Captain Thomas Laurence Purdom (24 June 1892 – 8 March 1927) was a Scottish World War I flying ace credited with 13 confirmed aerial victories.

Early life and entry into military

Purdom was born in Hawick,

Roxburghshire Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh ( gd, Siorrachd Rosbroig) is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the north-west, and Berw ...

, the son of John R. Purdom, a

solicitor A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and ...

and joint Town Clerk. Purdom was working in his father's office when war was declared and enlisted into the

Public Schools Battalion The Public Schools Battalions were a group of Pals battalions of the British Army during World War I. They were raised in 1914 as part of Kitchener's Army and were originally recruited exclusively from former public schoolboys. When the battalions ...

. However, he was soon commissioned, becoming as a second lieutenant in the 4th (The Border) Battalion, The King's Own Scottish Borderers on 14 October 1914.

Aerial service

In 1915, Purdom was seconded to the Royal Flying Corps, receiving Royal Aero Club Aviators' Certificate No. 1873 after soloing a Maurice Farman biplane at the Military School, Birmingham, on 11 October 1915, and was appointed a flying officer on 18 January 1916. He served in No. 15 Squadron throughout 1916, flying a B.E.2c two-seater reconnaissance aircraft, but had no successes in combat, as his unit was mainly engaged in such duties as

artillery spotting An artillery observer, artillery spotter or forward observer (FO) is responsible for directing artillery and mortar fire onto a target. It may be a ''forward air controller'' (FAC) for close air support (CAS) and spotter for naval gunfire sup ...

and aerial photography. Purdom was appointed a flight commander with the temporary rank of captain on 20 September 1916, and was transferred to the newly formed No. 62 Squadron, a training unit. In May 1917, the squadron received the Bristol F.2 Fighter, and in January 1918 was sent to France. Success in the air finally came with a double victory on 21 March 1918, and with another on the 24th and two on the 26th, made Purdom and his gunner/observer Lieutenant Percival Chambers aces within a week. They continued to score and became double aces on 15 May. Two days later, they completed their dozen victories together with another double victory over

Armentières Armentières (; vls, Armentiers) is a commune in the Nord department in the Hauts-de-France region in northern France. It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille. The motto of the town is ''Pauvre mais fière'' (Poor but proud). Geogra ...

. They had destroyed five enemy aircraft, including one shared with

William Ernest Staton Air Vice Marshal William Ernest Staton, (27 August 1898 – 22 July 1983) was a British airman who began his career as a First World War flying ace credited with 26 victories. He was transferred to the Royal Air Force (RAF) on its creation in 1 ...

and John Rutherford Gordon. Their other eight victories were of the "driven down out of control" category. On 19 May 1918, Purdom and gunner William Norman Holmes drove a Fokker D.VII down out of control north-west of Douai. This was Purdom's thirteenth victory, and Holmes' sixth. In June 1918, Purdom was awarded the Military Cross. His citation read: :Lieutenant (Temporary Captain) Thomas Laurence Purdom, KOSB and RFC. ::"For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He attacked and shot down a hostile scout, and when himself attacked by a second scout, he shot the latter down out of control also. He has in addition to these destroyed four enemy machines within a month. He has shown the most exceptional gallantry and daring in engaging enemy aircraft." Purdom returned to the Home Establishment in July 1918, after being injured, and was posted to the Aeroplane Experimental Station at Martlesham Heath on 15 September 1918. He eventually left the RAF, being transferred to the unemployed list on 19 February 1919. Purdom was promoted to captain in his regiment, the King's Own Scottish Borderers, on 21 March 1919.

After the war

Purdom was an enthusiastic motorist. He worked as an engineer at Croall & Croall, an early automobile manufacturer in Edinburgh. After a brief illness, he died in 1927 in Hawick, where he was interred at Wellogate Cemetery.

List of aerial victories

References

Bibliography