Lieutenant Colonel William Edward Green 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...

 TD

Territorial Decoration

The Territorial Decoration was a medal of the United Kingdom awarded for long service in the Territorial Force and its successor, the Territorial Army...

 (20 October 1898–23 May 1940) began his military career as 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...

. He was credited with nine aerial victories while flying the Airco DH.4, making him one of the few World War I aces who were bomber pilots.

After World War I, he transferred from the Royal Air Force to the Territorial Army, serving until his death in action on 23 May 1940.

Early life

William Edward Green was born in Ipswich

Ipswich

Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...

, Suffolk, England on 20 October 1898 the son of Henry Douglas and Caroline Green. 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...

 in June 1917.

World War I

"Bill" Green was commissioned a 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...

 in August 1917. He completed training and was posted to 57 Squadron on 29 September 1917. He scored his first aerial victory on 6 January 1918. On 2 July 1918, he was promoted to temporary captain (customarily accompanied by appointment as Flight Commander). On 29 August 1918, he scored his eighth win, only to be seriously shot about by a Fokker

Fokker

Fokker was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer named after its founder, Anthony Fokker. The company operated under several different names, starting out in 1912 in Schwerin, Germany, moving to the Netherlands in 1919....

 biplane; however, both he and his observer escaped unscathed. He scored his final win on 19 September 1918, having scored his nine victories incidental to his duties as an Airco DH.4 pilot. His Distinguished Flying Cross was gazetted after the armistice ended World War I

Armistice with Germany (Compiègne)

The armistice between the Allies and Germany was an agreement that ended the fighting in the First World War. It was signed in a railway carriage in Compiègne Forest on 11 November 1918 and marked a victory for the Allies and a complete defeat for Germany, although not technically a surrender...

, on 3 December 1918. The citation makes no mention of his acedom.

List of aerial victories

No.	Date/time	Aircraft	Foe	Result	Location	Notes
1	6 January 1918 @ 1200 hours	Airco DH.4 serial number A7904	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	Lichtervelde Lichtervelde Lichtervelde is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises only the town of Lichtervelde proper. On January 1, 2006 Lichtervelde had a total population of 8,400. The total area is 25.93 km² which gives a population density of 324 inhabitants per km²....	Observer/gunner: 2 Lt 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...  E H Wilson
2	24 January 1918 @ 1130 hours	Airco DH.4 s/n A2161	Fokker Triplane Fokker Dr.I The Fokker Dr.I Dreidecker was a World War I fighter aircraft built by Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. The Dr.I saw widespread service in the spring of 1918...	Set afire; destroyed	Northwest of Roulers	Observer/gunner: 2 Lt H S Gros
3	24 January 1918 @ 1130 hours	Airco DH.4 s/n A2161	Albatros D.V	Driven down out of control	Northwest of Roulers	Observer/gunner: 2 Lt H S Gros
4	3 February 1918 @ 1245 hours	Airco DH.4 s/n A7674	Albatros D.V	Driven down out of control	Menen Menen Menen is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Menen proper and the towns of Lauwe and Rekkem. The city is situated on the French/Belgian border. On January 1, 2006, Menen had a total population of 32,413...	Observer/gunner: 2 Lt H S Gros
5	31 March 1918 @ 1115 hours	Airco DH.4 s/n A7904	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	Bapaume Bapaume Bapaume is a commune and the seat of a canton in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A farming and light industrial town located 10 miles south of Arras at the junction of the A1 autoroute and the N17 and N30 national roads its location is...	Observer/gunner: 2 Lt H S Gros
6	10 August 1918 @ 1830 hours	Airco DH.4 s/n D9262	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...	Driven down out of control	Bray Bray Bray is a town in north County Wicklow, Ireland. It is a busy urban centre and seaside resort, with a population of 31,901 making it the fourth largest in Ireland as of the 2006 census... -Péronne Péronne Péronne is the name or part of the name of several communes in France:* Péronne, Saône-et-Loire, in the Saône-et-Loire département* Péronne, Somme, in the Somme département* Péronne-en-Mélantois, in the Nord département...	Observer/gunner: 2 Lt C G Smith
7	10 August 1918 @ 1830 hours	Airco DH.4 s/n D9262	Fokker D.VII	Driven down out of control	Bray-Péronne	Observer/gunner: 2 Lt G C Smith
8	29 August 1918 @ 0800 hours	Airco DH.4 s/n 9262	Fokker D.VII	Driven down out of control	Ytres Ytres Ytres is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Ytres is a farming village located 20 miles southeast of Arras, at the junction of the D7, D19 and D18E roads. It was completely rebuilt after being destroyed during World War I. The A2...	Observer/gunner: 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...  A M Barron MC Military Cross The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
9	19 September 1918 @ 1725 hours	Airco DH.4 s/n D8419	Fokker D.VII	Driven down out of control	Havrincourt Havrincourt Havrincourt is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in Nord-Pas-de-Calais in France.-Situation:The village lies about 14 kilometres south-west of Cambrai near the Havrincourt service area on the Autoroute A2...	Observer/gunner: 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...  A M Barron MC

Post World War I

On 3 February 1920 Green went on the unemployed list and surrendered his commission in the Royal Air Force upon appointment into the British Territorial Force

Territorial Force

The Territorial Force was the volunteer reserve component of the British Army from 1908 to 1920, when it became the Territorial Army.-Origins:...

.

On 9 April 1921, he was promoted temporary captain in 5th Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment

Northamptonshire Regiment

The Northamptonshire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1960. Its lineage is now continued by The Royal Anglian Regiment.-Formation:The regiment was formed as part of the reorganisation of the infantry by the Childers reforms...

. However, shortly thereafter, on 17 July 1921, he relinquished his commission, retaining rank as captain. He obviously returned to duty, as on 10 November 1928 he was promoted to major.

On 10 November 1934, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel

Lieutenant colonel

Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...

.

On 24 June 1938 Green was still a lieutenant colonel in the 5th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment. On 10 November 1938 he was promoted to colonel of battalion.

Green died on 23 May 1940 in the days before the evacuation from Dunkirk, his battalion was withdrawing across Flanders in a fighting retreat following the German advances in the Low Countries. He is buried at White House Cemetery

White House Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery

White House Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission burial ground for the dead of the First World War located in the Ypres Salient on the Western Front....

 near Ypres in Belgium. His uniform, medals and sword are held by the Norris Museum in St. Ives.

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, 978189869756.