Captain Owen Morgan Baldwin (21 February 1893 – 12 January 1942) was a British 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 16 aerial victories. Post-war he was a successful professional motorcycle racer, and for a time holder of the official

motorcycle land-speed record The motorcycle land-speed record is the fastest speed achieved by a motorcycle on land. It is standardized as the speed over a course of fixed length, averaged over two runs in opposite directions. AMA National Land Speed Records requires 2 passes ...

World War I

Baldwin was a mechanical engineer in civilian life. He joined No. 73 Squadron RAF, which was tasked with ground support missions, and became a flight leader as well as the squadron's leading ace. His most notable day in action was 15 September 1918, when he scored five victories by destroying two German

Fokker D.VII The Fokker D.VII was a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the second half of 1918. In service with the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the D.VII qu ...

s and an observation plane, and driving down two more D.VIIs out of control. His victory roll is notable for having only three "soft" victories scored by driving an enemy down instead of destroying him. Baldwin was confirmed in rank as a Flying Officer, effective 7 March 1925. He was also in service during World War II; he was commissioned a Flying Officer in the

RAF 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 ...

Reserve on 12 December 1939.

Honours and awards

;Distinguished Flying Cross :Lieutenant Owen Morgan Baldwin. :A gallant and skilful pilot who has on many occasions attacked troops and transport at low altitudes. Recently he encountered twelve enemy aeroplanes, two of which he crashed. He has, in addition, accounted for five other machines, showing at all times fearlessness and resource. ;Bar to the Distinguished Flying Cross :Lieutenant (Acting-Captain) Owen Morgan Baldwin, DFC. :A gallant and determined officer, conspicuous for his skill and daring in attack. Since he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross he has destroyed six enemy aircraft and driven down two out of control, accounting for four in one day. In all he has to his credit thirteen machines destroyed and three driven down out of control.

Motorcycle racer

Post-war Baldwin became one of the first professional motorcycle racers. He competed twice in the

Isle of Man TT The Isle of Man TT or Tourist Trophy races are an annual motorcycle racing event run on the Isle of Man in May/June of most years since its inaugural race in 1907. The event is often called one of the most dangerous racing events in the world ...

Senior Race, riding a Martin in

1921 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil. ** The Spanish lin ...

, but failing to finish, and riding a Rudge in

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...

and coming 14th. He eventually found fame riding a

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V twin A V-twin engine, also called a V2 engine, is a two-cylinder piston engine where the cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration. Although widely associated with motorcycles (installed either transversely or longit ...

Brooklands Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England, United Kingdom. It opened in 1907 and was the world's first purpose-built 'banked' motor racing circuit as well as one of Britain's first airfields, ...

, competing in solo and sidecar races ranging from a single lap to 500 miles. He also competed in

hillclimbing Hillclimbing, also known as hill climbing, speed hillclimbing, or speed hill climbing, is a branch of motorsport in which drivers compete against the clock to complete an uphill course. It is one of the oldest forms of motorsport, since the fir ...

events, setting a record time at the Kop Hill event in

Princes Risborough Princes Risborough () is a market town in Buckinghamshire, England, about south of Aylesbury and north west of High Wycombe. It lies at the foot of the Chiltern Hills, at the north end of a gap or pass through the Chilterns, the south end ...

on a

Matchless Matchless is one of the oldest marques of British motorcycles, manufactured in Plumstead, London, between 1899 and 1966. A wide range of models were produced under the Matchless name, ranging from small two-strokes to 750 cc Four-stroke cy ...

MAG Mag, MAG or mags may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''MAG'' (video game), 2010 * ''Mag'' (Slovenian magazine), 1995–2010 * '' The Mag'', a British music magazine Businesses and organisations * MacKenzie Art Gallery, in Regina, Sask ...

in 1923, and coming second in 1925. He was awarded the Brooklands Gold Star Medal for completing a lap at an average speed over in 1927, and competed in the Brooklands 200 mile race four times between 1925 and 1929, winning once, and coming third three times. Baldwin's greatest achievement came at

Arpajon Arpajon () is a commune in the Essonne department in the Île-de-France region of northern France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Arpajonnais'' or ''Arpajonnaises''. The commune has been awarded three flowers by the ''National C ...

in 1928 when riding his

JAP ''Jap'' is an English abbreviation of the word "Japanese". Today, it is generally regarded as an ethnic slur. In the United States, some Japanese Americans have come to find the term very offensive, even when used as an abbreviation. Prior to t ...

he became the first man to ride a measured kilometre at an average speed of over , taking the official

FIM FIM may refer to: Organizations and companies * Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, the International Motorcycling Federation * Flint Institute of Music, in Michigan, United States * Fox Interactive Media, now News Corp. Digital Media * ...

. In 1923 Baldwin entered into a partnership with Edward Alexander Burney of Burney & Blackburne to form to the company Burney, Baldwin & Co. Ltd. The company manufactured high-quality motorcycles, but was wound up in 1927.

References

External links

CWGC entry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baldwin, Owen 1893 births 1942 deaths People from Twyford, Berkshire Royal Flying Corps officers British World War I flying aces Royal Air Force personnel of World War I Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Motorcycle land speed record people Royal Air Force officers Royal Air Force personnel killed in World War II