Awdry Morris Vaucour, (8 March 1890 – 16 July 1918) was a

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 ...

credited with seven aerial victories. For part of his career he flew with observer/gunner

Alan Bott Captain Alan John Bott (14 January 1893 – 17 September 1952) was a World War I flying ace who was credited with five aerial victories. He later became a journalist, editor and publisher who founded Pan Books.Shores ''et.al.'' (1990), p.82. Pr ...

, who would go on to become an ace in his own right. Vaucour was killed in Italy in a "

friendly fire In military terminology, friendly fire or fratricide is an attack by belligerent or neutral forces on friendly troops while attempting to attack enemy/hostile targets. Examples include misidentifying the target as hostile, cross-fire while en ...

" incident, when he was shot down by an Italian

Hanriot Aéroplanes Hanriot et Cie. or simply 'Hanriot' was a French aircraft manufacturer with roots going back to the beginning of aviation. Founded by René Hanriot in 1910 as ''The Monoplans Hanriot Company Ltd.'' the company survived in differen ...

pilot.

Military career

Vaucour, having served as a cadet in the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

Officers' Training Corps The Officers' Training Corps (OTC), more fully called the University Officers' Training Corps (UOTC), are military leadership training units operated by the British Army. Their focus is to develop the leadership abilities of their members whilst ...

, was commissioned as a temporary second lieutenant in the Royal Field Artillery on 1 September 1914, soon after the outbreak of the First World War. On 28 September 1915 Vaucour flew on a reconnaissance mission over

Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a ...

and

Douai Douai (, , ,; pcd, Doï; nl, Dowaai; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord département in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe some from Lille and from Arras, Dou ...

, piloted by Captain

Euan Rabagliati Cuthbert Euan Charles Rabagliati, , (1 January 1892 – 6 January 1978) was a British soldier, pilot, race car driver and intelligence officer. He served in the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) during the First World War and is credited as being the firs ...

, completing the mission despite thick cloud and heavy anti-aircraft fire over the objective. Both men were subsequently 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 ...

. Soon after, on 22 November, Vaucour was officially appointed a flying officer (observer) in the Royal Flying Corps. Vaucour, still listed as a member of the Royal Field Artillery, also received a

mention in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

from Field Marshal

Sir John French Field Marshal John Denton Pinkstone French, 1st Earl of Ypres, (28 September 1852 – 22 May 1925), known as Sir John French from 1901 to 1916, and as The Viscount French between 1916 and 1922, was a senior British Army officer. Born in Kent t ...

on 30 November, "for gallant and distinguished service in the field". Vaucour then trained as a pilot, being granted Royal Aero Club Aviator's Certificate No. 2765 after flying a Maurice Farman biplane at the Military Flying School at

Catterick Bridge Catterick Bridge is both a bridge across the River Swale in North Yorkshire, England, about 1 mile north of Catterick, and a hamlet at the south end of the bridge. The bridge The bridge carries the A6136 road (once the Great North Road). ...

on 10 April 1916. He was posted to No. 70 Squadron RFC, flying the Sopwith 1½ Strutter. On 24 August, he and his observer, Lieutenant

, were shot up and forced to land by

Leopold Reimann ''Offizierstellvertreter'' Leopold Rudolf Reimann was a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.The Aerodrome websitRetrieved 23 September 2020 Biography See also Aerial victory standards of World War I Leopold Rudolf Reiman ...

of ''

Jasta 1 Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 1 (commonly abbreviated as Jasta 1) was a fighter squadron of the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I. Jasta 1 was founded on 22 August 1916, using single seat fighters drawn ...

''. However, on 2 September, he and Bott destroyed a

Fokker E Fokker was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer named after its founder, Anthony Fokker. The company operated under several different names. It was founded in 1912 in Berlin, Germany, and became famous for its fighter aircraft in World War I. In 1919 ...

over Bourlon Wood, and twenty minutes later, drove down another out of control. They also destroyed a Fokker E over Hendicourt on 15 September, the same day that Vaucour was appointed a flight commander with the acting rank of captain. Within a month he had been awarded a bar to his Military Cross. Vaucour returned to England and was for a short time posted to No. 28 Reserve Squadron based at

Castle Bromwich Castle Bromwich () is a large suburban village situated within the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the English county of the West Midlands. It is bordered by the rest of the borough to the south east; also Sutton Coldfield to the east and ...

, before being appointed an instructor at 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 ...

Upavon Upavon is a rural village and civil parish in the county of Wiltshire, England. As its name suggests, it is on the upper portion of the River Avon which runs from north to south through the village. It is on the north edge of Salisbury Plain ...

on 23 January 1917. He remained there until 22 August. Vaucour then returned to combat in Italy, and having been appointed a squadron commander with the acting rank of major, became Commanding Officer of No. 45 Squadron on 24 August. On 24 September he was promoted to lieutenant in the Royal Artillery, though remaining seconded to the RFC with his acting rank. On 27 February 1918, flying a

Sopwith Camel The Sopwith Camel is a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that was introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It was developed by the Sopwith Aviation Company as a successor to the Sopwith Pup and became one of the ...

, Vaucour accounted for two

Albatros D.III The Albatros D.III was a biplane fighter aircraft used by the Imperial German Army Air Service ('' Luftstreitkräfte'') during World War I. A modified licence model was built by Oeffag for the Austro-Hungarian Air Service ( ''Luftfahrtruppen''). ...

s over

Oderzo Oderzo ( la, Opitergium; vec, Oderso) is a '' comune'' with a population of 20,003 in the province of Treviso, Veneto, northern Italy. It lies in the heart of the Venetian plain, about to the northeast of Venice. Oderzo is crossed by the Montic ...

–

Ponte di Piave Ponte di Piave is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Treviso in the Italian region Veneto, located about northeast of Venice and about northeast of Treviso. Ponte di Piave borders the following municipalities: Breda di Piave, Chiar ...

. On 18 April he received a second mention in despatches for "distinguished and gallant services and devotion to duty", from General

Herbert Plumer Field Marshal Herbert Charles Onslow Plumer, 1st Viscount Plumer, (13 March 1857 – 16 July 1932) was a senior British Army officer of the First World War. After commanding V Corps at the Second Battle of Ypres in April 1915, he took command ...

, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in the King's

Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning British monarch's official birthday by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are prese ...

on 3 June. He went on to destroy two further enemy aircraft on 19 and 25 June. Vaucour was killed in action on 16 July 1918, when he was mistakenly shot down by an Hanriot HD.1 from the Italian ''

78a Squadriglia ''78a Squadriglia'' was one of the original Italian fighter squadrons of World War I, serving in combat from 29 June 1916 to 3 November 1918. They flew 4,770 combat missions and were credited with 88 aerial victories. History 78a Squadriglia of t ...

'' near Monastier di Treviso. He was buried in the Montecchio Precalcino Communal Cemetery Extension, and is commemorated on the war memorial at St Mary Magdalene's Roman Catholic Church in Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex. He was posthumously awarded the Italian

Silver Medal of Military Valor The Silver Medal of Military Valor ( it, Medaglia d'argento al valor militare) is an Italian medal for gallantry. Italian medals for valor were first instituted by Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia on 21 May 1793, with a gold medal, and, below it, ...

in November 1918.

Awards and citations

;Military Cross :Temporary Second Lieutenant Awdry Morris Vaucour, Royal Field Artillery and Royal Flying Corps. ::"For conspicuous gallantry and skill on 28th September, 1915, when, accompanied by Captain Rabagliati, they carried out a reconnaissance over Valenciennes and Douai. They had to fly in thick cloud for nearly the whole distance, and several times their aeroplane got into a "spin." The pilot, however, succeeded each time in righting his machine, and they reached their objective and carried out the reconnaissance at 2,800 feet under very heavy fire". ;Bar to the Military Cross :Second Lieutenant (Temporary Captain) Awdry Morris Vaucour, MC, Royal Field Artillery. ::"For conspicuous gallantry in action. He attacked 10 hostile machines and completely scattered their formation. Previously, while returning with a perforated petrol tank, he shot down an enemy machine. Later, he shot down a hostile machine, being engaged with eight altogether. On another occasion he and his observer shot down two hostile machines."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vaucour, Awdry 1890 births 1918 deaths People from Hambleton District Royal Field Artillery officers Royal Flying Corps officers British World War I flying aces British military personnel killed in World War I Friendly fire incidents of World War I Military personnel killed by friendly fire Recipients of the Military Cross Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Recipients of the Silver Medal of Military Valor Military personnel from Yorkshire British Army personnel of World War I