Herbert Gilles Watson, (30 March 1889 – 29 March 1942) was an Australian

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 14 aerial victories. He was the highest scoring New Zealand-born ace in the Australian Flying Corps, and the fourth highest scorer in his squadron.

Early life and service

Although born in New Zealand, Watson was a clerk working in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, Australia, at the outbreak of war. He enlisted in No. 2 Troop of the

Australian Army Signal Corps The Royal Australian Corps of Signals (RASigs) is one of the 'arms' (combat support corps) of the Australian Army. It is responsible for installing, maintaining, and operating all types of telecommunications equipment and information systems. The m ...

on 28 October 1914. He left Australia in December 1914, sailing for the Middle East; he trained in Egypt. He served at

Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...

in 1915, and was medically evacuated with wounds, to England.

Aerial service

Watson transferred to the Australian Flying Corps in 1917, and was trained in England. On 5 February 1918, he was assigned to 4 Squadron AFC as a

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 ...

pilot. He drove 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 ...

down out of control for his first victory, on 19 April 1918.Shores et al (1990), p. 377. He steadily accumulated triumphs, shooting down eight aircraft by the end of June. Watson was subsequently awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) in mid-July. His final tally was three enemy observation balloons destroyed, including one set afire; four enemy fighters destroyed; an enemy observation plane destroyed in conjunction with Lieutenant Elwyn King; four enemy fighters and an observation plane driven down out of control. As he completed his string of wins, he was appointed a flight commander with the rank of captain.

After World War I

Postwar, Watson became a horse breeder in Victoria. He died on 29 March 1942 in Victoria, Australia; his will named his widow, Rosalie Grace Watson, as executor of his estate.(''Victoria Gazette'', 27 May 1942) http://gazette.slv.vic.gov.au/images/1942/V/general/194.pdf Retrieved 9 February 2011.

Honours and awards

Text of citation for Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC)

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Herbert Gilles 1889 births 1942 deaths Australian World War I flying aces Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)