Charles Bartlett (aviator)
|
Charles Philip Oldfield Bartlett DSC |
|
|---|---|
| Born |
3 January 1889 Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset, England |
| Died | 1987 (aged 97) Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | Royal Naval Air Service Royal Air Force |
| Rank | Squadron Leader |
| Unit | No. 5 Naval Squadron RNAS |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Cross with Bar |
Major Charles Philip Oldfield Bartlett DSC* (3 January 1889 – 1987) was an English First World War flying ace credited with eight aerial victories in the course of flying bombing sorties against the Germans.
He remained in service after the war, even though he struggled with health issues that threatened his forced resignation. He would serve until 1932, rising to the rank of Squadron Leader.
Charles Philip Oldfield Bartlett was born on 3 January 1889 in Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset, England. His father was Rector of Willersley.
After his World War I experiences, the elder Bartlett recorded his wartime experiences in the books Bomber Pilot, 1916-1918 and In the Teeth of the Wind: The Story of a Naval Pilot on the Western Front, 1916-1918.
In his later years, after World War II, C. P. O. Bartlett lived at Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. He died there in March 1986.
Bartlett began military service in the Royal Naval Air Service during World War I. He first came to notice on 3 April 1916 when he was confirmed as a probationary Flight Sub-Lieutenant for temporary service. He was certified as a pilot on 21 June 1916, being granted Royal Aero Club Certificate 3118.
He went into combat in France as an Airco DH.4 bomber pilot in No. 5 Naval Squadron. He scored his first aerial victory on 2 July 1917. However, this was incidental to his main mission, as the citation for his Distinguished Service Cross makes clear. When it was gazetted on 14 September 1917, it read:
For exceptionally good work on the occasion of a bombing raid on Houttave Aerodrome on the 25th July, 1917.
Bartlett would not score again until 30 January 1918. However, on 1 March 1918, he was promoted from temporary Flight Lieutenant to temporary Flight Commander. In the latter part of March, Bartlett and his observer/gunner Walter Naylor would reel off a string of six more victories in the course of carrying out their bombing missions against the Germans. The string of triumphs was notable enough for specific mention in the second award of the DSC, represented by the award of a Bar. An account of the actions, as gazetted on 17 May 1918, credited him with causing the midair collision of two of his opponents:
...
Wikipedia