Joseph Stewart Temple Fall, (17 November 1895 – 1 December 1988) was a Canadian aviator, military officer, and

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 ...

credited with 36 aerial victories.

Early life

Fall was born into a farming family on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. He tried to enlist in the army but was rejected because he had suffered a head injury when he was a child. However, he was accepted as a candidate for 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 ...

on 23 August 1915.

Military service

The Canadian government would not support a flying school, so Fall went to England for training. He left Canada on 12 November 1915, and was in England in January 1916. Fall flew a

Sopwith Pup The Sopwith Pup is a British single-seater biplane fighter aircraft built by the Sopwith Aviation Company. It entered service with the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Flying Corps in the autumn of 1916. With pleasant flying characteristi ...

for some time in No. 3 Squadron RNAS before he achieved his first success on 6 April 1917. A

Halberstadt D.II The Halberstadt D.II was a biplane fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by German aircraft company Halberstädter Flugzeugwerke. It was adopted by the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' (Imperial German Army Air Service) and served through the period ...

dived on him with a frontal attack; Fall half-looped onto the German plane's tail and fired 50 rounds to down him. Fall would score 10 more victories before changing planes to the

Sopwith Camel The Sopwith Camel is a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that was introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It was developed by the Sopwith Aviation Company as a successor to the Sopwith Pup and became one of the b ...

. The 11 victories with the Sopwith Pup made Jo Fall the highest scoring Pup ace. He would score 2 more shoot-downs with No. 3 Squadron, using the Camel. On 30 August 1917, he was transferred to No. 9 Squadron RNAS as a flight commander, still flying Camels. He claimed another 23 victories with No. 9 Squadron, with the final one occurring on 22 December 1917. On 24 April 1918, Fall joined the School of Aerial Gunnery and Fighting at

RAF Freiston Royal Air Force Freiston or more simply RAF Freiston is a former Royal Air Force station located about east of Boston, Lincolnshire, which was in operation during the First World War. Station history In mid-1916, the Royal Naval Air Service ...

, serving their as an Acting Squadron Commander Instructor until the end of the war.Cumming 1997, p. 15. Falls' claims tally consisted of 11 (and 12 shared) aircraft destroyed, 10 (and 3 shared) 'out of control'. Fall stayed in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

from its inception on 1 April 1918. He was promoted to

squadron leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also ...

on 17 July 1929 and placed on half-pay from 1 June 1930 to 8 January 1931. He was promoted to wing commander on 1 January 1936 and to temporary

group captain Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force, where it originated, as well as the air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. It is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank i ...

on 1 July 1940. He retired as a group captain in 1945 and died in 1988.

Honours and awards

* 23 May 1917 –

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

– Flt. Sub-Lieut. Joseph Stewart Fall, R.N.A.S. * 19 December 1917 –

Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

to the Distinguished Service Cross – Flt. Lieut, (act. Flt. Cdr.) Joseph Stewart Temple Fall, D.S.C., R.N.A.S. * 19 December 1917 – Second Bar to the Distinguished Service Cross – Flt. Lieut, (act. Flt. Cdr.) Joseph Stewart Temple Fall, D.S.C., R.N.A.S. * 1 January 1919 – Air Force Cross – Capt. John Stewart Temple Fall, D.S.C. in recognition of distinguished service.

References

Bibliography

* Norman Franks. "Sopwith Pup Aces of World War I" (Aircraft of the Aces), Osprey Publishing, 2005. * Norman Franks. "Sopwith Camel Aces of World War I" (Aircraft of the Aces), Osprey Publishing, 2004. {{DEFAULTSORT:Fall, Joseph Canadian aviators Canadian World War I flying aces Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Air Force officers Royal Naval Air Service personnel of World War I Royal Air Force personnel of World War I Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Naval Air Service aviators 1895 births 1988 deaths People from the Cowichan Valley Regional District Canadian recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)