Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Thomas Frederic Williams MC (12 October 1885 –25 July 1985) was a Canadian

First World War 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 ...

, officially credited with 14 victories.

Early life and service

Williams was the son of Fred. B. Williams and Mary M. Williams. When he enlisted in the

1st Canadian Division The 1st Canadian Division (French: ''1re Division du Canada'' ) is a joint operational command and control formation based at CFB Kingston, and falls under Canadian Joint Operations Command. It is a high-readiness unit, able to move on very short ...

on 23 September, he was described as 5 feet 7½ inches tall, with red hair, blue eyes, and a ruddy complexion. He worked as a salesman, and stated he was already in the militia.

Aerial service

After shipment to England, he switched to the

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

in 1916. He was forwarded to No. 45 Squadron RFC in France as a

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 ...

pilot after training. He was shot down by

The Flying Circus The Flying Circus were a short-lived Toronto-based group fronted by singer/songwriter, Bruce Cockburn. The band, which was active between late 1967 and early 1968, also featured Neil Merryweather and future Mapleoak members, Marty Fisher and Go ...

on 22 September 1917. A month later, on 24 October, he destroyed 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 ...

for his first victory, fighting such an impassioned solo battle he gained the nickname "Voss" after the gallant German ace. On 6 November 1917, he was shot down again, this time by "friendly" fire from a Canadian ground machine gunner. Two days later, he set a D.V aflame and drove down another out of control. On 13 November, he destroyed a

Junkers J.I The Junkers J.I (manufacturer's name J 4) was a German "J-class" armored sesquiplane of World War I, developed for low-level ground attack, observation and army cooperation. It is especially noteworthy as being the first all-metal aircraft to e ...

. As he was poised tantalizingly on the brink of acedom, his squadron used the inclement flying weather of winter to shift to Italy to oppose the Austro-Hungarians. Once there, Williams became an ace on 10 January 1918, and followed up with two more wins in January. He would score once more while in 45 Squadron, on 27 March 1918. Williams transferred to 28 Squadron as a Flight Commander, and resumed his winning ways on 19 June, when he used a Camel to down yet another D.V. In just over five weeks, he ran up five more wins, ending up on 27 July 1918. In 199 war patrols, he had destroyed eight enemy airplanes, driven down four out of control, and captured another after killing its pilot.

Postwar

Williams returned home to Canada and went barnstorming in the 1920s; he held Flying Certificate No. 91. Williams helped found the Royal Canadian Air Force. As World War II loomed, he joined Fleet Aircraft Company of Ontario in 1939 as chief test pilot, and remained there until 1948. He was elected to the Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame. He also was active in Canadian World War I veterans reunions. He still flew; he was flying aerobatics in 1971, aged 86. In his 97th year, he became an author, publishing a volume of poetry. He died at the age of 99 years, 286 days.

Text of citations

Military Cross

T./2nd Lt. Thomas Frederic Williams, Gen. List and R.F.C. For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He destroyed four enemy aircraft and drove down one. Also, in conjunction with another officer, he was instrumental in forcing an enemy machine to surrender and land.(''Supplement to the London Gazette'', 16 September 1918) http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/30901/supplements/11035 Retrieved on 11 June 2010.

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. , .

Notes

Websites

External links

CAHF.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Thomas F 1885 births 1985 deaths Canadian World War I flying aces Canadian recipients of the Military Cross Recipients of the Silver Medal of Military Valor Royal Flying Corps officers People from Ingersoll, Ontario