Hugh Claye (22 June 1889 – 9 August 1972) was a British

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 World War I. In conjunction with his pilots he was credited with 11 aerial victories (four destroyed, seven 'driven down out of control') while flying as an observer/gunner in

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 ''"Bif ...

airplanes.Franks ''et.al.'' (1997), p.9.

Biography

Hugh Claye was the third son of Edgar Havelock Claye and Mary (née Pickthall) Claye, of Derby.

Infantry career

Claye was commissioned as a

supernumerary Supernumerary means "exceeding the usual number". Supernumerary may also refer to: * Supernumerary actor, a performer in a film, television show, or stage production who has no role or purpose other than to appear in the background, more commonl ...

second lieutenant in the 5th Battalion, The Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) on 14 June 1909, and was brought into the Sherwood Foresters from the supernumerary list on 1 November 1909. He was promoted to lieutenant on 22 June 1912. On 21 May 1915, he was promoted to temporary captain. His commission was confirmed in the rank of captain in the Sherwood Foresters on 2 July 1916, with his date of seniority set at 1 June 1916.

Aerial service

Claye was transferred to No. 62 Squadron of the

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

in December 1917. He was paired with Captain

Geoffrey Forrest Hughes Geoffrey Forrest Hughes, (12 July 1895 – 13 September 1951) was an Australian aviator and flying ace of the First World War. He was credited with 11 aerial victories, and won a Military Cross for his valour. After a postwar award of the Air ...

as his pilot. The pair opened their victory list on 21 February 1918, destroying a German two-seater reconnaissance plane near

Armentières Armentières (; vls, Armentiers) is a commune in the Nord department in the Hauts-de-France region in northern France. It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille. The motto of the town is ''Pauvre mais fière'' (Poor but proud). Geogra ...

. They would score 11 victories apiece in their dual career, the last being a

Rumpler Rumpler-Luftfahrzeugbau GmbH, Rumpler-Werke, usually known simply as Rumpler was a German aircraft and automobile manufacturer founded in Berlin by Austrian engineer Edmund Rumpler in 1909 as Rumpler Luftfahrzeugbau.Gunston 1993, p.259 The fir ...

driven down out of control on 10 May 1918. Their final tally would be two enemy planes set on fire and destroyed, two more destroyed, and seven driven down 'out of control'. Their most notable success was sharing in the shooting down and wounding of

Jasta 11 Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 11 ("No 11 Fighter Squadron"; commonly abbreviated to Jasta 11) was founded on 28 September 1916 from elements of 4 Armee's “Kampfeinsitzer” or KEKs) 1, 2 and 3 and mobilized on 11 October as part of the Germ ...

Lothar von Richthofen Lothar Siegfried Freiherr von Richthofen (27 September 1894 – 4 July 1922) was a German First World War fighter ace credited with 40 victories. He was a younger brother of top-scoring ace Manfred von Richthofen (the ''Red Baron'') and a di ...

on 13 March, force-landing his

Fokker Dr.I The Fokker Dr.I (''Dreidecker'', "triplane" in German), often known simply as the Fokker Triplane, was a World War I fighter aircraft built by Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. The Dr.I saw widespread service in the spring of 1918. It became famous as the ...

triplane He was officially seconded to the RFC's General List on 16 March 1918, just before the RFC became the Royal Air Force. His rank of captain was confirmed in April, and back-dated to 27 January 1918 On 19 May 1918, Claye switched pilots to fly with Lieutenant H. A. Clarke. They were shot down by anti-aircraft fire, although Leutnant August Delling of ''Jasta 34'' also staked an unsuccessful claim. Claye sat out the rest of the war as a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

, and was repatriated on 31 December 1918. He left the RAF on 10 April 1919 and retired to live with his wife. He retained an Honorary Captaincy in the Sherwood Foresters.

Inter war years

Claye obtained a postgraduate

diploma A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offici ...

in agriculture from

Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, often referred to simply as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and one of th ...

in 1922. From 1922 until 1953 he was Assistant

Registrary The Registrary is the senior administrative officer of the University of Cambridge. The term is unique to Cambridge, and uses an archaic spelling. Most universities in the United Kingdom and in North America have administrative offices entitled "reg ...

of Cambridge University, where he had studied before the war. He was commissioned a Captain in the Territorial Army Reserve on 15 July 1922. The next notice of him was his assignment to the Senior Division of

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

Officers' Training Corps The Officers' Training Corps (OTC), more fully called the University Officers' Training Corps (UOTC), are military leadership training units operated by the British Army. Their focus is to develop the leadership abilities of their members whilst ...

on 25 March 1930. On 30 March 1933, Claye was named as an executor of an estate. He resigned his commission on 24 April 1933. He was awarded the

Efficiency Decoration The Efficiency Decoration, post-nominal letters TD for recipients serving in the Territorial Army of the United Kingdom or ED for those serving in the Auxiliary Military Forces, was instituted in 1930 for award to part-time officers after twe ...

by the King on 23 September 1933.

World War II and beyond

On 22 August 1940 Claye was commissioned as a probationary pilot officer in the

Southern Rhodesian Air Force The Rhodesian Air Force (RhAF) was an air force based in Salisbury (now Harare) which represented several entities under various names between 1935 and 1980: originally serving the British self-governing colony of Southern Rhodesia, it was the ...

for the duration of hostilities, to serve in the RAF's Administrative and Special Duties Branch. He was confirmed in his appointment and promoted to the

war substantive Military ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibility in a m ...

rank of flying officer a year later on 22 August 1941, receiving promotion to temporary flight lieutenant on 1 September 1942. He relinquished his commission on account of ill-health on 9 September 1944. He was Chairman of Mobile Carpet Cleaners Ltd when it resolved to liquidate on 15 September 1950.

Family

On 26 January 1954, Claye was named a personal representative for the estate of his uncle, Wentworth Ernest Claye. On 2 November 1962, he was named a personal representative for the estate of his brother Charles Aked Claye. On 16 November 1967, Claye was again named a personal representative for an estate, this time for his sister, Marjorie McInnes Claye.

Death

Hugh Claye died near

Chichester Chichester () is a cathedral city and civil parish in West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Date:2009. It is the only ci ...

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

on 9 August 1972, aged 83. He was survived by his widow Barbara, and son Michael and daughter Judith. His elder son Derek had died in a POW camp in Germany in September 1944.

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Claye, Hugh 1880s births 1972 deaths People from Derby Sherwood Foresters officers British World War I flying aces British Army personnel of World War I Royal Flying Corps officers Recipients of the Military Cross British World War I prisoners of war World War I prisoners of war held by Germany