Group Captain Alan John Lance Scott, (29 June 1883 – 16 January 1922) was an officer in the
Royal Flying Corps and
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
during the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and the following years.
Early life
Scott was born in
Christchurch
Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...
, New Zealand, on 29 June 1883, but moved to in England where he attended
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...
, from which he graduated with a law degree. He practiced as a barrister in London, and was acquainted with
Lord Birkenhead and
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...
.
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
''Leutnant'' Karl Allmenröder (3 May 1896 – 27 June 1917) was a German World War I flying ace credited with 30 aerial victories. The medical student son of a preacher father was seasoned in the trenches as an 18-year-old artilleryman in ...
's 21st victory.
In July 1917 Scott was awarded the
Military Cross
The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries.
The MC ...
:
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.
From some time in 1917 to 1918, Scott was the Commandant of the
Central Flying School
The Central Flying School (CFS) is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 at the Upavon Aerodrome, it is the longest existing flying training school. The school was based at ...
. Notably, Scott acted as Winston Churchill's flying instructor.
Later life
In 1920, Scott's book "Sixty Squadron RAF: A history of the squadron from its formation" was published.
Search Results
/ref> Scott died on 16 January 1922 in London, England aged 38.
References
Footnotes
Bibliography
*
* ''Nieuport Aces of World War 1.'' Norman Franks. Osprey Publishing, 2000. .
* ''Above the Trenches: a Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces 1915–1920.'' Christopher F. Shores, Norman L. R. Franks, Russell Guest. Grub Street, 1990. .
External links
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, Alan
1883 births
1922 deaths
British Army personnel of World War I
Military personnel from Christchurch
Royal Flying Corps officers
Royal Air Force officers
Royal Air Force personnel of World War I
Companions of the Order of the Bath
New Zealand recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
New Zealand recipients of the Military Cross
New Zealand World War I flying aces
Sussex Yeomanry officers
People from Christchurch
Alumni of the University of Oxford