Captain Norman Cyril Jones (8 February 1895 – 23 March 1974) was an English

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 ...

during World War I. He was credited with nine aerial victories.

Early life

Norman Cyril Jones was born in Cheshire, England.Shores ''et.al.'' (1990), p. 217. His birth date is unknown; however, he would have to have been born prior to 1897 to be old enough to be commissioned into the military at the start of World War I in 1914.

World War I

Jones was commissioned as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the 2nd East Lancashire Brigade on 14 September 1914. He was promoted to

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 ...

in the Royal Horse and Field Artillery on 1 June 1916. On 8 June 1917, second lieutenant Jones was appointed a flying officer in the

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

; this appointment customarily marked graduation from pilot's training. From 21 June to 19 August 1917 he was posted to No. 71 Squadron while it was in

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...

. In late 1917, he was assigned to No. 28 Squadron in Italy. He scored his first aerial victory while with them, on 25 January 1918. On 30 January 1918 Jones was appointed a flight commander with the temporary rank of captain. He subsequently transferred in theatre, to No. 45 Squadron, where he resumed his winning ways on 19 May 1918. He would run his score to nine by 21 August 1918. He earned a Distinguished Flying Cross for his courageous service. It was gazetted on 21 September 1918: Needless to say, the award citation was based on incomplete information, as Jones' victory list shows.

List of aerial victories

Between the World Wars

On 23 January 1919, Jones was placed on the RAF's unemployed list. His assignment to the RAF was ended and he was returned to the Royal Horse and Royal Field Artillery of the

Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry i ...

. He gave up his commission on 30 September 1921. As Jones left the military, he moved into the business world. He was involved in the reorganization of the family business in March 1920, which established John Jones as

chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

World War II and beyond

He rejoined the RAF for World War II; on 23 February 1941 he was commissioned as an acting probationary

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 ...

for "the duration of hostilities...."

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Norman Cyril 1895 births 1974 deaths Military personnel from Cheshire People from Cheshire (before 1974) Royal Flying Corps officers Royal Air Force personnel of World War I British World War I flying aces Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Air Force officers British Army personnel of World War I Royal Field Artillery officers