Arthur Bradfield Fairclough (25 July 1896 – 9 December 1968) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

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 ...

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

, officially credited with 19 aerial victories.

Early life and background

Fairclough was born in Toronto, the son of Leonard and Ettie (née Carter) Fairclough, and before the war worked as a clerk for the financiers

Wood Gundy Wood Gundy Inc. was a leading Canadian stock brokerage and investment banking firm. Founded in 1905, it was acquired by the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce in 1988 as it attempted to build an investment banking business. The Wood Gundy name ...

Military service

On 7 February 1916 Fairclough was commissioned as a lieutenant in the 2nd Regiment, Queen's Own Rifles of Canada. On 24 May he volunteered for overseas service, and was assigned to the 166th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force. He sailed for England on 26 September, and on 6 October was placed on the General List, assigned to the

Canadian Machine Gun Corps The Canadian Machine Gun Corps (CMGC) was an administrative corps of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) and of the Canadian Militia. It was part of the CEF sent to France during World War I. The Canadian Permanent Machine Gun Brigade was or ...

, and posted to the Canadian Training Depot. After completing his training at the Canadian Machine Gun School on 23 December, he was posted to the Canadian Machine Gun Depot on 31 January 1917. Fairclough then elected to serve in the Royal Flying Corps. His training began at the No 1 School of Military Aeronautics, in

Reading, Berkshire Reading ( ) is a town and borough in Berkshire, Southeast England, southeast England. Located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the rivers River Thames, Thames and River Kennet, Kennet, the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 mot ...

, on 16 February 1917, and he was posted to No. 2 Reserve Squadron on 27 March for basic flight training. He was granted Royal Aero Club Aviators' Certificate No. 4597 on 24 April, and was posted to No. 42 Reserve Squadron on 30 April to complete his training. He was seconded to the Royal Flying Corps on 22 May, and appointed a flying officer the following day. He was posted to No. 49 Squadron, then a training unit, serving as an instructor there from 28 August, and also briefly served in No. 40 and No. 56 Training Squadrons in October and November. Fairclough was sent to France on 15 November, posted to No. 1 Aeroplane Supply Depot at

Saint-Omer Saint-Omer (; vls, Sint-Omaars) is a commune and sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department in France. It is west-northwest of Lille on the railway to Calais, and is located in the Artois province. The town is named after Saint Audoma ...

, then posted to No. 19 Squadron on 18 November to fly the

SPAD S.VII The SPAD S.VII was the first of a series of highly successful biplane fighter aircraft produced by ''Société Pour L'Aviation et ses Dérivés'' (SPAD) during the First World War. Like its successors, the S.VII was renowned as a sturdy and r ...

single-seat fighter aircraft. Fairclough gained his first aerial victory in a SPAD on 6 December 1917, scoring steadily throughout the month, and had nine victories to his credit by the end of the year. His squadron converted to the

Sopwith Dolphin The Sopwith 5F.1 Dolphin was a British fighter aircraft manufactured by the Sopwith Aviation Company. It was used by the Royal Flying Corps and its successor, the Royal Air Force, during the First World War. The Dolphin entered service on th ...

in January 1918, and he scored five more victories between 17 March and 2 May, by which time the Army's Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) had been merged to form the Royal Air Force. He 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 ...

, which was

gazetted A gazette is an official journal, a newspaper of record, or simply a newspaper. In English and French speaking countries, newspaper publishers have applied the name ''Gazette'' since the 17th century; today, numerous weekly and daily newspapers ...

on 10 May 1918. His citation read: :Lt. Arthur Bradfield Fairclough, Can. M.G. Co. and R.F.C. ::"For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. During four months he has destroyed four enemy machines, and has driven down two others completely out of control. When engaged with hostile aircraft he has at all times displayed the utmost dash and courage." Fairclough was transferred to No. 23 Squadron RAF on 4 May and appointed a flight commander with the temporary rank of captain. Between 29 June and 5 July he gained five more victories, to bring his total to nineteen. He was returned to the Home Establishment on 8 July, and was posted to back to Canada on 11 July. On 13 September he was assigned to RAF Canada's School of Special Flying (No. 43 Wing) at Armour Heights, where he was appointed an Examining Officer on 21 October, to train flying instructors. On 14 April 1919 Lieutenant (Honorary Captain) Fairclough relinquished his Royal Air Force commission on ceasing to be employed. and the following day was struck off the strength of the Canadian Expeditionary Force.

List of aerial victories

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fairclough, Arthur Bradfield 1896 births 1968 deaths People from Old Toronto Canadian Expeditionary Force officers Royal Flying Corps officers Royal Air Force personnel of World War I Canadian World War I flying aces Canadian recipients of the Military Cross Military personnel from Toronto Canadian Machine Gun Corps officers Queen's Own Rifles of Canada officers Canadian military personnel of World War I