Captain Ronald Sykes (1899-1977) was a
World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories.
World War I service
Sykes joined the
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...
in April 1917. In September, he joined 9 Naval Squadron to fly a
Sopwith Camel in
Roy Brown's flight. On the 20th, he shot down an
Albatros D.III out of control, and was in turn shot down by
Paul Baumer. Sykes evaded capture by the Germans and swam the
Yser River to return to friendly forces. In March 1918, he joined
Raymond Collishaw
Raymond Collishaw, (22 November 1893 – 28 September 1976) was a distinguished Canadian fighter pilot, squadron leader, and commanding officer who served in the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) and later the Royal Air Force. He was the highest ...
in 3 Naval Squadron. On 30 May, he scored again, driving down 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 ...
triplane. In early August 1918, he moved to 201 Squadron as a flight commander. On the 12th, he teamed with
Robert McLaughlin and H. R. de Wilde to destroy two
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. Sykes would destroy another D.VII on 2 September, and drive one down on 9 November 1918.
Postwar service
In 1919, Sykes served in northern Russia. His Camel's tension wires snapped, dropping him behind Russian lines. He was repatriated in 1920. He left the Royal Air Force and became an engineer.
Honors and awards
Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC)
"Lieut. (A./Capt.) Ronald Sykes, 201 Squadron. (FRANCE)
An excellent patrol leader, who displayed marked gallantry on 27 September. While engaged in dropping bombs on enemy infantry in a sunken road he was attacked by four enemy aeroplanes. Out-manoeuvring them, he retired west. As soon as the hostile aeroplanes had withdrawn, he returned and fired a number of rounds into the infantry at 200 feet, causing many casualties. He then dived on another party of fifteen, who became so demoralised that they surrendered to one of our men."
Sources of information
References
''Above the Trenches: a Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces 1915–1920.'' Christopher F. Shores, Norman L. R. Franks, Russell Guest. Grub Street, 1990. , .
External links
Imperial War Museum Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sykes, Ronald
1899 births
1977 deaths
Royal Naval Air Service aviators
Royal Air Force personnel of the Russian Civil War
People from Stockton-on-Tees
Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
Military personnel from County Durham