Frank Harold Hobson, MC (8 October 1894 – 1951) was a British

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 ...

, credited with 15 aerial victories.

Biography

Hobson was born in

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

, Yorkshire, on 8 October 1894. He originally served in the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

, but transferred to the

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

, being commissioned a temporary second lieutenant (on probation) on 10 May 1917. In September 1917, he scored his first victory while he was assigned to No. 65 Squadron RFC.Franks (2003), p. 64. Flying Sopwith Camel No. B2305, he drove down 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 ...

out of control. He then scored triumphs in every month between then and March 1918, except for February. A summary of his record shows ten enemy aircraft destroyed and five driven down out of control. He 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 i ...

on 4 March 1918. Following his last victory on 25 March 1918, Hobson was removed from combat duty and assigned to No. 72 Training Squadron in the Home Establishment in England. He ended his duty and left the service in February 1919. He died in Leicester on 5 May 1951.

Honours and awards

;Military Cross :Temporary 2nd Lieutenant Frank Hobson, General List and Royal Flying Corps. ::For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He has destroyed several enemy aeroplanes and driven others down out of control. On one occasion he descended to a height of 100 feet and attacked a party of the enemy with his machine gun, inflicting several casualties on them. He has shown splendid resource and determination on all occasions.

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hobson, Frank 1894 births 1951 deaths Military personnel from Leeds British Army personnel of World War I People from West Bridgford Royal Engineers soldiers Royal Flying Corps officers Royal Air Force personnel of World War I British World War I flying aces Recipients of the Military Cross