Arthur Whealy
| Arthur Whealy | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Nickname(s) | Art |
| Born | 2 November 1895 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Died |
23 December 1945 (aged 50) St. Marguerite, Quebec, Canada |
| Allegiance | George V |
| Service/branch |
Royal Naval Air Service Royal Air Force |
| Unit |
No. 3 Squadron RAF No. 9 Squadron RAF No. 203 Squadron RAF |
| Awards |
Distinguished Service Cross & Bar Distinguished Flying Cross |
Arthur Treloar Whealy DSC & Bar DFC (2 November 1895 – 23 December 1945) was a Canadian First World War flying ace, officially credited with 27 victories.
Whealy was a medical student at the University of Toronto before World War I. He learned to fly at his own expense at the Curtiss Flying School, the first flying school in the United States, founded by Glenn Curtiss.
Whealy was commissioned on 29 February 1916. On 24 August 1916 that he was posted to 3 Wing. He served with both 3 Naval Squadron and 9 Naval Squadron within that wing.
He did not achieve his first victory until 12 April 1917. He flew his Sopwith Pup to three victories as a pilot of 3 Squadron. Then, on 9 May, he scored for the first time with 9 Squadron; he was still flying a Pup. He became an ace on 7 July.
9 Naval re-equipped with Sopwith Triplanes. Whealy first scored with his new aircraft on 29 July 1917, knocking one Albatros D.V down out of control and destroying another one in flames within the hour. He then switched to the Sopwith Camel back in 3 Naval. He scored once more in 1917, on 5 September, sending another D.V down without certifying its destruction.
After a five month lapse, Whealy achieved his ninth credited victory on 17 February 1918. He followed that up with five claims in March, including the capture of an Albatross D.V. He added three further victories in April, six in May, and a single tally in June, on the 7th, running his total to 24. After a six-week lull, he scored his final three victories within two weeks, on 22 and 27 August, and on 4 September.
On 24 September, he was posted to Home Establishment.
His final record comprised 9 enemy airplanes destroyed by himself, three destroyed in conjunction with other pilots, ten down out of control by himself, two shared out of control victories, and one enemy plane captured.
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