Lieutenant Pierre Henri Edmond Dufaur de Gavardie (20 January 1890 – 4 October 1966) 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 six aerial victories. Dufaur de Gavardie was wounded in action on 7 February 1917. He died on 4 October 1966 at the age of 76.The Aerodrome websit

Retrieved 6 August 2020.

Biography

Pierre Henri Edmond Dufaur de Gavardie was born in

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of ...

, France on 20 January 1890. On 30 August 1914, he volunteered to serve in the French military for the duration of hostilities. He began World War I as an artilleryman, but transferred to aviation duty with ''Escadrille 53''.''Over the Front: The Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918'', pp. 156 - 157 Details of his pilot's training are unknown, but he was posted to ''Escadrille 12'' on 6 February 1916 and promoted to

Adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

the next day. He shot down a German airplane on 8 March 1916. On 12 April 1916, he was awarded the ''

Médaille Militaire The ''Médaille militaire'' ( en, Military Medal) is a military decoration of the French Republic for other ranks for meritorious service and acts of bravery in action against an enemy force. It is the third highest award of the French Republic, ...

'' for his valorous service. Over the next seven months, he would shoot down three more airplanes, as well as two

observation balloon An observation balloon is a type of balloon that is employed as an aerial platform for intelligence gathering and artillery spotting. Use of observation balloons began during the French Revolutionary Wars, reaching their zenith during World War ...

s, with his final victory on 9 November 1916. On 6 January 1917, he was inducted into the ''

Legion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...

''. A month later, on 7 February 1917, Dufaur de Gavardie was so badly wounded that he had to be medically evacuated. On 30 August 1917, while still on sick leave, he was commissioned as a ''

Sous 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 19 ...

''. By 1 February 1918, he had recuperated enough to return to duty. No longer fit to fly, he was given an administrative job at a flying school. Besides the above decorations, he also won the ''

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

'' with seven ''palmes'' and an ''etoile de vermeil''. Pierre Henri Edmond Dufaur de Gavardie died on 4 October 1966.

Sources of information

Reference

* Franks, Norman; Bailey, Frank (1993). ''Over the Front: The Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918'' London, UK: Grub Street Publishing. . 1890 births 1966 deaths French World War I flying aces Place of death missing {{france-mil-bio-stub