Captain George William Francis Darvill was an English 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

George William Francis Darvill was born on 26 October 1898 in Petersfield, Hampshire, England. He was the son of Minnie M. and George Darvill. He worked as a farmer until he joined 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...

 during World War I.

World War I

Darvill was commissioned as a probationary 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...

 on 20 April 1917. He was awarded Royal Aero Club

Royal Aero Club

The Royal Aero Club is the national co-ordinating body for Air Sport in the United Kingdom.The Aero Club was founded in 1901 by Frank Hedges Butler, his daughter Vera and the Hon Charles Rolls , partly inspired by the Aero Club of France...

 Certificate No. 4973 at RAF Hendon on 13 July 1917. His first, brief, assignment was a posting to 9 Squadron from October to December 1917; the squadron then moved forward to action in France. On 13 January 1918, he transferred to 18 Squadron to fly Airco DH.4 light bombers. Beginning on 10 March 1918, he began a string of nine aerial victories that did not end until 4 September 1918.

His succession of victories was rewarded by a Military Cross, which was gazetted on 3 June 1918. He was also promoted to temporary captain and appointed as a Flight Commander on 18 August 1918. August 1918 also saw his award of a Distinguished Flying Cross, although it was not gazetted until 2 November 1918:

List of aerial victories

See also Aerial victory standards of World War I

Aerial victory standards of World War I

During World War I, the national air services involved developed their own methods of assessing and assigning credit for aerial victories.The victory scores of the pilots represented at List of World War I flying aces often cannot be definitive, but are based on itemized lists that are the best...

No.	Date/time	Aircraft	Foe	Result	Location	Notes
1	10 March 1918 @ 1215 hours	Airco DH.4 serial number B9435	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	Allenes	Darvil's observer: Sgt 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....  A Pollard
2	19 May 1918 @ 1200 hours	Airco DH.4	Albatros D.V	Driven down out of control	Douai Douai -Main sights:Douai's ornate Gothic style belfry was begun in 1380, on the site of an earlier tower. The 80 m high structure includes an impressive carillon, consisting of 62 bells spanning 5 octaves. The originals, some dating from 1391 were removed in 1917 during World War I by the occupying...	Observer: Lt Lieutenant A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...  E Collins. Victory shared with Albert Gregory Waller Albert Gregory Waller Captain Albert Gregory Waller MC was an Irish-born World War I flying ace credited with 11 confirmed victories. He would return to Britain's military service during World War II.- Personal life :... , 3 other aviators
3	21 May 1918 @ 1045 hours	Airco DH.4 s/n A8034	Albatros D.V	Destroyed	Douai	Observer: AM2 L Vredenberg
4	8 July 1918 @ 0830 hours	Airco DH.4 s/n A7815	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...	Destroyed	Hénin-Liétard	Observer: Lt William Miller
5	28July 1918 @ 0735 hours	Airco DH.4 s/n A7815	Fokker D.VII	Driven down out of control	Vitry Vitry Vitry is part of the name of several communes in France:* Vitry-aux-Loges, in the Loiret département* Vitry-en-Artois, in the Pas-de-Calais département* Vitry-en-Charollais, in the Saône-et-Loire département...	Observer: Lt William Miller
6	9 August 1918 @ 1050 hours	Airco DH.4	Fokker D.VII	West of Douai	Driven down out of control	Observer: Lt J Fenwick. Victory shared with John Gillanders John Gillanders Lieutenant John Gordon Gillanders was a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.-References:... , Herbert Gould Herbert Gould Captain Herbert Ruska Gould was a World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories.-Reference:... , 10 other aviators
7	12 August 1918 @ 1100 hours	Airco DH.4 s/n F5857	Fokker D.VII	Driven down out of control	West of Somain Somain, Nord Somain is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.-References:*...	Observer: Lt J Fenwick
8	4 September 1918 @ 0750 hours	Airco DH.4 s/n A7815	Fokker D.VII	Set on fire; destroyed	Cantin Cantin Cantin is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It is southeast of Douai.-Heraldry:-References:*...	Observer: Lt William Miller
9	4 September 1918 @ 0755 hours	Airco DH.4 S/n A7815	Fokker D.VII	Set on fire; destroyed	Aubigny-au-Bac Aubigny-au-Bac -References:*...	Observer: Lt William Miller

Post World War I

Darvill was discharged from the Royal Air Force on 12 September 1919.

On 16 January 1926, Darvill was married to Violet Ruth Collins at Ashtead

Ashtead

Ashtead is a village situated within the Metropolitan Green Belt of Surrey, England, and is just outside of the suburbia of London. It is separated from Leatherhead by the M25, and from Epsom by Ashtead Common.- History :...

; the report of the nuptials in Flight indicate that Darvill was still involved in the world of aviation.

He would leave his home in Ramsden

Ramsden

Ramsden may refer to:Places:*Ramsden, Greater London, England*Ramsden, Oxfordshire, England, a village and civil parish*Ramsden, Worcestershire, England, a hamlet*Ramsden Park, Toronto, Canada*Ramsden , on the Moon*8001 Ramsden, an asteroid...

, Peterfield to enter 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...

 in September 1939. On 14 March 1941, he was commissioned as a probationary Pilot Officer

Pilot Officer

Pilot officer is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks immediately below flying officer...

 with seniority from 14 February 1941. On 14 February 1942, he was confirmed in rank 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"...

.

George William Francis Darvill died in September 1950 in Christchurch, Hampshire, England.

Reference

• Franks, Norman
  Norman Franks
  Norman Leslie Robert Franks is an English writer who specialises in aviation books on the pilots and squadrons of World Wars I and II.-Biography:...
  
  ; Guest, Russell; Alegi, Gregory. Above the War Fronts: the British Two-seater Bomber Pilot and Observer Aces, the British Two-seater Fighter Observer Aces, and the Belgian, Italian, Austro-Hungarian and Russian Fighter Aces, 1914-1918: Volume 4 of Fighting Airmen of WWI Series: Volume 4 of Air Aces of WWI. Grub Street, 1997. ISBN 1898697566, 9781898697565.

Endnotes