William Roy Irwin
| William Roy Irwin | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | "Sambo" |
| Born | 7 June 1898 Ripley, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | 14 January 1969 Ottawa, Canada |
| Allegiance | Canada |
| Service/branch | Aviation |
| Rank | Wing Commander |
| Unit | No. 56 Squadron RAF |
| Awards | Order of the British Empire, Distinguished Flying Cross with Bar |
Wing Commander William Roy Irwin was a Canadian-born World War I flying ace credited with 11 aerial victories. In the process of becoming an ace, he rose as far as the rank of captain. During World War II, he returned to service, reached the rank of Wing Commander, and won an OBE.
William Roy Irwin was born on 7 June 1898 in Ripley, Canada, to Marion Irwin. He was still living in Ripley when he enlisted on 16 June 1916. He traded the life of a student for the military. The physical description on his enlistment papers describes him as 5 feet 7 1/2 inches tall, with brown eyes, dark hair, and a "fresh" complexion.
William Roy Irwin joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force with the aim of serving in the Royal Naval Air Service. Upon his arrival in Britain, he was switched to the Royal Flying Corps. On 22 November 1917, probationary second lieutenant W. R. Irwin was appointed a Flying Officer. This date also marked his later postdated promotion to lieutenant.
Once assigned to 56 Squadron at the combat front in France, Irwin flew his first patrol on 1 March 1918, as a Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a pilot. He joined the war even as the Germans launched their last great offensive of the war. Two months later, on 3 May 1918, he joined Trevor Durrant and Edward Dawson Atkinson in destroying one German Rumpler two-seater reconnaissance plane and driving another down out of control. Then, on an evening patrol on 28 June, he destroyed an Albatros D.III fighter for his third win.
Irwin would not score again until 8 August 1918, when he destroyed a Fokker D.VII northeast of Chaulnes. He would proceed to score five more victories over Fokker D.VIIs that month. He destroyed two of them on the morning of 10 August and drove down another out of control in the evening; two days later, he destroyed another pair. On 28 August, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his feats. That his award was for his air-to-air prowess is apparent in the citation accompanying the DFC:
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