Alan Scott (RAF officer) explained

Alan John Lance Scott
Nickname:Jack
Birth Date:29 June 1883
Birth Place:Christchurch, New Zealand
Death Place:London, England
Allegiance:United Kingdom
Branch:British Army
Royal Air Force
Rank:Group Captain
Commands:Central Flying School (1917–18)
No. 60 Squadron RFC (1917)
Battles:First World War
Awards:Companion of the Order of the Bath
Military Cross
Air Force Cross

Group Captain Alan John Lance Scott, (29 June 1883 – 16 January 1922) was an officer in the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force during the First World War and the following years.[1]

Early life

Scott was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, on 29 June 1883,[2] but moved to in England where he attended Oxford University, from which he graduated with a law degree. He practiced as a barrister in London, and was acquainted with Lord Birkenhead and Winston Churchill.

First World War

He was originally an officer in the British Army's Sussex Yeomanry, later transferring to the Royal Flying Corps. Scott never became a very good pilot; in fact, in training, he crashed and broke both legs. He continued training on canes, and had to be assisted into the cockpit. However, he was a pugnacious dogfighter whose solo missions sometimes got him into trouble. For instance, on 28 May 1917, he survived being Leutnant Karl Allmenröder's 21st victory.[3]

In July 1917 Scott was awarded the Military Cross:

Scott was a flight commander on No. 43 Squadron RFC until 10 March 1917 when he took up command of No. 60 Squadron RFC. He remained as No. 60 Squadron's commander until 11 July 1917, the day after he was wounded in action.[4] From some time in 1917 to 1918, Scott was the Commandant of the Central Flying School.[5] Notably, Scott acted as Winston Churchill's flying instructor.[6]

Later life

In 1920, Scott's book "Sixty Squadron RAF: A history of the squadron from its formation" was published.[7] Scott died on 16 January 1922 in London, England aged 38.[8]

References

Bibliography

External links

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Notes and References

  1. Web site: William 'Billy Bishop: World War I Canadian Ace Fighter Pilot . 12 June 2006 . HistoryNet . https://archive.today/20130125132547/http://www.historynet.com/william-billy-bishop-world-war-i-canadian-ace-fighter-pilot.htm . 25 January 2013 . dead.
  2. Web site: Birth search . Births, deaths & marriages online . Department of Internal Affairs . 30 January 2016.
  3. Book: Above the Trenches: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces 1915–1920 . 333 .
  4. Book: Nieuport Aces of World War 1. . 30 .
  5. Web site: The Royal Air Force – History Section . 23 November 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070713053330/http://www.raf.mod.uk/history_old/cfscommen1.html . 13 July 2007 . dead .
  6. Web site: Churchill College. www.chu.cam.ac.uk. 17 September 2019. 17 August 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190817084135/https://www.chu.cam.ac.uk/header/. dead.
  7. http://navigator.rafmuseum.org/results.do?view=detail&db=object&id=30870 Search Results
  8. Web site: Alan John Lance Scott.