John Inglis Gilmour
| John Inglis Gilmour | |
|---|---|
| Born |
28 June 1896 Scotland |
| Died | 24 February 1928 (aged 31) London, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |
British Army Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1914–1919 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit |
No. 27 Squadron RFC No. 65 Squadron RAF |
| Commands held | No. 28 Squadron RAF |
| Battles/wars | First World War |
| Awards |
Distinguished Service Order Military Cross & Two Bars Mentioned in Despatches |
Major John Inglis Gilmour DSO, MC & Two Bars (28 June 1896 – 24 February 1928) was a World War I flying ace. He was the highest scoring Scotsman in the Royal Flying Corps, with 39 victories.
Gilmour was born in Helensburgh, Dumbartonshire, Scotland, the son of John James Gilmour, a tobacco merchant, and Isabella Inglis. He was educated at the Loretto School in Musselburgh, Edinburgh, and represented the school in rugby and fives. He was also a member of Officers' Training Corps, with the rank of sergeant. In December 1914, aged 18, Gilmour left school and joined the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders regiment with the rank of second lieutenant.
Gilmour transferred the Royal Flying Corps in December 1915, and was awarded the Royal Aero Club Aviator's Certificate No. 2888 after soloing in a Maurice Farman biplane at the military flying school at Farnborough on 17 March 1916. He was assigned to No. 27 Squadron. They were the sole squadron equipped with the Martinsyde G.100, commonly called the Elephant. This aircraft was nicknamed for being large and ungainly. A single seater, it was too big, slow, and manoeuvrable to be a successful fighter, and without a rear gunner, too defenceless to survive well in a ground attack or bombing role. It was equipped with a Lewis machine gun mounted on the upper wing firing over the propeller, and a second one on the fuselage pointed toward the rear.
Nevertheless, before the Elephants were withdrawn from service, Gilmour scored three victories flying one, though his primary duty was bombing. On 15 September 1916, in conjunction with several other pilots, he destroyed an Albatros D.I. On the 24th, he destroyed a Fokker Eindekker; on the 26th, he drove another down out of control.
...
Wikipedia