Claude Alward Ridley, (15 November 1897 – 27 June 1942) was a British aviator and military officer. 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 ...

, he served as a fighter pilot and was decorated for home defence in southern England against German attacks from planes and

Zeppelins 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 ...

. While a pilot with No. 60 Squadron, Ridley landed in occupied France and, despite being taken prisoner, he escaped and spent several weeks on the run before returning to England via the Netherlands.

Early life

Ridley was born in Sunderland on 15 November 1897, and was the youngest of seven children. He grew up in the suburb of Fulwell in the city, but by the age of 11, the family were living in

Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a cosmopolitan and multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting Hill Carnival and Portobello Road M ...

in London.

First World War

At the start of the

, Ridley was offered a temporary commission into the

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

(RFC), but on being granted a full commission, he entered Sandhurst and passed out as an officer in the

Royal Fusiliers The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. It was known as the 7th Regiment of Foot until the Childers Reforms of 1881. The regiment served in many wars ...

. He did, however, keep up with his flying and was transferred into the RFC in July 1915. After transferring from the Royal Fusiliers, Ridley was allocated to No. 3 Squadron and was wounded in action on the Western Front in 1916. His foot was injured and, as a result, he could not fly having to convalesce in England. He was awarded the Military Cross for his action in downing a Zeppelin in 1916 while flying from Joyce Green. When No. 60 Squadron was formed in April 1916, Ridley was one of the initial pilots drafted to the squadron. While ferrying a spy into territory behind enemy lines to the French town of

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, D ...

in August 1916, the aircraft Ridley was flying broke down. As he and his passenger were trying to get the aircraft going, German military personnel heard them and detained them. They were questioned but managed to escape quite quickly. Ridley hid whilst the spy brought him some civilian attire and then left Ridley to fend for himself. Whilst he was hiding, Ridley observed the German pilots flying their aircraft and even witnessed a British aircraft crash landing and its pilot and observer being marched off by the Germans for interrogation. Ridley managed to make his way across France and into Belgium before returning to England through the Netherlands. Whilst on his journey, he made notes and gathered intelligence about the German forces and delivered these to his superiors when he returned. He was awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...

(DSO) and was mentioned in the ''

London Gazette London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

'' which said "For conspicuous gallantry and judgement in the execution of a special mission." At the end of the war, an assessment of battle casualties on No. 60 Squadron determined that 115 pilots and observers had been either wounded, taken prisoner, were missing or had been killed. Ridley was the only one to escape captivity on the squadron and he is recorded as being back in Britain by the 13 October 2016, some two months after his aircraft failed on the field in France. Due to his high-profile involvement in ferrying spies, it was decided to withdraw Ridley from active operations over the front line in case he had to land in occupied territory again and be shot as a spy. Instead he was sent to head up B-Flight from No. 37 Squadron at Stow Maries Aerodrome. At this point, Ridley was a 19-year old lieutenant in charge of a new squadron. Whilst there, he was among many who launched their fighters to defend the south and east of England against attack from Gotha bombers and

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 ...

raids. In one such event, British anti-aircraft batteries located along the

Thames Estuary The Thames Estuary is where the River Thames meets the waters of the North Sea, in the south-east of Great Britain. Limits An estuary can be defined according to different criteria (e.g. tidal, geographical, navigational or in terms of salini ...

confused the 37 Squadron Sopwith Pups with enemy aircraft and opened fire upon them. Ridley, like many others, was hit and had his engine cowling blown off at , and had to make an emergency landing at

Rochford Rochford is a town in Essex, England, north of Southend-on-Sea, from London and from Chelmsford, the county town. At the 2011 census, the Civil parishes in England, civil parish, which includes the town and London Southend Airport, had a popu ...

. Ridley was particularly galled by this because only a day earlier, he had flown his aircraft over the batteries so that the artillery men could see the outline of his aircraft and hear the noise of his engine. Ridley then took command of the newly formed No. 61 Squadron at Rochford in the summer of 1917, before taking command of No. 112 Squadron at

Throwley Throwley is an English village south of Faversham in the Borough of Swale in Kent.The name is recorded in the Doomsday Book as Trevelai, which corresponds with a Brittonic origin, where "Trev" means a settlement or farm house and "Elai" typically r ...

in December of the same year. In the late stages of the war he commanded No. 28 Squadron at Grossa in Italy before returning to command No. 75 Squadron in England. When No. 75 Squadron was disbanded in 1919, Ridley became the commander of No. 39 Squadron.

Later life

Ridley was promoted to the rank of squadron leader in January 1925 and, in June of the same year, he married Lillias Elizabeth McAlpine, the daughter of Sir Robert McAlpine; they had three children together. He left the Air Force soon after and was on the retired list by 1928, although he was recalled in 1939 on the outbreak of 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 ...

. During the Second World War, he served as a Wing Commander in various appointments including

Leeds University Air Squadron Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

Death

Ridley died in the Dorchester Hotel in

Mayfair Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world. ...

, London on 27 June 1942. His death was attributed to natural causes rather than a circumstance of the war. His wish to be buried near to Stow Maries aerodrome was granted, and like many others who had served at Stow Maries, his grave is located in the churchyard of St Mary and St Margaret's Church in the village.

Commemorations

The home that Ridley lived in during his family's time in Sunderland had a blue plaque affixed to the wall in 2016. Military Cadet organisations in the area of

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

around the former Stow Maries Aerodrome, compete in the Ridley Trophy competition annually by vying for timings on an assault course.

References

Sources

External links

Grave burial certificate via CWGC
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ridley, Claude Award 1897 births People from Sunderland British aviators British Army personnel of World War I British World War I pilots 1942 deaths Royal Air Force personnel of World War I Royal Flying Corps officers Royal Fusiliers officers Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Air Force wing commanders British World War I prisoners of war World War I prisoners of war held by Germany British escapees Escapees from German detention