Arnold Jacques Chadwick
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Flight Commander Arnold Jacques Chadwick (August 23, 1893 – July 28, 1917) was a Canadian-born World War I
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 11 aerial victories. He became an ace twice over; once while flying
Sopwith Pup The Sopwith Pup is a British single-seater biplane fighter aircraft built by the Sopwith Aviation Company. It entered service with the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Flying Corps in the autumn of 1916. With pleasant flying characteristi ...
s and again while piloting
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 b ...
s.


Early life

Arnold Jacques Chadwick was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on 23 August 1895. He was the only son of C. W. Chadwick; the elder Chadwick was the manager of Colonial Realty Corporation.


World War I

Chadwick joined the Royal Naval Air Service and was commissioned as a temporary Flight Sub-Lieutenant on 30 December 1915. He originally served in 5 Naval Wing after being trained. On 2 October 1916, while on a bombing raid aimed at
Zeppelin A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp ...
hangars, he was shot down. He managed to evade capture and escape to the neutral country of the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. Once repatriated, Chadwick was assigned to 4 Naval Squadron in
Bloody April Bloody April was the (largely successful) British air support operation during the Battle of Arras in April 1917, during which particularly heavy casualties were suffered by the Royal Flying Corps at the hands of the German ''Luftstreitkräfte ...
1917. Using a
Sopwith Pup The Sopwith Pup is a British single-seater biplane fighter aircraft built by the Sopwith Aviation Company. It entered service with the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Flying Corps in the autumn of 1916. With pleasant flying characteristi ...
dubbed DO-DO, he scored his first aerial victory on 26 April 1917, driving down a German
Albatros D.II The Albatros D.II was a German fighter aircraft used during World War I. After a successful combat career in the early '' Jagdstaffeln'', it was gradually superseded by the Albatros D.III. Design and development Albatros designers Robert Thelen ...
fighter plane out of control. On 25 May 1917, Chadwick destroyed an Albatros reconnaissance two-seater in the vicinity of
Bray Dunes Bray-Dunes (; vls, Bray-Duunn) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is situated on the Belgian border, with Adinkerke being the closest Belgian town. It is the northernmost commune and the northernmost point in all of Fr ...
in the early morning. That same evening, he teamed with
Langley Frank Willard Smith Langley Frank Willard Smith (15 August 1897 – 12 June 1917) was a Canadian Flying Ace in World War I credited with 8 victories.O'Connor, M. ''Airfields & Airmen of the Channel Coast''. Pen & Sword Military, 2005. p. 46 . Background Smith was b ...
and two other British pilots to attack and destroy a German
Gotha G ''Gothaer Waggonfabrik'' (''Gotha'', GWF) was a German manufacturer of rolling stock established in the late nineteenth century at Gotha. During the two world wars, the company expanded into aircraft building. World War I In World War I, Got ...
multi-engine bomber north of
Westende Westende is a town in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium, and in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It lies on the Belgian coast, also called the Flemish coast. It used to be the far west (West-ende: Dutch for west-end) of the islan ...
. The following day, he shared in a victory southwest of Furnes, when he and
Albert Enstone Captain Albert James Enstone (29 August 1895 – 4 October 1963) was a British World War I flying ace. Various sources credit him with differing air victory scores. In one text, he is credited with 13 confirmed aerial victories and driving down ...
destroyed a German recon machine. On 3 June 1917, he crashed an
Albatros D.V The Albatros D.V is a fighter aircraft built by the Albatros Flugzeugwerke and used by the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' (Imperial German Air Service) during World War I. The D.V was the final development of the Albatros D.I family and the last Albatro ...
to become an ace on Sopwith Pups. Naval 4 then upgraded to
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 b ...
s. Chadwick would first score with one of them on 25 June, when he flambeed an Albatros recon two-seater over
Roulers Roeselare (; french: Roulers, ; West Flemish: ''Roeseloare'') is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Roeselare proper and the towns of Beveren, Oekene and Rumbeke. The ...
. On 3 July 1917, he drove down a German recon machine over
Gistel Gistel () is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. Following local government boundary reforms in 1971 and 1977, the municipality has comprised not only Gistel, but also the towns of Moere, Snaaskerke and Ze ...
. Three days later, he would share in the destruction of an Albatros two-seater in the same area. On a 10 July evening patrol, he drove down an Albatros D.V, then aided Ronald M. Keirstead to drive down a second one. Chadwick was now a Camel ace. On 25 July 1917, Chadwick, Enstone, and Keirstead joined to destroy a German seaplane northward of
Ostend Ostend ( nl, Oostende, ; french: link=no, Ostende ; german: link=no, Ostende ; vls, Ostende) is a coastal city and municipality, located in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerk ...
. It was Chadwick's final victory. Three days later, he singlehandedly assaulted a formation of nine German airplanes. Losing the battle, he was forced to ditch in the
English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
off the coastal town of
De Panne De Panne (; french: La Panne ) is a town and a municipality located on the North Sea coast of the Belgian province of West Flanders. There it borders France, making it the westernmost town in Belgium. It is one of the most popular resort town dest ...
. His drowned corpse would wash ashore near
Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Alexander MacDonald Shook Major Alexander MacDonald Shook was a Canadian World War I flying ace. During his stint with the Royal Naval Air Service, he was credited with 12 official aerial victories. Early life Shook was born in Ontario, Canada on 2 December 1888; the ex ...
were cited for: "...exceptional gallantry and remarkable skill and courage whilst serving with the R.N.A.S. at Dunkirk during May and June, 1917, in repeatedly attacking and destroying hostile aircraft." Arnold Jacques Chadwick is buried in Plot G.1 at
Adinkerke Military Cemetery Adinkerke Military Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) burial ground for the dead of the Western Front of the First and Second World War. It is located near Adinkerke in the municipality of De Panne in western Belgium, close ...
, Adinkerke, Arrondissement Veurne, West Flanders (West-Vlaanderen), Belgium.Findagrave website at https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=116644916 and https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=chadwick&GSfn=arnold&GSmn=jacques&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSob=n&GRid=11977577&df=all&. He is also memorialized at
Prospect Cemetery Glasnevin Cemetery ( ga, Reilig Ghlas Naíon) is a large cemetery in Glasnevin, Dublin, Ireland which opened in 1832. It holds the graves and memorials of several notable figures, and has a museum. Location The cemetery is located in Glasne ...
, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Retrieved 30 October 2017.


Notes


References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chadwick, Arnold Jacques 1893 births 1917 deaths Canadian World War I flying aces Royal Naval Air Service aviators People from Old Toronto Canadian recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Naval Air Service personnel of World War I British military personnel killed in World War I Burials at Adinkerke Military Cemetery