Captain William Alan Wright (27 November 1895 – 26 April 1990) was a British World War I flying ace credited with eight aerial victories and later a senior member of the Indian Civil Service.

Early life and background

Wright was born in

Frisby on the Wreake Frisby on the Wreake is a village and civil parish on the River Wreake about west of Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, England. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 557. The toponym "Frisby" was applied by Danish invaders in th ...

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...

, the son of the Reverend Thomas Wright, who was the vicar there, and his wife Annie. He was educated at Oundle School.

World War I

Wright was commissioned as a temporary second lieutenant in the infantry on 4 January 1915 and served in the Leicestershire Regiment, until training as a pilot and being appointed a flying officer in the

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

on 16 March 1917. He was posted to

No. 45 Squadron RFC Number 45 Squadron is a flying squadron of the Royal Air Force. The squadron, which was established on 1 March 1916 as part of the Royal Flying Corps, currently provides flying training using Embraer Phenom T1s and operates under the command ...

to fly the

Sopwith 1½ Strutter The Sopwith Strutter was a British single- or two-seat multi-role biplane aircraft of the First World War.Lake 2002, p. 40. It was the first British two-seat tractor fighter and the first British aircraft to enter service with a synchronised ...

two-seater, and was shot down by Max Ritter von Müller on 30 April 1917, but survived. Wright gained his first aerial victory on 9 May, sharing with another aircraft of his squadron in the destruction of an Albatros D.III fighter. On 24 May he destroyed two more D.IIIs, and sent a fourth down on flames on 28 May. He was promoted to lieutenant on 1 July 1917. His squadron was then re-equipped with the Sopwith Camel single-seat fighter, and on 1 September 1917 Wright was appointed a flight commander with the temporary rank of captain. He gained his fifth victory, making him an 'ace', on 5 September by driving down a DFW reconnaissance aircraft. He then accounted for two more reconnaissance aircraft on 11 and 20 September. Finally, on 1 October, he shared with a crew from No. 53 Squadron RFC in the capture of 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 ...

. Wright was made a ''Chevalier'' of the ''

Ordre de la Couronne The Order of the Crown (french: Ordre de la Couronne, nl, Kroonorde) is a national order of the Kingdom of Belgium. The Order is one of Belgium's highest honors. History The Order was established on October 15, 1897 by King Leopold II in his ...

'' by the

King of the Belgians Belgium is a constitutional, hereditary, and popular monarchy. The monarch is titled king or queen of the Belgians ( nl, Koning(in) der Belgen, french: Roi / Reine des Belges}, german: König(in) der Belgier) and serves as the country's h ...

, receiving unrestricted permission to wear the decoration by

The King In the British English-speaking world, The King refers to: * Charles III (born 1948), King of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms since 2022 As a nickname * Michael Jackson (1958–2009), American singer and pop icon, nicknamed "T ...

on 21 September 1917, and receiving similar permission to wear the ''

Croix de guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

'', also awarded by Belgium, on 11 March 1918. In the

1919 New Year Honours The 1919 New Year Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were published in ''The London Gazette'' and ''The Times'' in Jan ...

Wright was awarded the Air Force Cross. He was transferred to the RAF unemployed list on 27 February 1919.

List of aerial victories

Post-war career

After the war, on 5 September 1921, he entered the Indian Civil Service. In the

1945 Birthday Honours The King's Birthday Honours 1945, celebrating the official birthday of King George VI, were announced on 14 June 1945 for the United Kingdom and British Empire.United Kingdom and British Empire: The recipients of honours are displayed here as th ...

Wright, then Officiating Joint Secretary in the War Department of the Government of India, was made a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire. On 1 July 1945 he was granted an emergency commission in the Army in Burma Reserve of Officers (ABRO) with the rank of second lieutenant. He eventually relinquished his commission on 20 January 1946, and was granted the honorary rank of lieutenant-colonel. William Alan Wright died in

Hawthorn, Victoria Hawthorn is an inner suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, east of Melbourne's central business district, located within the City of Boroondara local government area. Hawthorn recorded a population of 22,322 at the 2021 census. Glenferrie ...

, Australia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, William 1895 births 1990 deaths People from the Borough of Melton People educated at Oundle School Royal Flying Corps officers British World War I flying aces Royal Air Force personnel of World War I Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) Recipients of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium) Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire Indian Civil Service (British India) officers Military personnel from Leicestershire Royal Leicestershire Regiment officers British Army personnel of World War I Royal Air Force officers