Air Vice Marshal Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes u ...

Forster Herbert Martin "Sammy" Maynard, (1 May 1893 – 26 January 1976) was a senior commander in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

and a

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 six 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 ...

. He also served as the Air Officer Commanding

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

during the early part 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 ...

. His son,

Nigel Maynard Air Chief Marshal Sir Nigel Martin Maynard, (28 August 1921 – 18 June 1998) was a senior Royal Air Force commander. RAF career Born the son of Air Vice Marshal Forster Maynard and educated at Aldenham School,Debrett's People of Today Maynard ...

, also became an air marshal in the RAF.

Early life

He was born in New Zealand to a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

clergyman. The family returned to England two years later and he was educated at

St John's School, Leatherhead Seek those things which are above , established = , closed = , type = Public SchoolIndependent school Co-educational day, weekly and flexi boarding , religious_affiliation = Church of England , p ...

, and

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

World War I

Maynard joined the

Royal Naval Division The 63rd (Royal Naval) Division was a United Kingdom infantry division of the First World War. It was originally formed as the Royal Naval Division at the outbreak of the war, from Royal Navy and Royal Marine reservists and volunteers, who wer ...

in 1914 as an engineer. He transferred to the

Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...

the following year. After training, he became an instructor until 1916. In January 1917, he was posted to

No. 1 Squadron RNAS 01 or 01 may refer to: * The year 2001, or any year ending with 01 * The month of January * 1 (number) Music * 01'' (Richard Müller album), 2001 * ''01'' (Urban Zakapa album), 2011 * 01011001, the seventh studio album from Arjen Anthony Lucas ...

on the Western Front. While there, flying a

Sopwith Triplane The Sopwith Triplane was a British single seat fighter aircraft designed and manufactured by the Sopwith Aviation Company during the First World War. It has the distinction of being the first military triplane to see operational service. The ...

, he ran up a string of six victories from 29 April through 1 June 1917; his final tally included an enemy fighter set afire, another one destroyed in conjunction with a couple of squadron mates, and four enemy planes driven down out of control, including one shared with Cyril Ridley and six other pilots. In September 1917, he was transferred to the aircraft depot at

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Imperial Defence College The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs the most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces, His Majesty's Diplomatic Service and Civil Service in national defence and international security matters at the highest level ...

. He was posted to HQ Iraq Command and served administrative positions for the Air Staff.

World War II

When

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

declared war in June 1940, a part of the very limited strength of the fighter squadron based at Malta were four

Gloster Gladiator The Gloster Gladiator is a British biplane fighter. It was used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) (as the Sea Gladiator variant) and was exported to a number of other air forces during the late 1930s. Developed private ...

s, which were found in crates marked "Boxed Spares – Property of the Royal Navy" (these having been left by in April). Maynard obtained permission to assemble them, and three of these units, named "Faith", "Hope", and "Charity", they were part of the initially limited defence during the Siege of Malta.''Playfair'', Vol. I, page 98. After he was replaced on Malta, he was AOA, HQ

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 ...

. In 1944 he was AOC of No. 19 (Reconnaissance) Group.

Notes

References

Forster Maynard at New Zealand Fighter Pilots Museum
*''Above the Trenches: a Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces 1915–1920.'' Christopher F. Shores, Norman L. R. Franks, Russell Guest. Grub Street, 1990. , . *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maynard, F. H. 1893 births 1976 deaths Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies Companions of the Order of the Bath Foreign recipients of the Legion of Merit New Zealand people of World War II New Zealand World War I flying aces People from Waiuku New Zealand recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Military College of Canada alumni Royal Naval Air Service personnel of World War I Royal Air Force air marshals of World War II People educated at St John's School, Leatherhead Alumni of University College London