Lieutenant-Colonel James Valentine (1887 – 1917) was an early

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

aviator An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

who died during 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 ...

, serving in the

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

Early life

Valentine was born in

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area expe ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

on 22 August 1887 the son of James and Fanny Valentine. His father was a general manager of an insurance company in 1891.

Aviator

Valentine gained his

Royal Aero Club The Royal Aero Club (RAeC) is the national co-ordinating body for air sport in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1901 as the Aero Club of Great Britain, being granted the title of the "Royal Aero Club" in 1910. History The Aero Club was foun ...

aviators certificate (No. 47) on 31 December 1910 at Brooklands Aerodrome using a Macfie Biplane. In 1911, flying a Deperdussin, he was one of only four airmen to complete the Circuit of Britain race and was the only British aviator to compete in the

Circuit of Europe The Circuit of Europe (''Circuit d'Europe'') was an air race held in 1911. A prize of £8,000 was offered by ''Le Journal (Paris), Le Journal'' for the entire Circuit, with additional prizes for the individual stages. The stages of the race totalled ...

race. He was one of the few competitors to complete the course. In the

Aerial Derby The Aerial Derby was an air race in the United Kingdom sponsored by the '' Daily Mail'' in which the competitors flew a circuit around London. It was first held in 1912, with subsequent races in 1913 and 1914. Suspended during the First World Wa ...

of eighty-one miles around London on 3 June 1912, Valentine was third flying a

Bristol Prier monoplane __NOTOC__ The Bristol Prier monoplane was an early United Kingdom, British aircraft produced in a number of single- and two-seat versions. Background The Bristol Prier Monoplanes were a series of tractor configuration monoplanes designed for the ...

. In 1913 he married Louisa Eileen Knox in London.

General Register Office General Register Office or General Registry Office (GRO) is the name given to the civil registry in the United Kingdom, many other Commonwealth nations and Ireland. The GRO is the government agency responsible for the recording of vital record ...

index of marriages registered in April, May, and June 1915, - Name: James Valentine & Louisa E Knox, District: Westminster, London, Volume: 1A Page: 1045.

Royal Flying Corps

With the outbreak of the First World War Valentine joined the

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

in 1914. On 7 August 1917 Valentine died aged 29 as result of wounds at Kieff in Russia (now

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

). He is commemorated on the Archangel Memorial to men who died in the north Russian campaign and whose graves are not known.

Honours and awards

He was awarded the Silver Medal of the Royal Aero Club for his aviation achievements in 1912 Valentine was awarded the second Royal Aero Club ''Special certificate'' on 6 December 1911; *8 November 1915 - Lieutenant (temporary Captain) James Valentine, Royal Flying Corps (Special Reserve) was appointed a

Chevalier of the 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 ...

by the President of France for distinguished service in the field. *4 June 1917 - Captain (temporary Major) James Valentine was appointed a

Companion of the Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typic ...

for distinguished service in the field. *Russian

Order of St. George The Order of Saint George (russian: Орден Святого Георгия, Orden Svyatogo Georgiya) is the highest military decoration of the Russian Federation. Originally established on 26 November 1769 Julian (7 December 1769 Gregorian) a ...

4th Class.

References

External links

The Great 1911 Air Race visits Whipton
Whipton was a stopping point for the contestants in the 1911 Circuit of Britain race)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valentine, James 1887 births 1917 deaths Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur English aviators Royal Flying Corps officers Companions of the Distinguished Service Order British military personnel killed in World War I British Army personnel of World War I