Lieutenant Charles Philip Harrison (born 27 July 1888) was a British

World War I 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 five aerial victories.

Military service

Harrison was commissioned as second lieutenant in the Corps of Royal Engineers on 19 November 1915. He served in France and

German West Africa German West Africa (''Deutsch-Westafrika'') was an informal designation for the areas in West Africa that were part of the German Colonial Empire between 1884 and 1919. The term was normally used for the territories of Cameroon and Togo. German W ...

, and was promoted to lieutenant on 4 October 1916. He was seconded to the Royal Flying Corps, and on 17 May 1918 was appointed an observer officer with the rank of second lieutenant, though with the honorary rank of lieutenant. He was posted to No. 98 Squadron, flying in the

DH.9 The Airco DH.9 (from de Havilland 9) – also known after 1920 as the de Havilland DH.9 – was a British single-engined biplane bomber developed and deployed during the First World War. The DH.9 was a development of Airco's earlier successful ...

. Harrison gained his first victory on 21 April 1918 with Lieutenant A. M. Phillips as pilot, by driving down 'out of control' a

Fokker Dr.I The Fokker Dr.I (''Dreidecker'', "triplane" in German), often known simply as the Fokker Triplane, was a World War I fighter aircraft built by Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. The Dr.I saw widespread service in the spring of 1918. It became famous as the ...

over Bailleul. His second came on 8 May, with Lieutenant N. C. MacDonald, when he set on fire 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 ...

over

Menen Menen (; french: Menin ; vls, Mêenn or ) is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Menen proper and the towns of Lauwe and Rekkem. The city is situated on the French/Be ...

–

Wervicq Wervik (; french: Wervicq, ; vls, Wervik; la, Viroviacum) is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Wervik and the town of Geluwe. On January 1, 2014, Wervik had a total p ...

. Flying with Lieutenant Frederick Wilton, he accounted for two more Fokker Dr.I's on 16 July, and a Pfalz D.III on 18 July, for a total of five. Harrison 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 i ...

, which was gazetted on 13 September 1918. His citation read: :Temporary Lieutenant Charles Philip Harrison, Royal Engineers, attached Royal Air Force. ::For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. This officer was acting as observer when his pilot was severely wounded. He opened fire and shot down the enemy aeroplane, which fell in flames. He then took control of his own machine, which was very badly damaged, his pilot being "hors de combat," and notwithstanding complete inexperience in piloting a machine he managed to bring it safely back to an aerodrome. His skill and courage undoubtedly saved his pilot's life, and prevented the machine from falling into the hands of the enemy. In late November 1918 he was awarded the ''Croix de Chevalier'' of the '' Legion d'honneur'' by the French government. Harrison finally left the RAF, being transferred to the unemployed list on 14 June 1919.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrison, Charles 1888 births People from Wimbledon, London Royal Engineers officers Royal Flying Corps officers Royal Air Force personnel of World War I British World War I flying aces Recipients of the Military Cross Knights of the Legion of Honour 1922 deaths British Army personnel of World War I Military personnel from the London Borough of Merton