Walter Tyrrell
| Walter Alexander Tyrrell | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Bing |
| Born |
23 August 1898 Belfast, Ireland |
| Died | 9 June 1918 (aged 19) Oise, France |
| Buried | Beauvais Communal Cemetery, Beauvais, France (49°26′25″N 2°05′12″E / 49.44028°N 2.08667°ECoordinates: 49°26′25″N 2°05′12″E / 49.44028°N 2.08667°E) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | Royal Navy British Army Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1914–1915 1917–1918 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit |
Royal Naval Armoured Car Division No. 32 Squadron RFC/RAF |
| Battles/wars | World War I • Western Front |
| Awards | Military Cross |
Captain Walter Alexander Tyrrell MC (23 August 1898 – 9 June 1918) was a British First World War flying ace credited with seventeen aerial victories.
Tyrrell was born in Belfast, one of three sons of John Tyrrell, a merchant, alderman and justice of the peace, who was the High Sheriff of Belfast in 1914, and his wife Jeanie (née Todd). The family resided at Fairview Buildings, Crumlin Road. He was educated at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution and the Belfast Municipal Technical Institute.
Tyrrell joined the Royal Navy, serving in the Royal Naval Air Service's Armoured Car Division as a petty officer from 26 December 1914 until 24 November 1915, under Commander Oliver Locker-Lampson. He spent eight months in Belgium and France, but was discharged after an accident, when an armoured car crushed his foot. He returned to Belfast where he was a member of the Queen's University Belfast Officers' Training Corps and worked as an apprentice motor engineer.
Tyrrell joined the Royal Flying Corps as an officer cadet at Farnborough on 4 April 1917, and was commissioned as a temporary second lieutenant (on probation) on 21 June. On 30 August 1917 he was appointed a flying officer and confirmed in his rank.
He was posted to No. 32 Squadron RFC to fly the Airco DH.5 single-seat fighter, and scored five victories (four shared) between 30 October and 5 December 1917. In early 1918 Tyrrell's squadron was re-equipped with the S.E.5a fighter. On 21 March the Germans launched their Spring Offensive on the Somme Front, and on 7 April Tyrrell claimed three enemy fighters shot down over Lamotte. On 10 April No. 32 Squadron RAF was assigned to operations further north over the Lys Front, where Tyrrell gained two more victories, on 11 and 12 April.
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