Captain William Lewis Wells was a British 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 ten aerial victories. His exceptional valour twice won him the Military Cross.

Early life

William Lewis Wells was born in Hounslow, Middlesex, England in 1895. He was selected as a Temporary Boy Clerk in the British postal service

General Post Office

General Post Office is the name of the British postal system from 1660 until 1969.General Post Office may also refer to:* General Post Office, Perth* General Post Office, Sydney* General Post Office, Melbourne* General Post Office, Brisbane...

 on 4 April 1911.

World War I

On 25 March 1915 Private William Lewis Wells of the London Regiment

London Regiment

The London Regiment is a Territorial Army regiment in the British Army. It was first formed in 1908 in order to regiment the various Volunteer Force battalions in the newly formed County of London, each battalion having a distinctive uniform. The Volunteer Force was merged with the Yeomanry in 1908...

 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 the Middlesex Regiment

Middlesex Regiment

The Middlesex Regiment was a regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms when the 57th and 77th Regiments of Foot were amalgamated with the county's militia and rifle volunteer units.On 31 December 1966 The Middlesex Regiment was amalgamated with three...

.

On 22 September 1916 he was appointed a Flying Officer

Flying Officer

Flying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...

 and 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...

.

By early 1918, he had been posted to 22 Squadron as a 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...

 pilot. He scored his first aerial victory while with them, on 25 January 1918. By 16 March, he had run his score to six. On 19 March 1918 he was appointed as Flight Commander and promoted to temporary captain. A prompt transfer to 48 Squadron followed, as he scored his seventh victory with them on 21 March 1918. Two days later, he rounded out his score list with a triple triumph. His exploits twice won him the Military Cross. On 13 May 1918, his first MC was gazetted:
His second award came as a Bar to his MC, and was gazetted 22 June 1918. Note that it was not granted solely for his air-to-air combat:
However, Wells never got to read the praise for his gallantry. He was killed in action

Killed in action

Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...

 one week before his first award, on 6 May 1918. He was buried in the officers section, plot B. 4. 25, St.-Sever Cemetery, Rouen, France.

List of aerial victories

No.	Date/time	Aircraft	Foe	Result	Location	Notes
1	25 January 1918 @ 1340 hours	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...  serial number A2736	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...  fighter	Driven down out of control	Southwest of Lille Lille Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium... , France	Observer/gunner: Hugh Fitzgerald Moore
2	18 February 1918 @ 1400 hours	Bristol F.2 Fighter s/n A7251	German reconnaissance plane	Driven down out of control	Seclin Seclin Seclin is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It is part of the Urban Community of Lille Métropole.Ghana national football team footballer Andre Ayew was born in Seclin.-Twin towns — Sister cities:... , France	Observer/gunner: Hugh Fitzgerald Moore
3	13 March 1918 @ 1630 hours	Bristol F.2 Fighter s/n A7286	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....  fighter	Destroyed	West of Emmerin Emmerin -References:*... , France	Observer/gunner: Edward George Herbert Caradoc Williams
4	16 March 1918 @ 1045 hours	Bristol F.2 Fighter s/n C4808	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 ...  fighter	Driven down out of control	Oignies Oignies Oignies is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Oignies is a former coalmining town, nowadays a light industrial town, northeast of Lens, at the junction of the D46 and the D160 roads... , France	Observer/gunner: George S. L. Hayward George S. L. Hayward Second Lieutenant George Searle Lomax Hayward Military Cross, was an English World War I aerial observer credited with 24 victories. He served as an observer/gunner for fellow aces Frank Weare, Ernest Elton, and William Lewis Wells...
5	16 March 1918 @ 1100 hours	Bristol F.2 Fighter s/n C4808	Pfalz D.III fighter	Driven down out of control	Oignies, France	Observer/gunner: George Hayward
6	16 March 1918 @ 1115 hours	Bristol F.2 Fighter s/n C4808	Pfalz D.III fighter	Destroyed	Beaumont Beaumont -Canada:* Beaumont, Alberta* Lushes Bight – Beaumont – Beaumont North, Newfoundland and Labrador* Beaumont, Quebec- France :The following communes:* Beaumont, Ardèche* Beaumont, Corrèze* Beaumont, Gers* Beaumont, Haute-Loire* Beaumont, Meurthe-et-Moselle...	Observer/gunner: George Hayward
7	21 March 1918 @ 1420 hours	Bristol F.2 Fighter s/n C4707	Pfalz D.III fighter	Destroyed	Southwest of Honnecourt	Observer/gunner: Walter Beales Walter Beales Sergeant Walter Beales was a flying ace credited with nine official victories. He began his long career of service during World War I, and served during and after World War II.-World War I:...
8	23 March 1918 @ 1124 hours	Bristol F.2 Fighter s/n C4707	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...  reconnaissance plane	Destroyed	Northwest of Hem Hem To hem a piece of cloth is to sew a cut edge in such a way as to prevent unraveling of the fabric.There are many different styles of hems of varying complexities. The most common hem...	Observer/gunner: Walter Beales. Victory shared with Andrew Cowper Andrew Cowper Andrew King Cowper MC & Two Bars was an Australian fighter pilot and flying ace of the First World War. Born in Bingara, New South Wales, he was educated in the United Kingdom at Eastbourne College...
9	23 March 1918 @ 1625 hours	Bristol F.2 Fighter s/n C4707	LVG reconnaissance plane	Destroyed	Matigny Matigny Matigny is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Matigny is situated on the D937 road, some west of Saint Quentin.-Population:-External links:*... , France	Observer/gunner: Walter Beales
10	23 March 1918 @ 1625 hours	Bristol F.2 Fighter s/n C4707	Pfalz D.III fighter	Destroyed	Matigny, France	Observer/gunner: Walter Beales

Endnotes