Jean Pierre Marie Joseph de Gaillard de la Valden (2 September 1895 - 26 August 1977) was a French World War I
flying ace
A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...
credited with five aerial victories.
[The Aerodrome websit]
Retrieved 4 August 2020. He is to be distinguished from comte Léopold de Gaillard de la Valdène (d.1894).
Biography
Early life and service
Count Jean de Gaillard de la Valdène (sometimes Valden) was born in
Tusserve, France on 2 September 1895. He volunteered for military service when World War I erupted. In 1915, he was transferred from the
Dragoons
Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat wi ...
to aviation. On 12 July 1915, he qualified for his Military Pilot's Brevet. In 1916 as a corporal he was noted for having shot down an
Aviatik
Automobil und Aviatik AG was a German aircraft manufacturer during World War I. The company was established at Mülhausen (today in France) in 1909 and soon became one of the country's leading producers of aircraft. It relocated to Freiburg in 1 ...
near
Lure. He was awarded the ''
Médaille Militaire
The ''Médaille militaire'' (, "Military Medal") is a military decoration of the French Republic for other ranks for meritorious service and acts of bravery in action against an enemy force. It is the third highest award of the French Republic, ...
'' for this feat. Still flying a two-seat reconnaissance aircraft, he shot down two more German planes in 1916.
[''Over the Front: The Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918'', p. 141]
In early 1918, he was transferred to ''Escadrille 95'', a fighter squadron. He would score two more confirmed victories with this unit, as well as four unconfirmed claims. He ended the war as a '' Maréchal-des-logis''.[
]
Later life
In the early days of World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
as a lieutenant, he was sent by Admiral Émile Muselier
Émile Henry Muselier (; 17 April 1882 – 2 September 1965) was a French admiral who led the Free French Naval Forces ('' Forces navales françaises libres'', or FNFL) during World War II. He was responsible for the idea of distinguishing his ...
to Algeria
Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...
and Morocco
Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
to recruit aviators willing to continue the war with the Free French Forces
__NOTOC__
The French Liberation Army ( ; AFL) was the reunified French Army that arose from the merging of the Armée d'Afrique with the prior Free French Forces (; FFL) during World War II. The military force of Free France, it participated ...
.
De Gaillard de la Valdène died in Lausanne
Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...
, Switzerland on 26 August 1977.[
]
Personal life
He was married to Lilí Álvarez
Elia Maria González-Álvarez y López-Chicheri, also known as Lilí de Álvarez (; 9 May 1905 – 8 July 1998), was a Spanish multi-sport competitor, an international tennis champion, an author, feminist and a journalist.
Life
She was born at ...
, the Spanish tennis player and feminist, in 1934. She held feminist salons at their house in Bollène
Bollène (; Provençal: ''Bouleno'') is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.
Geography
Bollène is a commune located in the north of the Vaucluse department next to the j ...
.[Une Vie de Création p 128 Charlotte Perriand - 1998 "Il vint nous voir à Paris avec un projet confié par Gaillard de La Valdène : la fourniture de baraquements militaires. Il nous proposa de nous associer à ce travail : une excellente occasion de faire progresser l'idée de préfabrication."] In 1939, the couple lost their only child and soon after separated.
Later he remarried, to Diana Guest of the Guest family, a noted race-horse owner. They had two children, a son and a daughter.
Honors, awards and citations
*Médaille militaire
The ''Médaille militaire'' (, "Military Medal") is a military decoration of the French Republic for other ranks for meritorious service and acts of bravery in action against an enemy force. It is the third highest award of the French Republic, ...
"Caporal of Escadrille MF123; a pilot of great initiative and very adroit. Always prepared to undertake the most perilous missions. On 14 March 1916, he did not hesitate to engage in combat with three enemy planes, and, although flying a plane inferior in speed, he protected himself from his adversaries by dint of his skill, superior morale and initiative. The battle was terminated by the vertical fall of one enemy plane."
(Médaille militaire citation, 24 May 1916)
Endnotes
References
* Franks, Norman; Bailey, Frank (1993). ''Over the Front: The Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918'' London, UK: Grub Street Publishing. .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valdene, Jean de Gaillard de la
1895 births
1977 deaths
French World War I flying aces
Counts of France