Captain George Henry Hackwill (22 December 1892 – 4 July 1954) was an English 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 nine aerial victories. His most notable victory was his role in shooting down a German

Gotha G.V The Gotha G.V was a heavy bomber used by the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' (Imperial German Air Service) during World War I. Designed for long-range service and built by Gothaer Waggonfabrik AG, the Gotha G.V was used principally as a night bomber. D ...

, over Essex on the night of 28 January 1918. This was the first victory ever achieved in combat between aircraft at night.

Early life

George Henry Hackwill was born in

Langtree Langtree is a village and parish in north Devon, England, situated about south-west of Great Torrington and south of Bideford. Its name means "tall tree". Torridge District Council and Devon County Council are responsible for local government ...

North Devon North Devon is a local government district in Devon, England. North Devon Council is based in Barnstaple. Other towns and villages in the North Devon District include Braunton, Fremington, Ilfracombe, Instow, South Molton, Lynton and Lynmouth ...

, England. At the outbreak of the war he was an employee of the National Provincial Bank.

World War I

After service in the Somerset Light Infantry at the start of the war, he transferred to the

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

in mid-1915,Shores, et al, p. 180. and received Royal Aero Club Aviator's Certificate No. 2292 after flying a Maurice Farman biplane at Military Flying School at Shoreham, Sussex, on 17 December 1915. On 21 April 1916, he was appointed a flying officer as a temporary

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the Somerset Light Infantry and transferred to the General List of the

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

, indicating he had completed training. Hackwill was initially assigned to No. 22 Squadron, flying the F.E.2b two-seater. He gained his first victory on 21 July. Promoted to lieutenant on 31 August, he gained another victory on 20 October. He then served as an instructor for a while in 1917, before he was assigned to No. 44 (Home Defence) Squadron, 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 b ...

. On 1 October 1917 he was appointed a flight commander with the acting rank of captain. His next aerial victory was a spectacular one; on 28 January 1918, Hackwill was flying a Sopwith "Comic" Camel, modified for night fighting, when he and Charles C. Banks shot down a

heavy bomber for the first victory over German night intruders attacking Britain. The Gotha came down near Wickford, Essex. The bodies of the three crewmen were recovered from the burnt out wreckage of the aircraft, but only ''Leutnant'' Friedrick von Thomsen could be identified. All three were given a military funeral on 2 February. On 9 February 1918, Hackwill and Banks were awarded the Military Cross for this feat, the Cross being presented by King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

. Their citation, published in February 1918, read: In March 1918 Hackwill returned to France to serve in No. 54 Squadron, and between 25 April and 15 September 1918 he scored six more victories. Not reflected in his victory list is the

LVG Luftverkehrsgesellschaft m.b.H. (L.V.G. or LVG) was a German aircraft manufacturer based in Berlin- Johannisthal, which began constructing aircraft in 1912, building Farman-type aircraft. The company constructed many reconnaissance and light bombe ...

he bombed and destroyed on 30 October 1918 while it sat on a German airfield he was raiding.

List of aerial victories

Post-war career

On 15 April 1919, Hackwill was moved to the unemployed list of the Royal Air Force. Hackwill moved to

Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a landlocked self-governing British Crown colony in southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally kn ...

, and was elected to the Legislative Assembly as Member for Lomagundi district, representing the United Party, in a by-election on 27 August 1940. He was re-elected in the

1946 Events January * January 6 - The 1946 North Vietnamese parliamentary election, first general election ever in Vietnam is held. * January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into f ...

and 1948 general elections. Hackwill died on 4 July 1954.

References

Bibliography

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hackwill, George 1892 births 1954 deaths Military personnel from Devon British Army personnel of World War I Somerset Light Infantry soldiers Somerset Light Infantry officers Royal Air Force officers People from Torridge District Royal Flying Corps officers Royal Air Force personnel of World War I British World War I flying aces Recipients of the Military Cross British emigrants to Rhodesia White Rhodesian people Rhodesian politicians Zimbabwean people of English descent