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Francis Turner (RAF officer)

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British WWI flying ace
Francis McDougall Charlewood Turner
Born(1897-03-17)17 March 1897
Hastings, Sussex, England
Died18 June 1982(1982-06-18) (aged 85)
Chichester, West Sussex, England
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service / branchBritish Army
Royal Air Force
Years of service1916–1920
1940–1944
RankSquadron Leader
UnitNo. 55 Squadron RFC
No. 57 Squadron RAF
AwardsMilitary Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross
Other workFellow and President of Magdalene College, Cambridge

Squadron Leader Francis McDougall Charlewood Turner, MC, DFC (17 March 1897 – 18 June 1982) was a British First World War flying ace credited with seven aerial victories. He returned to military service during the Second World War, and in between had a distinguished academic career as a Fellow and President of Magdalene College, Cambridge.

Early life and family background

Turner was born in Hastings, Sussex, one of nine children born to Charles Henry Turner, who at that time was rector of the parish of St George-in-the-East and an Honorary Chaplain to the Queen, who served as Suffragan Bishop of Islington from 1898 until 1923, and Edith Emma, the daughter of the Right Reverend Francis McDougall, Bishop of Labuan and Sarawak.

World War I

Turner was commissioned as a second lieutenant (on probation) on 3 January 1916 to serve in the Royal Flying Corps, and after completing his flight training, he was appointed a flying officer and confirmed in his rank on 17 June. He was promoted to lieutenant on 1 March 1917, and on 7 May was appointed a flight commander with the temporary rank of captain.

Turner gained his first aerial victories on 13 August 1917, while serving in No. 55 Squadron, flying an Airco DH.4 two-seater day bomber. With Second Lieutenant R. Brett as his observer, he drove down out of control two Albatros D.V fighters over Roulers.

On 26 September 1917 he was awarded the Military Cross, the citation for which was eventually published on 8 January 1918. It read:

Lieutenant (Temporary Captain) Francis McDougall Charlewood Turner, Royal Flying Corps, Special Reserve.
"For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty as leader of long distance bombing raids and on photographic reconnaissances. He has taken part in many successful operations, in twenty-four of which he has acted as leader, and by his skill and determination has invariably done good work in spite of very adverse weather conditions, and though more than once attacked by enemy formations in greatly superior numbers to his own. He was the first officer to carry out a single machine long distance reconnaissance successfully, and has been more than once congratulated for the excellence of his photographic work."

On 1 April 1918, the Army's Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service were merged to form the Royal Air Force. Turner, now serving in No. 57 Squadron marked the occasion by shooting down three Fokker Dr.I fighters over Irles, with Second Lieutenant A. Leach as his observer, taking his total to five and making him an ace. On 28 July he shared with the crews of two other aircraft in the driving down of a Fokker D.VII fighter over Vaulx-Vraucourt, with Sergeant S. G. Sowden as his observer, and on 8 August he and observer Second Lieutenant H. S. Musgrove destroyed another D.VII over Moislains Airfield, to bring his total to seven.

Turner was subsequently awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, which was gazetted on 1 November 1918. His citation read:

Captain Francis McDougal Charlewood Turner, MC.
"While leading a formation of ten machines on a bombing raid this officer was attacked by twenty Fokker biplanes. In face of this strong attack he led his formation down to 1,000 feet, and two sheds were set on fire and billets were riddled with machine-gun fire; three enemy machines were also accounted for, Captain Turner himself crashing one. The success of this raid was mainly due to the brilliant and daring leadership of this officer."

Turner eventually relinquished his RAF commission on 12 March 1920, due to ill-health contracted on active service, and was permitted to retain his rank.

List of aerial victories

Combat record
No. Date/Time Aircraft/
Serial No. 		Opponent Result Location Notes
No. 55 Squadron RFC
1 13 August 1917
@ 0815–0820		 DH.4
(B3962)		 Albatros D.V Out of control Roulers Observer: Second Lieutenant R. Brett.
2 Albatros D.V Out of control South-east of Roulers
No. 57 Squadron RAF
3 1 April 1918
@ 1145		 DH.4
(A7901)		 Fokker Dr.I Destroyed in flames Irles Observer: Second Lieutenant A. Leach.
4 Fokker Dr.I Destroyed
5 Fokker Dr.I Out of control
6 28 July 1918
@ 1720		 DH.4 Fokker D.VII Out of control Vaulx-Vraucourt Observer: Sergeant S. G. Sowden.
Shared with Lieutenant W. J. Pitt & Second Lieutenant T. C. Danby and Lieutenant E. M. Coles & Sergeant McDonald.
7 8 August 1918
@ 0815		 DH.4
(D8419)		 Fokker D.VII Destroyed Moislains Airfield Observer: Second Lieutenant H. S. Musgrove.

Inter-war career

After the war Turner turned to an academic career, graduating from Magdalene College, Cambridge, and winning the La Bas Prize in 1924 for his essay The Element of Irony in English Literature, which was published in 1926, and then becoming a fellow of the college.

World War II

Turner returned to military service during the Second World War, being commissioned as a pilot officer "for the duration of hostilities" in the Administrative and Special Duties Branch of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve on 31 October 1940. He was promoted to the war substantive rank of flying officer on 27 May 1941, and was appointed a temporary squadron leader on 1 July 1944. He resigned his commission on 4 November 1944, retaining the rank of squadron leader.

Post-war career

Turner returned to Magdalene, eventually becoming Pepys Librarian and president of the college. His contemporaries included Dennis Babbage and C. S. Lewis, and he became a close friend of T. S. Eliot.

Turner died in Chichester, West Sussex, on 18 June 1982.

References

  1. ^ "Francis McDougall Charlewood Turner". The Aerodrome. 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  2. "Turner, Charles Henry". ACAD – A Cambridge Alumni Database. 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  3. ^ Sims, Liam (5 December 2013). "Recent acquisitions from the Mendham sale". Cambridge University Library Special Collections. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  4. "No. 29434". The London Gazette. 11 January 1916. p. 458.
  5. "No. 29660". The London Gazette. 11 July 1916. pp. 6855–6857.
  6. "No. 30002". The London Gazette. 27 March 1917. p. 3005.
  7. "No. 30124". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 June 1917. p. 5722.
  8. "No. 30308". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 September 1917. p. 9980.
  9. "No. 30466". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 January 1918. p. 648.
  10. "No. 30989". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 November 1918. pp. 12974–12975.
  11. "No. 31830". The London Gazette. 19 March 1920. p. 3436.
  12. Turner, F. McD. C. (1926). The Element of Irony in English Literature. OL 6692360M. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  13. ^ Martin, Ged (April 2014). "Magdalene College Cambridge and the First World War". gedmartin.net. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  14. "No. 34996". The London Gazette (Supplement). 19 November 1940. pp. 6639–6640.
  15. "No. 35279". The London Gazette. 19 September 1941. pp. 5441–5442.
  16. "No. 36618". The London Gazette (Supplement). 18 July 1944. p. 3402.
  17. "No. 36802". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 November 1944. p. 5333.
  18. Hudson, John (2012). "Magdalene Memories" (PDF). Magdalene College Magazine (56): 72–73. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  19. Hughes, M. E. J. (2015). "Bequest from Eliot's Library to Magdalene College, Cambridge" (PDF). Time Present: The Newsletter of the T. S. Eliot Society (85): 8–9. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
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