Francis Granger Quigley, (10 July 1894 – 20 October 1918) was a Canadian aviator and

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 ...

of 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 ...

, who was credited with 33 aerial victories. He was notable for scoring the majority of his victories against German fighter planes.

Early life and service

Quigley was born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, Canada, on 10 July 1894, the youngest son of Robert John Quigley and Anne Jane Primrose. He attended St. Andrew's College in

Aurora, Ontario Aurora ( 2021 population: 62,057) is a town in central York Region in the Greater Toronto Area, within the Golden Horseshoe of Southern Ontario, Canada. It is located north of the City of Richmond Hill and is partially situated on the Oak Ridg ...

, and was attending his second year at Queen's University in Kingston when the

broke out. He excelled at the sports of football and hockey.

First World War

Quigley enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force on 16 December 1914, and served with the 5th Field Company of the Canadian Army Engineers on the Western Front. In early 1917, he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps (RFC). On 12 September 1917, he was assigned to No. 70 Squadron RFC, flying the

Sopwith Camel The Sopwith Camel is a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that was introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It was developed by the Sopwith Aviation Company as a successor to the Sopwith Pup and became one of the ...

Service as a fighter pilot

In less than a month, on 10 October, Quigley scored his first victory by shooting down an Albatros D.V in flames, and driving another down out of control. They were the first of 21 victories he scored against the Albatros D.V. Quigley had three victories in October, one in November, and five in December. In recognition of these exploits, Quigley was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC ...

in February 1918. The citation for the award was published in a supplement to the '' London Gazette'', reading: In 1918, Quigley scored eight times in January. On 6 January, he, William Fry, and P. G. Kemsley teamed up to shoot down and kill Leutnant Walter von Bülow-Bothkamp, himself an ace with 28 victories. Quigley triumphed once again in February, then 15 times between 8 and 23 March 1918. On 11 March alone, he helped destroy the only observation balloon of his career in the morning, then in the afternoon destroyed a Pfalz D.III and drove two others down out of control. For his work during this time Quigley was awarded a Bar to his Military Cross, the award citation reading: Quigley victory tally comprised 16 enemy fighter planes destroyed and ten others driven down out of control, four observation planes destroyed and two driven down out of control, as well as an observation balloon destroyed. Quigley was the antithesis of the lone wolf pilot, sharing victories not just with Fry and Kemsley, but with such other aces as Frank Gorringe, George R. Howsam, John Todd, Frank Hobson, Alfred Michael Koch, and Walter M. Carlaw.

Instructional appointments and death

Quigley was wounded in action on 27 March 1918 and recovered in Le Touquet Hospital. He was returned to Canada to finish his recuperation from his shattered ankle. He served as an instructor at Armour Heights while he was in Canada. In June the ''London Gazette'' announced the award of 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, ty ...

to Quigley, the citation reading: After his convalescence, Quigley requested a return to action in France. While returning to England in October 1918, Quigley came down with influenza and died in a hospital in Liverpool two days after his ship docked. He is buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto, Ontario.

References

Bibliography

* ''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:Quigley, Frank Granger Canadian aviators Canadian World War I flying aces Canadian Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Royal Flying Corps officers British Army personnel of World War I Deaths from the Spanish flu pandemic in England 1894 births 1918 deaths Canadian recipients of the Military Cross