Ronald Bannerman
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Ronald Burns Bannerman CBE DFC* |
|
|---|---|
| Born |
September 21, 1890 Invercargill, New Zealand |
| Died | August 2, 1978 (aged 87) Gore, Southland, New Zealand |
| Allegiance | New Zealand |
| Service/branch | Aviation |
| Years of service | 1917 - 1945 |
| Rank | Captain (later Air Commodore) |
| Unit | No. 79 Squadron RAF |
| Awards | Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Distinguished Flying Cross and Bar |
| Other work |
Air Member for Personnel in the RNZAF November 1942 - October 1945 Aide de Camp to the Governor-General 1943-1945 |
Air Member for Personnel in the RNZAF November 1942 - October 1945
Air Commodore Ronald Burns Bannerman CBE DFC * was a flying ace during World War I, as well as serving as a high level administrator for his native New Zealand's air force during World War II.
Ronald Burns Bannerman was born 21 September 1890, the son of William D. D. Bannerman and Agnes Gibson McEwen. The younger Bannerman's education took him from Otago Boys High School onward to study law at Otago University. He was one of a dozen members of the class enrolled at the New Zealand Flying School in March 1916. He passed his flight tests in December. After a voyage to England, he joined the Royal Flying Corps on 29 March 1917 and undertook further training, amassing 53 hours solo flight time.
He flew a Sopwith Dolphin for 79 Squadron, scoring his initial victory on 4 August 1918 by destroying a Fokker D.VII. During the next three months, he ran his total to 17, with his last triumph coming on 4 November 1918, a week before war's end. His first 15 wins were achieved flying Sopwith Dolphin #C3879; his last two were scored from Dolphin #E4716. His final tally included 16 enemy airplanes destroyed and 22 driven down out of control. He was also a balloon buster, having downed a Drachen on 24 August for his fourth victory. What makes Bannerman's string of victories more remarkable was that 79 Squadron was tasked for ground attack work; none of his victories were scored above 5,000 feet altitude. Indeed, there were only four other aces in the unit: Francis W. Gillet, Frederic Ives Lord, John McNeaney, and Edgar Taylor.
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