Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Francis Richard Cubbon (26 November 18929 June 1917) was an aerial observer and flying ace in the First World War. In conjunction with his pilots, he was credited with 21 aerial victories.

Early life and service

Francis Richard Cubbon was the only surviving son of his parents' marriage. His father was Captain Richard Cubbon, a supply and transport officer of the Indian Army. Cubbon was born in London,Franks ''et.al.'' (1997), p. 12. but spent most of his youth in

Poona Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...

, India.Guttman & Dempsey (2009), p. 78. The young Cubbon was educated at Alleyn's School and Dulwich College before attending and graduating from the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.Aeronautics (1918), p. 288. He was posted to the Indian Army as a second lieutenant on 6 September 1911. His first assignment was to the York and Lancaster Regiment in Karachi. He subsequently was appointed to the

72nd Punjabis The 72nd Punjabis were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1759, when they were raised as the 16th Battalion Coast Sepoys. History The regiment's first battle was the Battle of Sholinghur in 1781, du ...

on the North-western Frontier of India, on 1 December 1912. He was promoted to lieutenant on 6 December 1913, and to captain on 6 September 1915. In November 1915, he was invalided home.

Service in Royal Flying Corps

Like so many invalided and convalescent land soldiers of the First World War, Cubbon volunteered for flight duty and was accepted as an observer on 25 March 1917. By Bloody April, 1917, he was assigned to 20 Squadron as an observer in

Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2 Between 1911 and 1914, the Royal Aircraft Factory used the F.E.2 (Farman Experimental 2) designation for three quite different aircraft that shared only a common "Farman" pusher biplane layout. The third "F.E.2" type was operated as a day and n ...

Frederick Libby Captain Frederick Libby (15 July 1891 – 9 January 1970) became the first American flying ace, while serving as an observer in the Royal Flying Corps during World War I. Libby transferred to the United States Army Air Service on 15 September 1 ...

, the United States of America's first ace, gave a vivid description of an observer's duties aboard the aircraft that was an incremental development of the pre-1914 Farman Experimental: And Libby did not even mention the hazards of spilling overboard with a propeller chopping along behind the crew. Cubbon scored two victories on 24 April 1917 with Lieutenant R. E. Johnson in F.E.2 number A6392. He then flew with Captain

Frederick Thayre Captain Frederick James Harry Thayre (20 October 1894 – 9 June 1917) was a British two-seater flying ace in World War I who, in conjunction with his observer-gunners, was credited with twenty aerial victories. Background Thayre was born in ...

for the next six weeks and claimed some nineteen victories. Seventeen of these were over German Albatros D.III single-seated fighters. Upon Captain Albert Ball's death on 7 May, Cubbon became the second ranking ace of the Royal Flying Corps.Greenhous (2002), pp. 99–100.

Killed in action

On 9 June, two days after scoring their final victory together, Cubbon and Thayre attacked an Albatros two-seater and sent it down in a smoking nose dive. They were then killed in action by a direct hit from anti-aircraft fire from K Flak Battery 60 near

Warneton Warneton (; nl, Waasten) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille. Bounding communes and places *Warneton, Belgium (part of Comines-Warneton) * Comines, east *Quesnoy-sur-Deûle ...

.Shores ''et.al.'' (1997), p. 360. A German message drop confirmed their deaths to the British authorities, but their graves remain undiscovered.Guttman & Dempsey (2009), p. 82. The nineteen victories shared included five Albatros D.IIIs shot down in flames and eleven destroyed, an Albatros reconnaissance two-seater in flames and another destroyed. Another D.III was claimed driven down 'out of control'. Cubbon also added his two victories with Johnson—a D.III destroyed and one 'out of control'. Cubbon received both the Military Cross on 11 May and a Bar in lieu of a second award on the 16th, both being gazetted posthumously on 18 July 1918.

Awards and decorations

;Military Cross :Captain Francis Richard Cubbon. Indian Army, attached Royal Flying Corps. :For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He has shown great pluck and determination when acting as observer, on several occasions displaying fine marksmanship and coolness against superior numbers of the enemy. ;Bar to the Military Cross :Captain Francis Richard Cubbon, MC. Indian Army, attached Royal Flying Corps. :For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. When acting as an observer on an offensive patrol, he displayed great skill and courage against superior numbers of the enemy. Throughout the action he backed up his pilot with a remarkable display of marksmanship.

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * * * * *

External links

* Contains a detailed list of his victories. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cubbon, Francis 1892 births 1917 deaths Military personnel from London People educated at Alleyn's School People educated at Dulwich College Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst British Indian Army officers York and Lancaster Regiment officers Royal Flying Corps officers British World War I flying aces Indian Army personnel killed in World War I Recipients of the Military Cross British military personnel killed in World War I British Army personnel of World War I