John Joseph Malone, (20 December 1894 – 30 April 1917) was a Canadian

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

Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...

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 ...

. He was credited with 10 aerial victories and received 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, typ ...

before dying in combat.

Early life

John Joseph Malone was born in Inglewood,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada on 20 December 1894; his parents were Mary C. Wallace and Edmund J. Malone. At the time of the younger Malone's enlistment on 11 December 1914, they were residing in Regina,

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

. Malone gave his occupation as "gas engine mechanic". The medical officer noted that Malone was 5 feet 4 inches tall, with medium complexion, blue eyes, and brown hair. A scar on his hip was described as an identifying mark. A scrawl across the enlistment form seems to indicate that Malone was already "tagged" for flying duty; it reads, "Malone... to learn aviation".

First World War

Malone learned to fly at the Curtiss Flying School at the

Long Branch Aerodrome Long Branch Aerodrome was an airfield located west of Toronto, Ontario and just east of Port Credit, now Mississauga, and was Canada's first aerodrome. The airport was opened by the Curtiss Flying School, part of the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Com ...

in Ontario. He earned 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 ...

pilot's certificate on 15 July 1916, and was commissioned as a probationary flight sub-lieutenant in the

the same day. He then shipped out for Britain. On 1 February 1917, Malone was posted to No. 3 Wing RNAS (later designated No. 3 Naval Squadron RNAS). He scored his first aerial victory on 4 March. After scoring a triple victory followed by a single one, he was an ace. Another triple win followed, bringing his tally to eight. On 24 April 1917, Malone managed to force a German two-seater to ground for a ninth triumph; Malone's engine then quit, forcing him to land his Sopwith Pup next to his victim. The German observer died of his wounds; his pilot was also wounded. Malone took custody of the pilot while under a barrage of artillery fire. Malone's pilot report states, in part: Malone escorted him back to the squadron mess before the German departed into captivity. Leonard Rochford, a British pilot in Malone's squadron, refers to the incident in some detail in his memoir, ''I Chose the Sky'', published after the war: A tenth win two days later ended his string. Four days later, on 30 April 1917, Malone was shot down and killed by

Paul Billik Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity * Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

, beginning the latter's career as an ace. Malone is honored at the Arras Flying Services Memorial. The award of Malone's

was posthumously gazetted on 23 May 1917:

List of aerial victories

Endnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Malone, John Joseph 1894 births 1917 deaths People from Caledon, Ontario Canadian flying aces Royal Naval Air Service aviators Canadian military personnel killed in World War I Canadian Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Canadian military personnel from Ontario

Early life

First World War

List of aerial victories

See also

Endnotes