William John Charles Kennedy-Cochran-Patrick
Encyclopedia
Major William John Charles Kennedy-Cochran-Patrick DSO
, MC
& Bar
(25 May 1896 – 26 September 1933) was a World War I
flying ace
credited with 21 aerial victories. He was the leading ace flying the Spad VII fighter, and of No. 23 Squadron. He later flew aerial surveys on three continents.
He attended Wellington College
in Berkshire and Trinity College, Cambridge
before going to Royal Military College Sandhurst.
to No. 1 Aeroplane Depot at Saint-Omer
, France
. He was officially seconded to the Royal Flying Corps
from The Rifle Brigade on 11 June 1915.
On 17 March 1916, he was promoted from second lieutenant to lieutenant while staying seconded to the RFC. On 26 April, he achieved his first victory despite his test pilot status. He used Nieuport
No. 5172 to attack an LVG
C-type three times. The LVG crash-landed with a dead crew. He was awarded the Military Cross
on 16 May 1916, for this capture of an enemy plane.
As a result of his victory and award, he was transferred to No. 70 Squadron to fly Sopwith 1½ Strutter
s. He scored victories two and three on 14 and 15 September 1916, having his observer killed on both occasions.
He was promoted to Captain and transferred to No. 23 Squadron
in early 1917 to fly Spad VIIs. He shot a double on 22 April to become an ace. He won twice more in April, and again on 2 May. His next victory, on 11 May, would be his most notable; he set afire the Albatros D.III
of Jasta 5's triple-ace Offz. Stlvtr. Edmund Nathanael
, its fuselage falling away from its wings and plunged in flames to earth.
It was also during this stretch that he was entrusted by Major General Hugh Trenchard to evaluate the new Spad XIII at La Bonne Maison Aerodrome. He turned in his report to Trenchard on 1 May 1917.
Kennedy-Cochran-Patrick claimed three more times in May, four times in June, and five in July. After his final victory, on 16 July 1917, he was promoted to acting Major on 22 July, and given command of No. 60 Squadron
.
In lieu of a second award, he was awarded a Bar to his Military Cross on 14 August 1917. A month later, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
.
He was Mentioned in Despatches on 7 November 1917 by Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig. He was denoted as a lieutenant doing a job two grades his senior; he was a temporary major.
At the end of 1917 he was transferred back to England to the Training Directorate of the Air Board. From there, he returned to No. 1 AD in 1918.
His war time tally was 1 captured, 6 and 4 shared destroyed, 9 and 1 shared 'out of control'.
He married Natalie Bertha Tanner of Larches, Rusherville, Kent on 20 July 1924. They had a single son two years later, Neil Aylmer Kennedy-Cochran-Patrick (later Neil Aylmer Hunter).
He went on to fly a lot of aerial survey work in the postwar years. He carried out surveys in South America, Burma, Iraq, and Africa. He established his own company, The Aircraft Operating Company of South Africa Pty Ltd. He had a contract for a 20000 square miles (51,799.8 km²) air route survey in Northern Rhodesia
(now Zambia
).
He was elected to membership of the Royal Aero Club
on 10 December 1930.
Then, on 26 September 1933, he took off from Baragwanath Airport near Johannesburg
, South Africa
, flying a de Havilland DH.84 Dragon, registration ZS-AEF. He stalled out
at 250 feet (76.2 m) after making a steep turn. The resulting crash killed him and his passenger, Sir Michael Oppenheimer.
(MC)
Military Cross (MC) Bar
Distinguished Service Order
(DSO)
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, 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....
& Bar
Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
(25 May 1896 – 26 September 1933) 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 21 aerial victories. He was the leading ace flying the Spad VII fighter, and of No. 23 Squadron. He later flew aerial surveys on three continents.
Early life and service
Kennedy-Cochran-Patrick was born in Beith, Ayrshire, Scotland on 25 May 1896, the only son of Neil James Kennedy-Cochran-Patrick (later Sir Neil) and Eleonora Agnes Kennedy-Cochran-Patrick of Woodside and Ladyland. He had three sisters, all younger.He attended Wellington College
Wellington College, Berkshire
-Former pupils:Notable former pupils include historian P. J. Marshall, architect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, impressionist Rory Bremner, Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge, author Sebastian Faulks, language school pioneer John Haycraft, political journalist Robin Oakley, actor Sir Christopher...
in Berkshire and Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
before going to Royal Military College Sandhurst.
Flying service
Kennedy-Cochran-Patrick qualified as a pilot in April 1915. He was so skilled a flier that he was assigned as chief test pilotTest pilot
A test pilot is an aviator who flies new and modified aircraft in specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques or FTTs, allowing the results to be measured and the design to be evaluated....
to No. 1 Aeroplane Depot at Saint-Omer
Saint-Omer
Saint-Omer , a commune and sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department west-northwest of Lille on the railway to Calais. The town is named after Saint Audomar, who brought Christianity to the area....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He was officially seconded 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...
from The Rifle Brigade on 11 June 1915.
On 17 March 1916, he was promoted from second lieutenant to lieutenant while staying seconded to the RFC. On 26 April, he achieved his first victory despite his test pilot status. He used Nieuport
Nieuport
Nieuport, later Nieuport-Delage, was a French aeroplane company that primarily built racing aircraft before World War I and fighter aircraft during World War I and between the wars.-Beginnings:...
No. 5172 to attack an LVG
LVG
Luftverkehrsgesellschaft m.b.H. was a German aircraft manufacturer based in Berlin-Johannisthal, which began constructing aircraft in 1912, building Farman-type aircraft. The company constructed many reconnaissance and light bomber biplanes during World War I.The raid on London in 1916 was...
C-type three times. The LVG crash-landed with a dead crew. He was awarded the Military Cross
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....
on 16 May 1916, for this capture of an enemy plane.
As a result of his victory and award, he was transferred to No. 70 Squadron to fly Sopwith 1½ Strutter
Sopwith 1½ Strutter
The Sopwith 1½ Strutter was a British one or two-seat biplane multi-role aircraft of the First World War. It is significant as the first British-designed two seater tractor fighter, and the first British aircraft to enter service with a synchronised machine gun...
s. He scored victories two and three on 14 and 15 September 1916, having his observer killed on both occasions.
No. 23 Squadron RAF
No. 23 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. Until October 2009, it operated the Boeing Sentry AEW1 Airborne Warning And Control System aircraft from RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire.-First World War:...
in early 1917 to fly Spad VIIs. He shot a double on 22 April to become an ace. He won twice more in April, and again on 2 May. His next victory, on 11 May, would be his most notable; he set afire the 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...
of Jasta 5's triple-ace Offz. Stlvtr. Edmund Nathanael
Edmund Nathanael
Offizierstellvertreter Edmund Nathanael was a World War I flying ace credited with 15 aerial victories.-Reference:Albatros Aces of World War 1: Part 1 of Albatros aces of World War I. Norman L. R. Franks. Osprey Publishing, 2000. ISBN 1855329603, 9781855329607....
, its fuselage falling away from its wings and plunged in flames to earth.
It was also during this stretch that he was entrusted by Major General Hugh Trenchard to evaluate the new Spad XIII at La Bonne Maison Aerodrome. He turned in his report to Trenchard on 1 May 1917.
Kennedy-Cochran-Patrick claimed three more times in May, four times in June, and five in July. After his final victory, on 16 July 1917, he was promoted to acting Major on 22 July, and given command of No. 60 Squadron
No. 60 Squadron RAF
No. 60 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was formed in 1916 at Gosport. It is currently part of the Defence Helicopter Flying School based at RAF Shawbury in Shropshire....
.
In lieu of a second award, he was awarded a Bar to his Military Cross on 14 August 1917. A month later, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
.
He was Mentioned in Despatches on 7 November 1917 by Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig. He was denoted as a lieutenant doing a job two grades his senior; he was a temporary major.
At the end of 1917 he was transferred back to England to the Training Directorate of the Air Board. From there, he returned to No. 1 AD in 1918.
His war time tally was 1 captured, 6 and 4 shared destroyed, 9 and 1 shared 'out of control'.
Postwar life
He resigned his commission on 9 July 1919. He became a major in the General Reserve of Officers the same day.He married Natalie Bertha Tanner of Larches, Rusherville, Kent on 20 July 1924. They had a single son two years later, Neil Aylmer Kennedy-Cochran-Patrick (later Neil Aylmer Hunter).
He went on to fly a lot of aerial survey work in the postwar years. He carried out surveys in South America, Burma, Iraq, and Africa. He established his own company, The Aircraft Operating Company of South Africa Pty Ltd. He had a contract for a 20000 square miles (51,799.8 km²) air route survey in Northern Rhodesia
Northern Rhodesia
Northern Rhodesia was a territory in south central Africa, formed in 1911. It became independent in 1964 as Zambia.It was initially administered under charter by the British South Africa Company and formed by it in 1911 by amalgamating North-Western Rhodesia and North-Eastern Rhodesia...
(now Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
).
He was elected to membership of the 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...
on 10 December 1930.
Then, on 26 September 1933, he took off from Baragwanath Airport near Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, flying a de Havilland DH.84 Dragon, registration ZS-AEF. He stalled out
Stall (flight)
In fluid dynamics, a stall is a reduction in the lift coefficient generated by a foil as angle of attack increases. This occurs when the critical angle of attack of the foil is exceeded...
at 250 feet (76.2 m) after making a steep turn. The resulting crash killed him and his passenger, Sir Michael Oppenheimer.
Honours and awards
Military CrossMilitary 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....
(MC)
Military Cross (MC) Bar
Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(DSO)