Squadron Leader Walter Macfarlane Carlaw (8 March 1899 – 24 November 1956) was a Scottish

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 ...

who served during World War I, and was credited with 12 confirmed aerial victories. He returned to RAF service during World War II.

Early life

Walter Macfarlane Carlaw was the son of Walter and Jeannie Carlaw of Blythwood in Glasgow, Scotland.

World War I

Carlaw joined the Royal Flying Corps in May 1917, and was confirmed in the rank of temporary second lieutenant on 9 November 1917. Posted to 70 Squadron in early 1918, his first success came three days after his nineteenth birthday, on 11 March 1918; he was one of four pilots credited with destroying a German

observation balloon An observation balloon is a type of balloon that is employed as an aerial platform for intelligence gathering and artillery spotting. Use of observation balloons began during the French Revolutionary Wars, reaching their zenith during World War ...

over

Menen Menen (; french: Menin ; vls, Mêenn or ) is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Menen proper and the towns of Lauwe and Rekkem. The city is situated on the French/Be ...

, Belgium. He shared the win with

Frank Granger Quigley Francis Granger Quigley, (10 July 1894 – 20 October 1918) was a Canadian aviator and flying ace of the First World War, who was credited with 33 aerial victories. He was notable for scoring the majority of his victories against German fighter ...

Alfred Michael Koch Lieutenant Alfred Michael Koch MC was a Swiss-born Canadian flying ace credited with ten aerial victories. Early life Alfred Michael Koch was born on 25 February 1894 in Arosa, Graubünden, Switzerland. He moved to Canada at the age of four ...

, and Kenneth Seth-Smith. The following day, 12 March 1918, he single-handedly drove 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 ...

out of control.Shores ''et.al.'' (1997), p. 97. He was appointed a flight commander, with the

acting rank An acting rank is a designation that allows a soldier to assume a military rank—usually higher and usually temporary. They may assume that rank either with or without the pay and allowances appropriate to that grade, depending on the nature of t ...

of captain on 14 July 1918. On 29 July 1918, he destroyed an Albatros D.VII, which began a string of ten triumphs over the new advanced German fighter aircraft. By the time he ended his tally on 14 October 1918, he had destroyed seven

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 and driven down three others out of control. Carlaw was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, which was gazetted after the armistice, on 3 December 1918. The citation read: :A bold and skilful fighter who has accounted for five enemy machines—two in one engagement, which occurred on 31 July. On 17 January 1919 Carlaw was transferred to the unemployed list, returning to Glasgow to have a successful career as a

mechanical engineer Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations of ...

World War II

Carlaw returned to the colours during World War II, being commissioned into the

Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) was established in 1936 to support the preparedness of the U.K. Royal Air Force in the event of another war. The Air Ministry intended it to form a supplement to the Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF ...

on 28 November 1941, as a probationary acting-pilot officer in the Administrative and Special Duties Branch, being confirmed in the rank on 28 January 1942. He was promoted to flying officer on 1 October 1942, and to flight lieutenant on 1 October 1945. After the war Carlaw remained on the list of reserve officers until relinquishing his commission on 10 February 1954, and was granted permission to retain the rank of squadron leader. Carlaw died on 24 November 1956, and is buried at

Cardross Cardross (Scottish Gaelic: ''Càrdainn Ros'') is a large village with a population of 2,194 (2011) in Scotland, on the north side of the Firth of Clyde, situated halfway between Dumbarton and Helensburgh. Cardross is in the historic geographical ...

cemetery, Scotland.

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * {{DEFAULTSORT:Carlaw, Walter M. 1899 births 1956 deaths Military personnel from Glasgow Royal Flying Corps officers British World War I flying aces Scottish flying aces Royal Air Force personnel of World War I Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Air Force squadron leaders