Christopher McEvoy, (2 February 1899 – 12 October 1953) was a British aviator and

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 nine aerial victories during the

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 ...

Early life

Christopher McEvoy was born in

Cricklewood Cricklewood is an area of London, England, which spans the boundaries of three London boroughs: Barnet to the east, Brent to the west and Camden to the south-east. The Crown pub, now the Clayton Crown Hotel, is a local landmark and lies north- ...

North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire. The term ''nort ...

on 2 February 1899. He was the first-born son of

The Reverend The Reverend is an style (manner of address), honorific style most often placed before the names of Christian clergy and Minister of religion, ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and c ...

Cuthbert McEvoy and his wife Margaret.

First World War

When old enough, McEvoy joined the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

. In January 1918, he was assigned to No. 66 Squadron in Italy as a pilot. He was slightly wounded the following month, and hospitalized for a short while. On 30 March 1918, he scored his first aerial victory; by 1 August, he had run his tally of victories to nine. Illness then removed him from the cockpit; he was medically evacuated back to England with

dysentery Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications ...

. After recovery, he served in No. 37(Home Defence) Squadron. He was awarded Distinguished Flying Cross, gazetted on 23 September 1918:

List of aerial victories

Second World War and beyond

McEvoy returned to service in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, being appointed a temporary pilot officer on probation on 1 September 1939. He served in the rank of

flight lieutenant Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth countries. It has a NATO rank code of OF-2. Flight lieutenant is abbreviated as Flt Lt in the India ...

as a codes officer for

RAF Coastal Command RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was founded in 1936, when the RAF was restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal Commands and played an important role during the Second World War. Maritime Aviation ...

. It seems likely he got in some cockpit time, as he was still serving as a

pilot officer Pilot officer (Plt Off officially in the RAF; in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly P/O in all services, and still often used in the RAF) is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countri ...

when he surrendered his commission because of illness on 7 September 1940. Christopher McEvoy died at

Dorking Dorking () is a market town in Surrey in South East England, about south of London. It is in Mole Valley District and the council headquarters are to the east of the centre. The High Street runs roughly east–west, parallel to the Pipp Br ...

, England on 12 October 1953 following a prolonged illness.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mcevoy, Christopher 1899 births 1953 deaths British World War I flying aces Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Air Force officers Royal Flying Corps officers