Pilot Officer Sydney "Timbertoes" Carlin, (18899 May 1941) was a British World War I flying ace, despite having previously lost a leg during the Battle of the Somme. He returned to the Royal Air Force in World War II, serving as an air gunner during the Battle of Britain.

Early life

Sydney Carlin was born in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, the son of William Carlin, a drysalter. By 1901 he was a boarder at a small private school in the village of Soulby, Kirkby Stephen,

Westmorland Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland'';R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref> is a historic county in North West England spanning the southern Lake District and the northern Dales. It had an ...

. He enlisted with the 18th Hussars (later the

18th Royal Hussars The 18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, first formed in 1759. It saw service for two centuries, including the First World War before being amalgamated with the 13th Hussars to form the 13th/18th Royal ...

) in 1908, but he bought himself out and resigned in December 1909 for the sum of £18. In 1911 he was working as a farm labourer at Frodingham Grange,

North Frodingham North Frodingham is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately south-east of the town of Driffield and lies on the B1249 road. The civil parish is formed by the village of North Frodingha ...

, Yorkshire.

World War I

Just over a year after the British entry into World War I, he re-enlisted on 8 August 1915; the army refunded half (£9) of the money he had bought himself out with in 1909. Serving in Belgium with the 18th Royal Hussars he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal on 5 August 1915, and was later 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 September 1915 and made a lieutenant in May 1916. He lost a leg serving in the Battle of Longueval/Delville Wood, on the Somme in 1916, while commanding a

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

Field Company section holding a trench against repeated German counter-attacks. For this action he was awarded the Military Cross in October. Extraordinarily, he joined the

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

in 1917, following his recovery. On 12 March 1918, Carlin was seconded from the Royal Engineers to the RFC. After serving as an instructor at the Central Flying School, he was posted in May 1918 to No. 74 Squadron RAF flying S.E.5As, where he earned his nickname "Timbertoes". Carlin is recorded as an ace

balloon buster Balloon busters were military pilots known for destroying enemy observation balloons. These pilots were noted for their fearlessness, as balloons were stationary targets able to receive heavy defenses, from the ground and the air. Seventy-seven fl ...

, with five balloons downed; he was also an ace against aircraft, with four machines claimed destroyed, and one aircraft 'driven down out of control'. His exploits earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross. On 9 August 1918 Lieutenant Carlin was promoted to temporary captain. In early September he was involved in a mid-air collision with his commanding officer, Major Keith Caldwell, but was relatively unscathed. On 21 September Carlin was shot down over

Hantay Hantay () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille. Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 648 communes of the Nord department of ...

by ''Unteroffizier'' Siegfried Westphal of

Jasta 29 Royal Prussian ''Jagdstaffel'' 29, commonly abbreviated to ''Jasta'' 29, was a "hunting group" (i.e., fighter squadron) of the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I. The squadron would score 76 aerial vic ...

and held as a prisoner of war. He was repatriated on 13 December 1918 and admitted to the RAF Central Hospital on Christmas Day 1918. Carlin relinquished his commission on "account of ill-health contracted on active service" on 7 August 1919. and retained the rank of lieutenant.

Inter-war years

On 1 January 1924 Carlin was promoted from flight lieutenant to squadron leader. Nevertheless, in 1924, Carlin departed Britain for Mombasa aboard the SS ''Madura''. He was listed on the passenger list as an "agriculturist". He farmed for some years in Kenya. From 20 May 1931 to 8 August 1935 Carlin served as the

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

for Kisumu-Londiani District, Kenya.

World War II

On re-enlistment to the RAF he was graded as a 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 ...

on 27 July 1940, almost eleven months after the outbreak of the Second World War. He made pilot officer in September 1940, flying as an air gunner in Boulton Paul Defiant aircraft with No. 264 Squadron RAF and later No. 151 Squadron RAF. He also made several unofficial trips as an air gunner with No. 311 (Czech) Squadron, flying Wellingtons. Carlin was injured in action at RAF Wittering during an enemy bombing raid on 7/8 May 1941, and died in Peterborough on 9 May 1941. He is commemorated on the Screen Wall, Panel 1, at Hull Crematorium.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Carlin, Sydney 1889 births 1941 deaths The Few 18th Royal Hussars soldiers Military personnel from Kingston upon Hull Royal Flying Corps officers Royal Air Force officers British Army personnel of World War I Royal Air Force personnel of World War I British World War I flying aces Recipients of the Military Cross Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Recipients of the Distinguished Conduct Medal Royal Air Force personnel killed in World War II Shot-down aviators Royal Engineers officers Deaths by airstrike during World War II Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II English amputees English expatriates in Kenya