Flight Lieutenant Francis James Davies (20 October 1889 – 7 March 1941) was a British World War I

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 twelve aerial victories. He would briefly return to service during World War II.

Early life

He was born the youngest son of John Davies of

Hunt End Hunt End is a district of Redditch in Worcestershire, England. Saint Augustine's Catholic High School is in Hunt End, it is the only Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian chur ...

Redditch Redditch is a town, and local government district, in north-east Worcestershire, England, approximately south of Birmingham. The district has a population of 85,000 as of 2019. In the 19th century, it became the international centre for the ...

, but spent his youth living at Studley, and was educated at the

Roman Catholic School Catholic schools are pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered under the aegis or in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest religious, non-governmental school syst ...

there.

World War I service

Davies joined the

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

in May 1917. He had trained as a pilot by August 1917, being confirmed in his rank of temporary second lieutenant and appointed a flying officer on the 31st. By March 1918, he was assigned to 29 Squadron, which was the last British squadron operating French Nieuports. On the 18th, Davies used a Nieuport to drive down a German Pfalz D.III fighter out of control. By 19 May, he was seated in a

Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5 The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 is a British biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War. It was developed at the Royal Aircraft Factory by a team consisting of Henry Folland, John Kenworthy and Major Frank Goodden. It was one of the fast ...

a, which he used to destroy an

Albatros D.V The Albatros D.V is a fighter aircraft built by the Albatros Flugzeugwerke and used by the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' (Imperial German Air Service) during World War I. The D.V was the final development of the Albatros D.I family and the last Albatro ...

. On the 26th, he teamed with fellow aces Charles G. Ross and Reginald H. Rusby to destroy a DFW reconnaissance two-seater.Shores ''et.al.'' (1990), p. 135. He was promoted to temporary captain on 9 June 1918. Davies would score regularly with his SE.5a until 11 August 1918. On that day, for his final victory, 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 ...

Courtrai Kortrijk ( , ; vls, Kortryk or ''Kortrik''; french: Courtrai ; la, Cortoriacum), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It is the capital and larges ...

. The following day, he flew his last mission of the war, being wounded in action and crash-landing. He fainted as a result of his wound, and fell 100 feet. The accident removed him from combat. His tally of victories was a balloon busted, two enemy planes set on fire, five other planes destroyed, and four planes sent down out of control. Davies was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on 21 September 1918.

Post-war career

Acting Captain Davies resigned his commission on account of ill health caused by his wounds on 5 April 1919. In 1920 he married Doris Edkins of

Great Alne Great Alne is a small village in Warwickshire, England, north-west of Stratford-upon-Avon, north-east of Alcester and from Warwick, on the road to Wootton Wawen. It takes its name from the River Alne and was first chronicled in the charter of ...

, and they had a daughter and two sons. After living for a while in Shelfield Green, near Alcester, Davies and his family moved to

Prestatyn Prestatyn is a seaside town and community in Denbighshire, Wales. Historically a part of Flintshire, it is located on the Irish Sea coast, to the east of Rhyl. Prestatyn has a population of 19,085, History Prehistory There is evidence that the ...

in North Wales. Davies worked for the Enfield Cycle Company Ltd., and developed various business interests, mainly in motor engineering. He also retained an interest in flying, serving as chairman of the Midland Gliding Club. At the beginning of World War II, Davies was granted a commission 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 ...

on probation as of 9 July 1940.

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 ...

Davies died on 7 March 1941, as a result of injuries sustained in a car crash at

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, and is buried at St Mary's Roman Catholic Church,

Studley, Warwickshire Studley is a large village and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England. Situated on the western edge of Warwickshire near the border with Worcestershire, it is southeast of Redditch and northwest of Stratford- ...

Honours and awards

;Distinguished Flying Cross :Lieutenant (Temporary Captain) Francis James Davies. :During recent operations this officer has accounted for five enemy aeroplanes. Bold in attack and skilful in manoeuvre, he is a valuable airman who sets a fine example to all.

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, Francis James 1889 births 1941 deaths People from Alcester Royal Flying Corps officers British World War I flying aces Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Road incident deaths in England English Roman Catholics