Lieutenant Harry Scandrett (1892–1977) was a British
ace credited with
seven aerial victories during the
First World War.
Early life
Scandrett was born at
Kew in
South West London South West London may refer to several things related to London, England:
*SW postcode area
*South West (London sub region) (2008–2011), a regional planning designation
*Western part of South London
*South West (London Assembly constituency) (fro ...
, England, in September 1892. At the outbreak of
World War I he was living in
Strawberry Hill, London
Strawberry Hill is an affluent area of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in Twickenham. It is a suburban development situated 10.4 miles (16.7 km) west south-west of Charing Cross. It consists of a number of residential roads cent ...
.
Military career
After being commissioned as a
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
Norfolk Regiment, Scandrett was transferred to the General List when appointed a flying officer (observer) in the RFC on 28 October 1916. He was posted to No. 25 Squadron in France, as observer/gunner in a
Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2
Between 1911 and 1914, the Royal Aircraft Factory used the F.E.2 (Farman Experimental 2) designation for three quite different aircraft that shared only a common "Farman" pusher biplane layout.
The third "F.E.2" type was operated as a day and n ...
, reconnaissance
biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...
. On 17 November, he scored his only victory with this squadron, and it may be the only occasion that he witnessed the destruction of the enemy aircraft.
Scandrett returned to England for pilot training in early 1917, gaining his flying certificate, and on 27 April he was appointed a flying officer with seniority from 7 August 1916. He then joined No. 11 Squadron as a
Bristol F.2 Fighter
The Bristol F.2 Fighter is a British First World War two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft developed by Frank Barnwell at the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter, ''"Brisfit"'' or ''"Biff"'' ...
pilot. Scandrett scored six victories between 7 July and 30 September 1917, being promoted to lieutenant on 16 July. All his victories occurred in the afternoon and all enemy aircraft were
Fokker D.V
The Fokker D.V (Fokker designation M.22) was a German biplane fighter of World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included mu ...
s. No particular reason is known for Scandrett's withdrawal from action, though it may be that he retired injured.
He was transferred to the RAF's unemployed list on 3 June 1919.
Post war life
After the war, Harry lived for several decades in Durlston Road,
Kingston-Upon-Thames. He died in September 1977, and he is buried in York Cemetery, York, North Yorkshire, England.
See also
*
List of World War I flying aces
The following are lists of World War I flying aces. Historically, a flying ace was defined as a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The term was first used by French newspapers, describ ...
References
;Notes
;Bibliography
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scandrett, Harry
1892 births
1977 deaths
People from Kew, London
Royal Norfolk Regiment officers
Royal Flying Corps officers
Royal Air Force personnel of World War I
British World War I flying aces