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Captain Thomas Laurence Purdom was a 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 13 confirmed aerial victories.

Purdom served originally in the ground forces. He flew a Royal Aircraft Factory BE.2

Royal Aircraft Factory BE.2

The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 was a British single-engine two-seat biplane which was in service with the Royal Flying Corps from 1912 until the end of World War I. The "Bleriot" in its designation refers to the fact that, like the Bleriot types it was of tractor configuration, with the...

 for 15 Squadron during most of 1916. He was willing enough to fight the Germans, but none of his many combats showed success. When he transferred to 62 Squadron, he also changed to a newer airplane, the Bristol F.2 Fighter

Bristol F.2 Fighter

The Bristol F.2 Fighter was a British two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War flown by the Royal Flying Corps. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter or popularly the "Brisfit" or "Biff". Despite being a two-seater, the F.2B proved to be an agile aircraft...

 and to the new status of Flight Commander. Beginning with a double win on 21 March 1918, he and gunner/observer Lieutenant Percival Chambers were aces within a week. They continued to win and became double aces on 15 May. Two days later, they completed their dozen victories together with another double win over Armentieres

Armentières

Armentières is a commune in the Nord department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region in northern France. It is part of the Urban Community of Lille Métropole, and lies on the Belgian border, northwest of the city of Lille, on the right bank of the river Lys....

. They had destroyed five enemy airplanes, including one win shared with the crew of William Ernest Staton

William Ernest Staton

Air Vice-Marshal William Ernest Staton CB, DSO & Bar, MC, DFC & Bar was a British airman who began his career as a First World War flying ace credited with 26 victories. He was transferred to the Royal Air Force on its creation and remained in the RAF during the inter-war years...

 and John Rutherford Gordon

John Rutherford Gordon

John Rutherford Gordon MC was an Australian fighter pilot and ace of World War I.As a sergeant No 1 section, A Coy, 10 Battalion he took part in the ANZAC landings at Gallipoli, Turkey, 25 April 1915. He received his commission while serving at Gallipoli...

. Their other eight victories were of the "driven down out of control" category.

On 19 May 1918, Purdom and gunner William Norman Holmes

William Norman Holmes

Sergeant William Norman Holmes was a World War I flying ace credited with eight aerial victories.-Reference:...

 drove 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...

 down out of control northwest of 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...

. This was Purdom's thirteenth victory, and Holmes' sixth.

Reference

• Above the Trenches: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces 1915-1920. Christopher F. Shores, Norman L. R. Franks, Russell Guest. Grub Street, 1990. ISBN 0-948817-19-4, 9780948817199.

Endnotes