"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
03/12/2015 at 11:30 • Filed to: planelopnik, planelopnik history
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"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
03/12/2015 at 11:30 • Filed to: planelopnik, planelopnik history | 4
| 9 |
On March 12, 1930, William George "Billy" Barker died at age 35. Barker was a WWI fighter ace and the most decorated serviceman in the history of Canada, as well as in the history of the British Empire and Commonwealth of Nations. His actions in the Great War earned him the Victoria Cross, the Distinguished Service Order and Bar, the Military Cross and two Bars, two Italian Silver Medals for Military Valor, and the French Croix de guerre.
Above: Major William G. Barker in England, 1918 ( !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )
There is an old saying in the world of fighter pilots: "There are old fighter pilots, and there are bold fighter pilots. But there are no old, bold fighter pilots." William Barker was the epitome of this adage. He wasn't a highly skilled pilot (he made his first solo flight after only 55 minutes of dual instruction), and he suffered several incidents during his piloting career. He made up for that apparent lack of skill, though, with aggressiveness, audacity, and highly accurate marksmanship (Barker had been an infantry machine gunner before joining the air service). Between September 1917 and September 1918, he flew 404 operational hours, shooting down 46 aircraft and balloons. His personal !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! became the most successful fighter plane in the history of the RAF.
Barker with his Sopwith Camel, his favorite airplane
Barker was awarded the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (roughly equivalent to the Congressional Medal of Honor) for his actions on Sunday, October 27, 1918. Returning to base and flying his !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! fighter, he crossed enemy lines near the Foręt de Mormal at 21,000 feet. After downing one enemy plane, he was attacked by a formation of !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . By his own admission, he was being careless and failed to see the attackers. As the battle spiraled toward the ground, Barker found himself fighting 15 or more enemy planes. He was wounded three times in the legs, his left elbow was blown off, but he still managed to control his fighter and dispatch three more enemy planes. Wounded and bleeding seriously, Barker crash landed behind Allied lines and was taken to a field dressing station by members of an RAF Kite Balloon Section. The fuselage of his Snipe was recovered and now resides at the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! in Ottawa.
Major W.A. Bishop and Lt. Col. W.G. Barker in front of a captured Fokker D.VII, 1919 ( !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )
After the war, Barker entered into an airplane business venture with fellow fighter ace and Victoria Cross recipient !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . After three years, he returned to service with the Royal Canadian Air Force until 1926. Upon leaving the RCAF, Barker became the first president of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Barker continued to struggle with both his war wounds and alcoholism. He died in 1930 after losing control of his !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! biplane during a demonstration flight. Barker was just 35. Bold, but certainly not old.
You can read a very detailed account of Barker's exploits !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .
MrDakka
> ttyymmnn
03/12/2015 at 11:54 |
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A lot of WWI fighter aces died young ~20-25 y.o. seems to be the average. A more romantic time of gentleman pilots and awesome paint schemes.
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ttyymmnn
> MrDakka
03/12/2015 at 12:03 |
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Agreed. Many years ago I was reading an article about the first stealth fighter, and there was a discussion over what color to paint it. It turns out that the least observable was a sort of pink color, but real men don't fly pink airplanes. So they went with black. Makes me wonder if the Germans weren't on to something way back in 1917.
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MrDakka
> ttyymmnn
03/12/2015 at 12:22 |
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Interesting I wonder if this eventually evolved in the countershaded paint schemes of WWII planes. Anyway Werner Voss's trollololol mustachioed Fokker Dr I for your time
RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> ttyymmnn
03/12/2015 at 16:52 |
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Somebody on my dad's side of the family (not direct line - an uncle) was a WWI aviator, but struggled to maintain contact with the rest of the family. I don't remember all the details, but there may have been substance abuse issues. Graduated Washington & Lee U, 1917 - went off to France to fight the Hun, the story goes. The W&LU records listed an address for him in summer of 1918 at Issoudun as a 1st lieutenant. He survived the war, but slipped off the metaphorical radar.
EDIT: he may have been support staff, not a combat aviator per se. He doesn't appear in the list of combat pilots.
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ttyymmnn
> RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
03/12/2015 at 16:58 |
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It seems that many soldiers and airmen get so involved in the immediacy and thrill, for lack of a better word, of war that they have difficulty readjusting to a life without it. When your entire being is focused on a goal or a cause, it can be hard to find purpose when that goal is won. It must be terribly difficult, and all veterans deserve more support than we give them.
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RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> ttyymmnn
03/12/2015 at 17:07 |
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Very true. On the other hand, dashing off to France and aviation at the first available chance is also somewhat the mark of a wild hare...
My edit corrected a confusion between the Lafayette Escadrille and the Lafayette Flying Corps (the parent org) via deleting the reference altogether, but I may have made things more muddled. Not knowing which month Henry graduated, and that the LFC was disbanded early in '18, it may be that he didn't get his first shot at air training with the organization until too late for the French to provide it. Regardless, what I meant is that he doesn't make the list of combat LFC aviators for whatever reason - I seem to recall he ended up a pilot out of it somehow, though. He was certainly around the big names and the smells and thrills of the era at Issoudun - I wonder if his side of the family has any pictures we've never seen?
gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
> ttyymmnn
03/13/2015 at 00:17 |
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Camoutint Pink
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermari…
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ttyymmnn
> gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
03/13/2015 at 10:52 |
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Thanks for the links!
thebigbossyboss
> ttyymmnn
03/13/2015 at 21:12 |
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That you for this post!!!!! What an incredible man. To achieve all these war medals is truly something else.
P.S. These days I can't even begin to comprehend the act of heroism you'd have to do to receive a Victoria's Cross here in Canada. Over the years, it has obtained an almost legendary status. Indeed, the last Victoria's Cross Canada has awarded was that of Robert Gray. Awarded in 1945.
However between 1972-1993 Canada could not award Victoria's crosses. However since it's reinstatement in 1993 none have been awarded.