George Thomson DFC (born 3 October 1896, date of death unknown) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

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 ...

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 ...

, officially credited with 14 victories.www.theaerodrome.com
/ref> Born in Thornhill, Dumfries, Scotland, Thomson emigrated to Canada. Working as a printer in

Celista, British Columbia Celista is a small community located along the north shore of Shuswap Lake in British Columbia, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and ...

, Thomson enlisted in 1914, serving in the 30th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force and the

48th Highlanders of Canada , colors = , march = " 48th Highlanders Slow March"; Quick – "Highland Laddie" , mascot = , battles = Second Boer WarFirst World WarSecond World ...

. Thomson was wounded twice while serving with the 7/8th

King's Own Scottish Borderers The King's Own Scottish Borderers (KOSBs) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division. On 28 March 2006 the regiment was amalgamated with the Royal Scots, the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Margaret's O ...

. In October 1917 Thomson transferred to the RAF, and in 1918 he was posted to the 22 Squadron as an observer, where he scored 14 victories. Thomson returned to the Home Establishment in August 1918 to be trained as a pilot. His death date is unknown, although he is not listed among the few surviving World War I veterans.

Text of citations

"Lieut. George Thomson (King's Own Scottish Borderers). A brilliant and intrepid observer in whom his pilot places implicit confidence when engaged in action. He has personally accounted for nine enemy machines. On one raid, when acting as escort, 15 enemy aeroplanes were encountered; of these this officer shot down two, which crashed, and one out of control." Supplement to ''The London Gazette'', 21 September 1918 (30913/11255)

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Canadian aviators Canadian World War I flying aces Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) 1896 births King's Own Scottish Borderers officers Royal Flying Corps officers Scottish emigrants to Canada People from Thornhill, Dumfries and Galloway 1918 deaths {{aviation-bio-stub