John Harry McNeaney (30 May 1897 – 1 March 1919) was a Canadian

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 ...

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 ...

, flying with both the

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

and the Royal Air Force. He was credited with five aerial victories. John McNeaney was the only Canadian Sopwith Dolphin Ace.

Personal life

John McNeaney was born on 30 May 1897, the son of John and Mary Elizabeth McNeaney. He married Bertha Emma McNeaney (née Jones), when he was 17. His christened middle name was Henry, but he signed his marriage certificate Harry, and always used that name. They may have lived at 178, West Second St., Upper Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He also gave an address of 237 Charlton Avenue West.http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=mcneaney&GSmid=47019579&GRid=32677685& Retrieved 25 January 2010. McNeaney had a successful career as a competent commercial artist before he joined the Royal Flying Corps on 5 May 1917.

History

Commissioned in August 1917, he flew with

No. 79 Squadron RAF ("Nothing can stand against us") , dates=1 August 1917 (RFC) – 15 July 191922 March 1937 – 30 December 194515 November 1951 – 1 January 19612 January 1967 – 31 August 1992 , country= United Kingdom , allegiance= , branch= Royal Air For ...

, flying the

Sopwith Dolphin The Sopwith 5F.1 Dolphin was a British fighter aircraft manufactured by the Sopwith Aviation Company. It was used by the Royal Flying Corps and its successor, the Royal Air Force, during the World War I, First World War. The Dolphin entered se ...

and successfully claimed four German

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 and a

Halberstadt Halberstadt ( Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, the capital of Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town center that was greatly destroyed by Allied bombi ...

C destroyed. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross after he and two others engaged about ten Fokker D.VIIs near Paschendale in Belgium on 28 September 1918. Four Fokkers were claimed destroyed, two accounted for by McNeaney. McNeaney was wounded in June 1918 while on a trench strafing

sortie A sortie (from the French word meaning ''exit'' or from Latin root ''surgere'' meaning to "rise up") is a deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops, from a strongpoint. The term originated in siege warfare. ...

. After cessation of hostilities, John was posted to Germany as part of the forces of occupation. He contracted influenza and was brought back to England. He died on 1 March 1919 and was buried at Fulham Old Cemetery in West London, just south of Hammersmith Bridge. His grave has been marked by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which has erected a headstone.

Honors and awards

Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) Lieut. (A./Capt.) John Harry McNeaney. (FRANCE) A gallant and courageous airman who has accounted for five enemy aeroplanes, displaying at all times marked skill and devotion to duty. On 28 September, in company with two other machines, he engaged about ten Fokkers; four of these were destroyed, two by Lieut. McNeaney.

Sources of information

References

''Dolphin and Snipe Aces of World War 1.'' Norman Franks. Osprey Publishing, 2002. , ---- ----

External links

John McNeaney at The Aerodrome ForumHarry McNeaney at findagrave
{{DEFAULTSORT:McNeaney, John Harry Canadian World War I flying aces 1897 births 1919 deaths Deaths from Spanish flu