Lieutenant Honoré Marie Joseph Léon Guillaume de Bonald, Vicomte de La Rode (13 August 1894 – 7 December 1977) was a French

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 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 ...

credited with five aerial victories.The Aerodrome website http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/france/de_bonald.php Retrieved 2 August 2020

Biography

De Bonald was born in 1894 in Valady, France, into an aristocratic family. He was the son of Joseph Marie Jacques Ambroise de Bonald, 4th Baron de Bonald and 8th Viscount de la Rode, and Marie-Philippe Germaine de Carayon Talpayrac. He had two sisters. He volunteered for four years in the French military on 23 October 1913. After being promoted to

Maréchal des logis () is a sub-officer rank used by some units of the French Armed Forces. It is traditionally a cavalry unit rank. There are three distinct ranks of ''maréchal des logis'', which are generally the equivalents of sergeant ranks (although they g ...

in the

Hussars A hussar ( , ; hu, huszár, pl, husarz, sh, husar / ) was a member of a class of light cavalry, originating in Central Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely ...

, he was sent to pilot's training on 16 September 1915. On 30 December 1915, he received his Military Pilot's Brevet. After advanced training, he was posted to ''Escadrille 69'' on 6 April 1916. On 14 June, he was wounded seriously enough to be medically evacuated. When he had recovered, ''Escadrille 69'' had been shifted to the Italian Front; he followed them there.''Over the Front: The Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918''. p. 139 By war's end, he had been commissioned as lieutenant. He had shot down five enemy airplanes between 1 November 1916 and June 1917. He had also earned the honor of becoming a Chevalier in the ''

Legion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...

''. He also held the ''

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

'' and the Italian

Medal of Military Valor The Medal of Military Valor (Italian language: ''Medaglia al valor militare'') is an Italian medal, originally established as a Sardinian award. It is awarded to military personnel, units above the level of company, and civilians for excepti ...

. He was married to Henriette de Lastic-Vigouroux.

Honors and awards citations

Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...

"Pilot of Escadrille N69; energetic and brave officer. Very seriously wounded in the cavalry, when his wounds healed he requested to serve in aviation. Since he arrived at his Escadrille he has shown himself to be a first class pursuit pilot. Has completed numerous hours of flight and has had many combats. He downed his fourth enemy plane on 3 June 1917. Already twice cited in orders." Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur citation, 15 June 1917.

Sources of information

References

* Franks, Norman; Bailey, Frank (1993). ''Over the Front: The Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918'' London, UK: Grub Street Publishing. . 1894 births 1977 deaths People from Aveyron French World War I flying aces {{france-mil-bio-stub