Captain George Cecil Gardiner, DFC

Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)

The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...

  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 six aerial victories.

Gardiner flew as an observer with 14 Squadron in the Middle East. He made the transition to piloting and joined 47 Squadron in Salonika in 1917. Flying a Royal Aircraft Factory BE.12, he shared his first victory near Beles

Beles

Beles may refer to :*Beles River and Gilgil Beles, a river and a town in Metekel Zone of Benishangul-Gumaz region of Ethiopia, near Seleh Leha*Beles Hydroelectric Power Plant in Ethiopia*a name for the Opuntia ficus-indica fruit in Ethiopia and Eritrea....

 on 1 October 1917. He switched mounts to an Airco DH.2

Airco DH.2

|-DH.2 aces:Distinguished pilots of the DH.2 included Victoria Cross winner Lanoe Hawker , who was the first commander of No 24 Squadron and ace Alan Wilkinson. The commander of No. 32 Squadron, Lionel Rees won the Victoria Cross flying the D.H.2 for single handedly attacking a formation of 10...

, and destroyed an 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...

 in November. This unusual kill happened while repelling an attack; Gardiner's gun jammed on the fourth shot; infantry below belatedly confirmed the kill, however.

At this time, 47 and 17 squadrons were combined into a new unit, 150 Squadron. Gardiner gained a better fighter out of the deal, 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...

. He used it to split his next three victories in June 1918. June also brought him a Distinguished Flying Cross.

Gardiner tallied his sixth and final victory on 3 September 1918, when he destroyed 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....

.