Major Hugh Allport Hay (24 November 1889 – 13 October 1965) was a British

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.

Biography

Family background and education

He was the eldest of three sons born to

The Reverend The Reverend is an style (manner of address), honorific style most often placed before the names of Christian clergy and Minister of religion, ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and c ...

Reynell Wreford Hay and his wife Margaret Alice (née Bolton). His grandfather William Hay was a merchant and ship owner from

Bishopwearmouth Bishopwearmouth is a former village and parish which now constitutes the west side of Sunderland City Centre, merging with the settlement as it expanded outwards in the 18th and 19th centuries. It is home to the Sunderland Minster church, which ...

, while his uncle,

William Delisle Hay William Delisle Hay (born ca. 1853, County Durham) was a nineteenth-century British author and Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. He was best known for his mycological studies, writings on New Zealand, and a number of science fictional pulp ...

, was a novelist and

mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungus, fungi, including their genetics, genetic and biochemistry, biochemical properties, their Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy and ethnomycology, their use to humans, including as a so ...

. At the time of his birth his father was teaching at Newchurch Grammar School, Lancashire, but in 1892 was appointed the

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of Garsdon and Lea in

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

. He was educated at Armstrong College, Newcastle (then part of

Durham University , mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills (Psalm 87:1) , established = (university status) , type = Public , academic_staff = 1,830 (2020) , administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19) , chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen , vice_chan ...

, now part of

Newcastle University Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a UK public university, public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is ...

World War I

After serving as a cadet in the

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 27 January 1915 Hay was commissioned as a second lieutenant (on probation) in the 3rd Battalion,

West Yorkshire Regiment ) , march = ''Ça Ira'' , battles = Namur FontenoyFalkirk Culloden Brandywine , anniversaries = Imphal (22 June) The West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own) (14th Foot) was ...

, alongside his brothers Guy Baldwin Hay (1890–1951) and Roger Bolton Hay (1895–1917). On 2 February 1916 he was appointed a temporary supernumerary lieutenant, and on 24 June, while attached to the 1st Battalion of the West Yorkshires, was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

. His citation read: :2nd Lieutenant Hugh Allport Hay, Special Reserve, West Yorkshire Regiment (attd. 1st Bn.). ::For gallantry and ability. He made a very close reconnaissance of enemy trenches prior to attack, and in the attack itself led his platoon with great ability. He has served for many months in the front line, and has proved himself a capable leader. He relinquished his temporary rank on 4 July, but was promoted to full lieutenant on 26 September. In mid-1917 Hay was seconded to the

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

, receiving Royal Aero Club Aviator's Certificate No. 5481 and being appointed a flying officer on 29 November. Hay was posted to No. 11 Squadron RFC in early 1918 to fly the

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 ...

.Shores ''et.al.'' (1990), pp. 188–189. On 1 April, the Army's Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) were merged to form the Royal Air Force, and a week later, on the 7th, Hay gained his first victory when he and observer/gunner Sergeant P. A. Sherlock drove down an Albatros C 'out of control' over

Grévillers Grévillers is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography Grévillers is a farming village situated west of Bapaume and south of Arras. Population Places of interest * The church of Notre-Dam ...

. On 4 May he and Sherlock shot a Pfalz D.III down in flames over

Marquion Marquion () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography Marquion is a farming and light industrial village situated southwest of Arras, at the junction of the D939 and the D15 roads. Junction 8 ...

, and on 11 August, with 2nd Lieutenant E. J. Norris, he did the same to 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 ...

south of Péronne. On 26 August Hay was appointed a temporary captain while serving as a flight commander, and on 6 September, Hay and Lieutenant A. H. Craig destroyed and drove down two

Fokker D.VII The Fokker D.VII was a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the second half of 1918. In service with the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the D.VII qu ...

s west of

Cambrai Cambrai (, ; pcd, Kimbré; nl, Kamerijk), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department and in the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, regio ...

. Hay left the RAF after the war, being transferred to the unemployed list on 2 June 1919.

World War II

Hay returned to military service just prior to World War II, serving in an anti-aircraft unit of the Territorial Army. He was commissioned as a captain, and appointed administration officer of the 1/5th Battalion,

Durham Light Infantry The Durham Light Infantry (DLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1968. It was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry) and t ...

, on 23 March 1939. Hay relinquished his post of administration officer on 2 September, and on 1 August 1940 his unit was transferred and renamed, becoming the 54th Searchlight Regiment,

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

. He served throughout the war, finally relinquishing his commission, having exceeded the age limit, on 22 August 1945, and was granted the

honorary rank 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 ...

of major. On 13 April 1951 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 ...

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hay, Hugh 1889 births 1965 deaths People from Newchurch, Lancashire West Yorkshire Regiment officers Royal Flying Corps officers Royal Air Force personnel of World War I British World War I flying aces Recipients of the Military Cross Durham Light Infantry officers Royal Artillery officers British Army personnel of World War II Alumni of Armstrong College, Durham