Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

Leonard Monteagle Barlow MC & Two Bars (5 June 1898 – 5 February 1918) was a British World War I flying ace. He was born in

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ar ...

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 ...

and studied electrical engineering prior to joining the

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

. Barlow was posted to No. 56 Squadron and scored 20 victories whilst serving with the squadron, being awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

three times for his outstanding airmanship and bravery. Dubbed 'The Gadget King', due to his inventiveness, Barlow developed an ingenious way of firing both of his

SE5a The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 is a British biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War. It was developed at the Royal Aircraft Factory by a team consisting of Henry Folland, John Kenworthy and Major Frank Goodden. It was one of the fas ...

aircraft's machine guns at the same time. On 25 September he claimed 3 Albatros fighters of

Jasta 10 Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 10 was a World War I "hunting group" (i.e., fighter squadron) of the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I. ''Jasta 10'', in its brief existence, was credited with 118 enem ...

, Lt. Weigand and Uzz. Werkmeister being killed and one other pilot wounded. On 5 February 1918, Barlow was killed at

Martlesham Heath Martlesham Heath village is situated 6 miles (10 km) east of Ipswich, in Suffolk, England. This was an ancient area of heathland and latterly the site of Martlesham Heath Airfield. A "new village" was established there in the mid-1970s and th ...

whilst test flying a

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 ...

which broke up in mid air. His final tally consisted of 12 and 1 shared destroyed, 6 and 1 shared 'out of control'. He is buried at Bandon Hill Cemetery, Plot F.85CAPTAIN LEONARD MONTEAGLE BARLOW
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Honours and awards

*25 August 1917 - 2nd Lieutenant Leonard Monteagle Barlow, MC, RFC, Special Reserve is awarded the

: *16 October 1917 - 2nd Lieutenant Leonard Monteagle Barlow, MC, RFC, Special Reserve is awarded a bar to the Military Cross: *27 October 1917 - Lieutenant Leonard Monteagle Barlow, MC, RFC, Special Reserve Canadian Force is awarded a second bar the Military Cross.

External links

Leonard Monteagle Barlow

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barlow, Leonard Monteagle 1898 births 1918 deaths Military personnel from the London Borough of Islington People from Islington (district) Royal Flying Corps officers British World War I flying aces British Army personnel of World War I Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in England Recipients of the Military Cross Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1918