Lieutenant Harry Neville Compton 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 aerial victories.

Compton originally served with the Canadian Military Engineers

Canadian Military Engineers

The Canadian Military Engineers is the military engineer branch of the Canadian Forces.-Mission:The mission of the Canadian Military Engineers is to contribute to the survival, mobility, and combat effectiveness of the Canadian Forces...

, transferring to 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...

 on 14 February 1918. That summer, he was posted to No. 23 Squadron on 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 fly Sopwith Dolphins. He scored his first victory on 1 July 1918, when he destroyed an Albatros D.V near Hangest

Hangest

Hangest is part of the name of two communes in the Somme department of northern France:* Hangest-en-Santerre* Hangest-sur-Somme...

. He destroyed a 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 ...

 and 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...

 fighter, and drove down another D.VII out of control before tallying his last victory. That was over a DFW

Deutsche Flugzeug-Werke

Deutsche Flugzeug-Werke, usually known as DFW was a German aircraft manufacturer of the early twentieth century. It was established by Bernhard Meyer and Erich Thiele at Lindenthal in 1910, and initially produced Farman designs under licence, later moving on to the Etrich Taube and eventually to...

 reconnaissance two-seater on 1 November 1918, and was shared with fellow ace James William Pearson

James William Pearson

Captain James William Pearson was a World War I flying ace credited with twelve aerial victories.-World War I:His combat assignment was to 23 Squadron, which was operating Spads. They re-equipped with Sopwith Dolphins, and Pearson started to score victories...

.