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 ...

Maurice Ashdown Newnham

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, DFC (31 August 1897 – October 1974) was a World War I

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 18 aerial victories. He originally joined the

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

as a 17-year-old courier. He was assigned to No. 4 Squadron in France. A year and a half later, he underwent pilot's training. He was then forwarded to a

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 ...

unit, No. 65 Squadron. On 25 April 1918, he was shot down by

Josef Mai Major Josef Mai (3 March 1887 – 18 January 1982) Iron Cross First and Second Class, was a World War I fighter pilot credited with 30 victories. Early life Josef Mai was born in Ottorowo, Province of Posen. His original military service began on ...

. On 10 May 1918, he scored his first victory by destroying an

Albatros D.V The Albatros D.V is a fighter aircraft built by the Albatros Flugzeugwerke and used by the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' (Imperial German Air Service) during World War I. The D.V was the final development of the Albatros D.I family and the last Albatro ...

. He became an ace on 29 June. He flew 102 offensive patrols in six months, and steadily accumulated victories through 9 November 1918. His final total included victories over 14 enemy fighters and a reconnaissance two-seater. He was also a

balloon buster Balloon busters were military pilots known for destroying enemy observation balloons. These pilots were noted for their fearlessness, as balloons were stationary targets able to receive heavy defenses, from the ground and the air. Seventy-seven fl ...

, having shot down three enemy observation balloons. Between the wars, Newnham was involved with the

Triumph The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...

motorcycle and automobile company. As early as 1933, he stocked them in his automotive sales center.Retrieved 25 December 2009.
/ref> He was appointed to head it in 1936Retrieved 25 December 2009.
/ref> as managing director and chief executive. He sold off the motorcycle division and turned the company from producing sports cars to building nondescript family sedans. This policy put the company in serious financial straits, as the sedan market was overcrowded. The Bombing of Coventry destroyed the motorcycle plant and damaged the automobile factory seriously enough to shut down production. Newnham returned to service during World War II, rejoining the RAF on 11 November 1939 as a

pilot officer Pilot officer (Plt Off officially in the RAF; in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly P/O in all services, and still often used in the RAF) is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countri ...

(probationary), with the service number 75897.Retrieved 25 December 2009.
/ref> He was confirmed in his rank the following 11 November, having been promoted to war-substantive flying officer on 22 February 1940. After a spell of administrative duties, he was promoted to

flight lieutenant Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth countries. It has a NATO rank code of OF-2. Flight lieutenant is abbreviated as Flt Lt in the India ...

in 1942 and established and ran the British Parachute Training School, a feat he recorded in his book, ''Prelude to Glory''. He took that post as an acting squadron leader on 9 July 1941. He was promoted to the temporary rank of

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 1 July 1943 and retroactively promoted to the war-substantive rank on 29 June 1943 (gazetted 20 August 1943). Despite being in his 40s, he personally parachuted numerous times. He insisted on testing all improved equipment before it went into general use in the school. Newnham was appointed an Officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(OBE) (Military Division), in the 1944 Birthday Honours list. He was promoted to war-substantive

wing commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...

on 20 May 1945. After the war, Newnham returned to running his auto sales center. He formally relinquished his wartime commission on 10 February 1954, retaining the rank of group captain.

Honors and awards

Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) Lieut. Maurice Ashdown Newnham. (FRANCE) This officer has taken part in several night-bombing raids and in 102 offensive patrols, many of which he has led with ability and success. On the night of 23–24 September Lt. Newnham carried out a very successful long distance raid on an enemy aerodrome. Owing to heavy rain and a strong west wind he had difficulty in reaching his objective. Undeterred by this, he succeeded, and effectively bombed the aerodrome, obtaining two direct hits on a large Zeppelin shed. He then attacked other objectives, descending to ground level to do so. He returned to our lines after a 2½ hours flight.Supplement to the London Gazette, 3 December 1918 (31046/14324)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Newnham, Maurice 1897 births 1974 deaths Officers of the Order of the British Empire