Lieutenant Robert North Chandler (born 18 December 1898; date of death unknown) was a British

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

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 seven aerial victories.

Biography

Chandler was appointed a probationary temporary

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 Royal Flying Corps on 5 July 1917, being confirmed in the rank on 16 November. Posted to No. 73 Squadron, flying the

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 ...

, he gained his first victory on 24 March 1918, shooting down 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 ...

over Vraignes. On 11 April he shot down another D.V south-east of

Villers-Bretonneux Villers-Bretonneux () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Villers-Bretonneux is situated some 19 km due east of Amiens, on the D1029 road and the A29 motorway. Villers-Bretonneux border ...

, and destroyed a

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 ...

on 11 June, east of

Bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

. On 21 July he shared in the destruction of a

Fokker Dr.I The Fokker Dr.I (''Dreidecker'', "triplane" in German), often known simply as the Fokker Triplane, was a World War I fighter aircraft built by Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. The Dr.I saw widespread service in the spring of 1918. It became famous as the ...

with Maj. R. H. Freeman, Capt.

Maurice Le Blanc-Smith Major Maurice Le Blanc-Smith (23 February 1896 – 29 October 1986) was a British World War I flying ace credited with seven aerial victories. Biography Background and education Le Blanc-Smith's great-grandfather was Henry Le Blanc (1776� ...

, Lt. Gavin L. Graham, Lt.

William Stephenson Sir William Samuel Stephenson (23 January 1897 – 31 January 1989), born William Samuel Clouston Stanger, was a Canadian soldier, fighter pilot, businessman and spymaster who served as the senior representative of the British Security Coo ...

, 2nd Lt. K. S. Laurie, Lt. William Sidebottom, Lt J. Balfour and Lt W. G. Peters, north-east of

Oulchy-le-Château Oulchy-le-Château is a Communes of France, commune in the Aisne Departments of France, department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography The town is located about from Paris, between Soissons to the north and Château-Thierry to the s ...

. He destroyed two more D.VII on 22 and 29 July, and finally destroyed a Halberstadt C over

Nesle Nesle () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Nesle is situated at the junction of the D930 and D337 roads, some southwest of Saint-Quentin. The Ingon, a small stream, passes through the commun ...

with Lt. Gavin L. Graham and Lt. Emile John Lussier on 8 August. On 16 September 1918 Chandler was appointed a flight commander with the acting rank of captain. Chandler was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in early 1919. His citation read: :Lieutenant (Acting-Captain) Robert North Chandler. :In aerial fighting this officer has destroyed three enemy aircraft and driven down two others out of control. He has also displayed marked courage in attacking enemy troops, etc., on the ground. On 28 October, having attacked enemy troops with great success and silenced an

anti-tank gun An anti-tank gun is a form of artillery designed to destroy tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, normally from a static defensive position. The development of specialized anti-tank munitions and anti-tank guns was prompted by the appearance ...

, he later on silenced two enemy

machine-gun A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) ar ...

s and inflicted heavy casualties on infantry in shell holes. Whilst so engaged, his machine was hit in the engine and he was forced to land. Chandler was transferred to the unemployed list on 26 May 1919. After the war he emigrated to Canada. He served in the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1940 to 1946 until he retired as a Wing Commander.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chandler, Robert 1898 births Year of death missing Royal Flying Corps officers British World War I flying aces Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Canadian Air Force officers Royal Canadian Air Force personnel of World War II English emigrants to Canada British Army personnel of World War I