William John Gillespie Explained

William John Gillespie
Birth Date:20 March 1897
Birth Place:Beaverton, Ontario, Canada
Death Place:Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Allegiance:Canada
United Kingdom
Branch:Royal Flying Corps
Rank:Lieutenant
Unit:No. 41 Squadron RAF
Awards:French Croix de Guerre

Lieutenant William John Gillespie was a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.[1]

Gillespie was a student at Daysland, Alberta before joining the military. He was posted to 41 Squadron on 11 December 1917. He scored five victories between 25 March and 7 July 1918; all of them were of the "driven down out of control" type. On 18 August 1918, he was hospitalized with influenza and sat out the duration of the war.[2] [3] Gillespie returned to Canada and died in Edmonton in 1967.

Sources

Notes and References

  1. Web site: William John Gillespie . www.theaerodrome.com . 6 February 2010.
  2. Book: Above the Trenches: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces 1915-1920 . 167 .
  3. Web site: William John Gillespie . www.theaerodrome.com . 6 February 2010.