Charles Dawson Booker
| Charles Dawson Booker | |
|---|---|
| Born |
21 April 1897 Burnt House Cottage, Speldhurst, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England |
| Died | 13 August 1918 (aged 21) West of Rosieres, France |
| Buried | Vignacourt British Cemetery, Somme, France |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |
Royal Naval Air Service Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1915–1918 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit |
No. 1 Squadron RNAS No. 8 Squadron RAF |
| Commands held | No. 201 Squadron RAF |
| Awards |
Distinguished Service Cross French Croix de guerre |
Major Charles Dawson Booker DSC (sometimes hyphenated into Dawson-Booker) (21 April 1897 – 13 August 1918) was a World War I fighter ace credited with 29 victories. He was promoted to high rank while relatively young as a result of his gallantry and unswerving dedication to his country.
Charles Dawson Booker was born to Joseph Dawson and Rachel C. Booker at Burnt House Cottage, Speldhurst, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. He spent part of his youth in Australia, attending the Grammar School in Melbourne from February 1908 through December 1911. He then returned to England and attended Bedford School until May 1915. On 8 September 1915, he was accepted into the Royal Naval Air Service as a Flight Sub-Lieutenant.
He served on the Belgian Coast, first with 5 Naval Wing, then with 8 Naval Squadron from May through October 1916, and further inland for another year, through November 1917. He did not open his victory roll until 23 January 1917, after his transfer to 8 Naval, when he drove an Albatros D.III down out of control while piloting a Sopwith Pup.
After a lapse of some months, he used a Sopwith Triplane to score four times in April, becoming an ace on the 30th. Even at this early stage, he was flight commander of C Flight despite his youth. He was described by one of his wingmen as "...a little fellow, usually very silent, who fears nothing, but he would run a mile from any girl....he hopes the war will go on forever because he loves air fighting, and if the war were to end he is afraid he might not be able to find a suitable job."
May was an especially notable month for Booker, with nine victories, including a triple on the 24th.
On 22 June, after his 17th win, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross; the citation noted his three wins tallied on 24 May.
After three victories in July, he shot down and badly wounded German ace Hauptmann Adolf Ritter von Tutschek, commander of Jasta 12, on 11 August 1917; Tutschek would take half a year to recover. In this same fight, Booker was so badly shot about that German ace Viktor Schobinger claimed Booker as a victory. Booker actually managed to coax his destroyed 'Tripehound' to a forced landing in friendly territory. He had used Sopwith Triplanes (his usual aircraft being serial number N5482, which he whimsically dubbed 'Maude') to run his string of triumphs to 23 by this time. The crash landing on the 11th was the end of 'Maude'. It had been his mount for at least 14 triumphs.
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