Sergeant Leonard Herbert Emsden was an observer and gunner aboard

Royal Aircraft Factory FE.2 Between 1911 and 1914, the Royal Aircraft Factory used the F.E.2 (Farman Experimental 2) designation for three quite different aircraft that shared only a common "Farman" pusher biplane layout. The third "F.E.2" type was operated as a day and n ...

b two-seater airplanes. He began scoring aerial victories during March 1917, continued winning through

Bloody April Bloody April was the (largely successful) British air support operation during the Battle of Arras in April 1917, during which particularly heavy casualties were suffered by the Royal Flying Corps at the hands of the German ''Luftstreitkräfte ...

, and capped his career as a

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 ...

with three victories on 1 May 1917. He was credited with a total of eight confirmed aerial triumphs.

Early life

His birthplace is known to be Bosmere,

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

, England. His parents were Laura Gant and John Arthur Emsden, who were married in

Elmsett Elmsett is a village and civil parish in Suffolk, England. Located around three miles north-east of Hadleigh, it is in Babergh district. In 2005, it had a population of 826, reducing to 788 at the 2011 census. History The first record of Elmse ...

, Suffolk, England in 1888. Leonard was the middle child of five in this family, having two elder sisters and two younger brothers. They were orphaned when their father died on 7 February 1898. Laura Emsden would remarry within a year, and supply another daughter to the brood.

World War I

Emsden volunteered to join the military in 1914 during World War I to serve his country, and was sent to France in 1915. As a sergeant with the

Bedfordshire Regiment The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment was the final title of a Line infantry, line infantry regiment of the British Army that was originally formed in 1688. After centuries of service in many conflicts and wars, including both the World War ...

, and after 79 commissioned officers were killed in one day, he personally led three bayonet charges up Hill 60 at the

Second Battle of Ypres During the First World War, the Second Battle of Ypres was fought from for control of the tactically important high ground to the east and south of the Flemish town of Ypres in western Belgium. The First Battle of Ypres had been fought the pre ...

, taking his objective at the third attempt. He also served with distinction at the battles of the

Somme __NOTOC__ Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places *Somme (department), a department of France *Somme, Queensland, Australia *Canal de la Somme, a canal in France *Somme (river), a river in France Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Somme'' (book), a ...

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 ...

, and St. Quentin. Having survived those battles, he volunteered for the Royal Flying Corps. He ended up in the

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

as an aircraft mechanic in No. 25 Squadron. He became a gunner on the unit's

Royal Aircraft Factory FE.2b Between 1911 and 1914, the Royal Aircraft Factory used the F.E.2 (Farman Experimental 2) designation for three quite different aircraft that shared only a common "Farman" pusher biplane layout. The third "F.E.2" type was operated as a day and ...

pusher aircraft.Franks ''et.al.'' (1997), p.85. As the gunner's duties were described: :"When you stood up to shoot, all of you from the knees up was exposed to the elements. There was no (safety) belt to hold you. Only your grip on the gun and the sides of the nacelle stood between you and eternity. Toward the front of the nacelle was a hollow steel rod with a swivel mount to which the gun was anchored. This gun covered a huge field of fire forward.... You had nothing to worry about except being blown out of the aircraft by the blast of air or tossed out bodily if the pilot made a wrong move. There were no parachutes..." From March through May 1917, Emsden was an

Air Mechanic 2nd Class The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

assigned to observer/gunner's duty. He was already an

ace An ace is a playing card, Dice, die or domino with a single Pip (counting), pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit (cards), suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large a ...

on 1 May, when he scored two victories on a morning

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. ...

and a third one in the afternoon. He was

wounded in action Wounded in Action (WIA) describes combatants who have been wounded while fighting in a combat zone during wartime, but have not been killed. Typically, it implies that they are temporarily or permanently incapable of bearing arms or continuing ...

in the hand. His valorous feats would earn him the

Distinguished Conduct Medal The Distinguished Conduct Medal was a decoration established in 1854 by Queen Victoria for gallantry in the field by other ranks of the British Army. It is the oldest British award for gallantry and was a second level military decoration, ranki ...

, which was

gazetted A gazette is an official journal, a newspaper of record, or simply a newspaper. In English and French speaking countries, newspaper publishers have applied the name ''Gazette'' since the 17th century; today, numerous weekly and daily newspapers ...

on 18 June 1917: :65935 2nd Class Air Mech. L. H. Emsden, R.F.C. :For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He has displayed the utmost gallantry and skill as an observer in aerial combats, continually bringing down his opponents with great skill and daring. Emsden would subsequently be promoted to

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non ...

, then to sergeant before returning home.

List of aerial victories

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Emsden, Leonard Herbert 1976 deaths 1893 births People from Mid Suffolk District Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment soldiers Royal Flying Corps soldiers British World War I flying aces Recipients of the Distinguished Conduct Medal Military personnel from Suffolk