Lieutenant William Thomas Barnes (10 March 1892 – 28 November 1920) was an English World War I

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 ...

. He served as an observer/gunner in

Bristol F.2 Fighter The Bristol F.2 Fighter is a British First World War two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft developed by Frank Barnwell at the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter, ''"Brisfit"'' or ''"Biff"'' ...

s, gaining, in conjunction with his pilots, nine confirmed aerial victories (6 destroyed, 3 'out of control') over German

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 ...

fighter planes. Post-war he served in the Royal Irish Constabulary and was killed in the

Kilmichael ambush The Kilmichael Ambush ( ga, Luíochán Chill Mhichíl) was an ambush near the village of Kilmichael in County Cork on 28 November 1920 carried out by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) during the Irish War of Independence. Thirty-six local IRA v ...

on 28 November 1920.

Early life and Fusilier service

William Thomas Barnes was born in

Sutton, Surrey Sutton is the principal town in the London Borough of Sutton in South London, England. It lies on the lower slopes of the North Downs, and is the administrative headquarters of the Outer London borough. It is south-south west of Charing Cross ...

on 10 March 1892. He began his military service in the Royal Fusiliers; he had become a sergeant before he was commissioned 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 ...

within the regiment on 10 June 1917.

World War I aviation service

Barnes was appointed an Observer Officer in the Royal Air Force on 1 August 1918. He reported for observer duty in the Bristol Fighters of 11 Squadron on 15 August 1918. A week later, on 22 August, he scored his first aerial victory, destroying a

over Bapaume. A week after that, on 29 August, he drove another Fokker down out of control over

Bourlon Wood The Bourlon Wood Memorial, near Bourlon, France, is a Canadian war memorial that commemorates the actions of the Canadian Corps during the final months of the First World War; a period also known as Canada's Hundred Days, part of the Hundred D ...

. The next day, Barnes survived anti-aircraft fire that severely damaged Bristol Fighter serial number D7981. He then ran off a string of four consecutive destructions of Fokker D.VIIs during September, setting one aflame in flight on the 4th, destroying two more on the 16th, and ruining another on the 17th. On the morning of 1 October 1918, he torched another German fighter, and drove one down out of control south of Le Cateau, all in five minutes. His final victory, two days later, was another out of control, northeast of

Cambrai Cambrai (, ; pcd, Kimbré; nl, Kamerijk), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department and in the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, regio ...

. His final tally was six Fokker D.VII fighters destroyed, three driven down out of control.Franks ''et.al.'' (1997), pp. 3–4. Barnes was promoted to lieutenant on 10 December 1918, but was retired from the RAF for ill health with a gratuity on 27 or 28 January 1920.

Post-war career

He subsequently joined the

Auxiliary Division The Auxiliary Division of the Royal Irish Constabulary (ADRIC), generally known as the Auxiliaries or Auxies, was a paramilitary unit of the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) during the Irish War of Independence. It was founded in July 1920 by Major ...

of the Royal Irish Constabulary, and was one of 16 officers killed by the

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various paramilitary organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dedicated to irredentism through Irish republicanism, the belief tha ...

in the

Kilmichael Ambush The Kilmichael Ambush ( ga, Luíochán Chill Mhichíl) was an ambush near the village of Kilmichael in County Cork on 28 November 1920 carried out by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) during the Irish War of Independence. Thirty-six local IRA v ...

in Ireland on 28 November 1920, during the

Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence () or Anglo-Irish War was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and British forces: the British Army, along with the quasi-mil ...

Honours and awards

;Distinguished Flying Cross 2nd Lt. William Thomas Barnes.

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * {{DEFAULTSORT:Barnes, William 1892 births 1920 deaths British World War I flying aces British Army personnel of World War I Royal Fusiliers officers Royal Fusiliers soldiers Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Irish Constabulary officers British military personnel killed in the Irish War of Independence People from Sutton, London Royal Air Force personnel of World War I Military personnel from London