Captain Cecil James Marchant (15 June 1895 – 30 May 1965) was an English

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 ...

during World War I. He was credited with nine aerial victories.

Early life and military career

Cecil James Marchant was born in London, and enlisted into the Army in 1913, when he was 18 years old.Shores ''et.al.'' (1990), p. 259. He served in the 2nd Battalion, King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, and had achieved the rank of sergeant by 8 October 1914, when he 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 the Commander-in-Chief, Field-Marshal Sir John French. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 14th Battalion, The Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment) on 22 July 1915.

Flying service

Marchant served about 18 months in the trenches, before being transferred to the Royal Flying Corps. He was granted Royal Aero Club Aviator's Certificate No. 3971 on 1 August 1916, and was appointed a flying officer the same day, as was customary on completion of pilot training, and transferred to the

General List The General Service Corps (GSC) is a corps of the British Army. Role The role of the corps is to provide specialists, who are usually on the Special List or General List. These lists were used in both World Wars for specialists and those not allo ...

. His first assignment was as 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 character ...

pilot in No. 46 Squadron in early 1917. He was promoted to lieutenant on 1 March 1917. That combat tour ended in June. On 1 January 1918, Marchant was appointed a flight commander with the temporary rank of captain. He returned to No. 46 Squadron in February 1918, which had been re-equipped with the

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 ...

. He scored his first aerial victory on 22 March, and ran his tally to nine over the next 45 days. 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 22 June 1918. His citation read: :Temporary Captain Cecil James Merchant, General List and Royal Flying Corps. ::"For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He, with two other pilots of his squadron, bombed a freight train from a height of 50 feet, three trucks being derailed. Again, on a later occasion he, with five other pilots, bombed and fired at a column of enemy transport with such good effect that three-quarters of the personnel became casualties and most of the vehicles were destroyed. Whilst on a low bombing reconnaissance during the recent operations he brought down two hostile two-seater machines out of control and shot down a third in flames. He has at all times displayed marked gallantry and resource." On 2 July 1918, Marchant was severely enough wounded to require removal from combat duty for hospitalization. He was temporarily appointed a 3rd Class Staff Officer in the

Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of State ...

on 6 October 1918, and again on 10 February 1919. On 20 March 1919, he was appointed an adjutant; this time, he was an acting captain, though drawing the pay and allowances as a lieutenant.

List of aerial victories

Post World War I

Marchant worked in his family's business postwar. He was also a prime mover in organizing squadron reunions. Cecil James Marchant died on 30 May 1965.

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * {{DEFAULTSORT:Marchant, Cecil 1895 births 1965 deaths Military personnel from London King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry soldiers Middlesex Regiment officers Royal Flying Corps officers Royal Air Force personnel of World War I British World War I flying aces Recipients of the Military Cross