breakey
John Denis Breakey
Air Vice Marshal John Denis Breakey began his military career in the Royal Naval Air Service during World War I. As the RNAS was merged into the Royal Air Force, he scored nine aerial victories as a fighter pilot....
. On 27 October 1917, he was promoted to temporary Flight Sub-Lieutenant.
By early 1918, he had been posted to 3 Naval Squadron; he scored his first aerial victory with them on 10 March 1918. His victory streak with them continued as the unit transitioned into 203 Squadron RAF, culminating in his destruction of an observation balloon
Balloon buster
Balloon busters were military pilots known for destroying enemy observation balloons. These pilots were noted for their fearlessness. Seventy-six fighter pilots in World War I were each credited with destroying five or more balloons, and thus were balloon aces....
on 2 October 1918.
His bravery was rewarded with a Distinguished Flying Cross, although the citation for it was not gazetted until after war's end, on 8 February 1919:
Post World War I
Britnell survived the war. On 30 August 1919, he transferred to the Royal Air Force's unemployed list; with that, he dropped from history's eye for almost two decades.On 10 May 1938, he was commissioned in the Equipment 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...
as an acting Pilot Officer with seniority from 15 May 1936. On 10 November 1938, he was promoted to Flying Officer. On 16 December 1941, he was promoted from Flight Lieutenant to Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
.
On 31 January 1950, he relinquished his commission as a Flying Officer.
On 10 February 1954, he relinquished his commission while retaining the rank of Squadron Leader.
Britnell's retirement life and eventual death remain unknown.
List of aerial victories
| No. | Date/time | Aircraft | Foe | Result | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 March 1918 @ 1315 hours | 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... serial number B7251 |
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.... |
Destroyed | Two miles southeast of Lens Lens -Optics:*Lens , an optical element which converges or diverges light**Lens , a part of the eye**Corrective lens for correction of human vision***Contact lens, placed on the cornea of the eye**Photographic lens, a lens designed for use on a camera... |
|
| 2 | 24 March 1918 @ 1530 hours | Sopwith Camel s/n B7258 | Albatros D.V | Driven down out of control | Vaux Vaux -People:*Calvert Vaux , British-born American architect and landscape designer*Richard Vaux , an American politician, mayor of Philadelphia, and a member of the U.S... |
Victory shared with Edwin Hayne Edwin Hayne Captain Edwin Tufnell Hayne was a World War I flying ace credited with 15 aerial victories.-Early life:Edwin Tufnell Hayne was the son of Emily and Tufnell Hayne. He was born in Johannesburg, South Africa... , Arthur Whealy Arthur Whealy Arthur Treloar Whealy DSC & Bar DFC was a Canadian First World War flying ace, officially credited with 27 victories.-Background:Whealy was a medical student at the University of Toronto before World War I... , Frederick Carr Armstrong, four other pilots |
| 3 | 15 May 1918 @ 1050 hours | Sopwith Camel s/n B7251 | DFW C.V DFW C.V -External Links:*... |
Driven down out of control | One mile east of Pont-du-Hem | Victory shared with Whealy |
| 4 | 16 May 1918 @ 1120 hours | Sopwith Camel s/n B7251 | 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 ... |
Driven down out of control | North 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:*... |
|
| 5 | 27 August 1918 @ 1210 hours | Sopwith Camel s/n D9611 | DFW C.V | Destroyed | South of Combles Combles Combles is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Combles is situated on the D20 road, some northeast of Amiens.-History:... |
Victory shared with Whealy |
| 6 | 16 September 1918 @ 1840 hours | Sopwith Camel s/n D9611 | 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... |
Set on fire; destroyed | Haynecourt Haynecourt Haynecourt is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.-Heraldry:-References:*... |
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| 7 | 20 September 1918 @ 1530 hours | Sopwith Camel s/n D9611 | Fokker D.VII | Driven down out of control | Haynecourt | |
| 8 | 26 September 1918 @ 1315 hours | Sopwith Camel s/n D9611 | Fokker D.VII | Set on fire; destroyed | Haynecourt | |
| 9 | 2 October 1918 between 0800 and 1000 hours | Sopwith Camel s/n D9679 | Observation balloon Observation balloon Observation balloons are balloons that are employed as aerial platforms for intelligence gathering and artillery spotting. Their use began during the French Revolutionary Wars, reaching their zenith during World War I, and they continue in limited use today.... |
Destroyed | Vicinity of Cambrai Cambrai Cambrai is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.Cambrai is the seat of an archdiocese whose jurisdiction was immense during the Middle Ages. The territory of the Bishopric of Cambrai, roughly coinciding with the shire of Brabant, included... |
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