Flight Lieutenant Edward Robert Pennell (1894–1974) 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. He returned to military service during

World War II 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 ...

World War I

Pennell originally joined the Royal Navy in 1910, at the age of 16, but soon left and joined the

Honourable Artillery Company The Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) is a reserve regiment in the British Army. Incorporated by royal charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII, it is the oldest regiment in the British Army and is considered the second-oldest military unit in the w ...

, part of the

Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry i ...

. On the outbreak of the war he was mobilized for service and served as a corporal in the HAC. He was commissioned as a temporary second lieutenant to serve in the

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

on 5 August 1916, and was appointed a flying officer on 28 November. He served in No. 27 Squadron for the first half of 1917,Shores ''et.al.'' (1990), p.301. flying a

Martinsyde G.100 The Martinsyde G.100 "Elephant" and the G.102 were United Kingdom, British fighter bomber aircraft of the First World War built by Martinsyde. The type gained the name "Elephant" from its relatively large size and lack of manoeuvrability. The G. ...

"Elephant" single-seat fighter-bomber, claiming his first victory on 19 March by driving down out of control a

Halberstadt D.II The Halberstadt D.II was a biplane fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by German aircraft company Halberstädter Flugzeugwerke. It was adopted by the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' (Imperial German Army Air Service) and served through the period ...

over

Havrincourt Havrincourt () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in Hauts-de-France in France. The inhabitants are called ''Havrincourtois''. Situation The village lies about 14 kilometres south-west of Cambrai near the Havrincourt service area on the ...

Wood. On 14 July he received permission to wear the ''Croix de Guerre'' awarded to him by the French government. He then transferred into the newly formed No. 84 Squadron on 23 July to fly the S.E.5a single-seat fighter. Pennell was appointed a flight commander with the temporary rank of captain on 1 September. He destroyed an

observation balloon An observation balloon is a type of balloon that is employed as an aerial platform for intelligence gathering and artillery spotting. Use of observation balloons began during the French Revolutionary Wars, reaching their zenith during World War ...

over Raillencourt on 22 November, and a DFW Type C reconnaissance aircraft on 30 November over Honnecourt. He accounted for two further reconnaissance aircraft driven down out of control; firstly on 23 December 1917 north of St. Quentin, shared with Second Lieutenant William H. Brown, and secondly in January 1918 over

Villers-Outréaux Villers-Outréaux () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Heraldry History A German airbase was in the town in WW-I. War Memorial In September 2018 the villagers of Villers-Outréaux dedicated an especially commissioned ...

. His final total was a balloon and two aircraft destroyed and two aircraft driven down out of control. He was promoted to lieutenant in February 1918, but was hospitalized the following day, ending his active service. On 3 June 1918 the King instituted a new decoration—the Distinguished Flying Cross—to be awarded to officers and warrant officers for "acts of gallantry when flying in active operations against the enemy." Pennell was one of the first recipients. He was eventually transferred to the unemployed list in January 1919.

Inter-war career

Pennell returned to Clacton-on-Sea where he went into business, becoming a property developer, and a partner in a restaurant, and two cinemas. He was also elected to the local

Urban District Council In England and Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected urban district council (UDC), which shared local gove ...

, serving as chairman in 1927–28.

World War II

Pennell was granted a commission in the

Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) was established in 1936 to support the preparedness of the U.K. Royal Air Force in the event of another war. The Air Ministry intended it to form a supplement to the Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF ...

"for the duration of hostilities" as a probationary

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 ...

on 16 January 1940. He was granted the

war substantive Military ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibility in a m ...

rank of flying officer on 31 August 1940, and was promoted to

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 ...

on 1 June 1942. He served as a liaison officer at a flying school in the United States, but eventually relinquished his commission on account of ill-health on 23 August 1944.

Post-war

Pennell returned to his home in Clacton, and served as Chairman of the Urban District Council twice more, in 1946–1948 and 1953–1954, and as chairman and long-standing member of several committees. He was a member of the

Royal Air Forces Association The Royal Air Forces Association (also called the RAF Association or RAFA) is the largest single service membership organization and the longest standing registered service charity that provides welfare support to the family of RAF members. Th ...

, the Clacton Club, and the local

Conservative Club The Association of Conservative Clubs is an organisation associated with the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom. It represents and provides support to the largest association of political clubs in the country estimated at 1,100. The Associ ...

, and was a keen golfer and fisherman. He died in 1974.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pennell, Edward 1894 births 1974 deaths People from Forest Gate Royal Navy sailors Honourable Artillery Company soldiers Royal Flying Corps officers Royal Air Force personnel of World War I British World War I flying aces Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II British Army personnel of World War I Royal Air Force officers Military personnel from London