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Reginald T C Hoidge

No Photo Available

Victories : 27
-----------------------------
Country : UK
Fought in : WW1
Fought for : Allied (Entente) Powers
Died : 1st March 1963


Latest Allied (Entente) Powers Aviation Artwork !
On the 11th of August 1918, the Armstrong Whitworth FK8 C8602 of Ferdinand 'Freddie' West and his observer / gunner John Haslam was one of hundreds of aircraft tasked with locating German reserves on the ground to assist the Army. A gap in the clouds revealed a concentration of German troops - they dived low to assess their number but coming under intense fire returned to the clouds. Not satisfied that the enemy positions had been identified correctly, West dived again. Attacked by several aircraft and wounded, West pressed on with his low flight to gather further intelligence. Finding 'troops, guns and vehicles in all directions', they knew they had found the German reserves. Turning for home they encountered more German scouts. This time, the attack left their aircraft badly damaged and West was hit in the leg by five bullets, one of which severed an artery. With Haslam taking aim at the fighters while West tried to take evasive action, they managed to escape. Half fainting through blood loss, West fashioned a tourniquet from a leg of his shorts, and drifting into semi-consciousness, landed the aircraft behind Allied lines. He insisted that he should personally pass on the intelligence to his No.8 Sqn superiors, and lost consciousness after doing so. Sir John Salmond, in charge of the Air Force in France, put him forward for the Victoria Cross which was awarded for 'unparalleled pluck and endurance. The valour displayed by this officer has throughout been a magnificent example to his flight, which he has inspired with his devotion, courage and power of endurance.' Despite losing his leg, with an artificial limb he returned to flying duties after the war and remained in the Royal Air Force until the end of World War Two. He died in 1988.

Tribute to Freddie West VC by Ivan Berryman.		 Pilot Joseph Frantz and his observer Louis Quénault have the unique distinction of recording the first ever aerial victory by an aircraft using weaponry. On 5th October 1914, Quénault used magazines of ammunition of the machine gun mounted on their Voisin III craft, with its incredibly primitive appearance, and continued with rifle fire once it had failed. Their prey, an Aviatik returned fire, but was observed to crash into trees following the combat - the first recorded aircraft to be shot down by another.

The First Victory by Ivan Berryman.		 Known as Freddie, West was the first pilot of the newly formed Royal Air Force to be awarded the Victoria Cross. He is shown here during a bombing mission to Merricourt on 19th June 1918. Jumped by enemy fighters, he was forced to evade his assailants by weaving through German barrage balloons. Successfully shaking off the Fokkers in Armstrong-Whitworth FK.8 C8594, he continued to his intended target. Less than two months later, and in a similar aircraft, he undertook the mission which earned him his VC, but cost him an amputated leg. He remained in the RAF until the end of World War Two and lived until 1988, aged 92.

Tribute to Ferdinand West VC by Ivan Berryman.		 The airship was formidable as an anti-submarine weapon in the latter stages of World War One. The British formed patrols guarding the coasts of the British Isles and significantly reduced the toll on shipping that the German U-boats were taking. Here, the C or Coastal Class airship C-9, commanded by Flight Commander (later Major) James G Struthers has discovered and successfully bombed another victim - one of seven in total he claimed during he war. C-9 was the most successful airship of her class, flying over 2,500 hours and covering 68,201 miles in her four year career. Her commander, James G Struthers, was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and two Bars.

Tribute to James G Struthers RNAS by Ivan Berryman.

Reginald T C Hoidge

Squadrons for : Reginald T C Hoidge
A list of all squadrons known to have been served with by Reginald T C Hoidge. A profile page is available by clicking the squadron name.
SquadronInfo

No.56 Sqn RAF


Country : UK
Founded : 9th June 1916
Punjab

Quid si coelum ruat - What if heaven falls

Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of No.56 Sqn RAF

No.56 Sqn RAF

56 Squadron was formed on 8th June 1916 and in April 1917 was posted to France as part of the Royal Flying Corps. 56 squadron was equipped with the new SE5 fighter. One of the major aerial combats of the squadron was the shooting down of Lt Werner Voss. By the end of the first world war 56 Squadron had scored 402 victories, and many famous fighter aces flew with 56 Squadron including James McCudden, Reginald Hoidge, Gerald Maxwell, Arthur Rhys-Davies, Geoffrey Hilton Bowman, Richard Mayberry, Leonard Monteagle Barlow, Cyril Crowe, Maurice Mealing, Albert Ball, Harold Walkerdine, William Roy Irwin, Eric Broadberry, Kenneth William Junor, Cecil Leiws, Keith Muspratt, Duncan Grinnell-Milne, William Spurret Fielding-Johnson, William Otway Boger, Charles Jeffs, and Harold Molyneux. The squadron lost 40 pilots during the first world war with another twenty wounded and thirty one taken prisoner. When world war two broke out on the 6th of September 1939, 56 Squadron was based at North Weald. 56 Squadron flew Hurricanes during the Battle of France and during the Battle of Britain. 56 Squadron claimed just over 100 enenmy aircraft shot down during 1940. In 1941 as part of the Duxford Wing it was the first squadron to be equipped with the new Hawker Typhoon and during 1942 and 1943 was based ay RAF Matlaske as part of No.12 Group. No 56 Squadron was the frist squadron to confirm a victory while flying the Hawker Typhoon. In 1944 56 Squadron moved to RAF Newchurch and was re equipped with the new Hawker Tempest V, becoming part of the No.150 Wing under the command of the Ace Wing Commander Roland Beamont. 56 Squadron's new role was to defend Britian against the V1 flying bombs, and the squadron shot down around 75 V1s. The squadron moved to Europe on the 28th of September 1944 to Grimbergen in Belgium as part fo 122 Wing of the Second Tactical Air Force. During this period to the end of the war 56 Squadron became joint top scorers with a total of 149 aircraft cliamed. Over its history the squadron flew, SE5's Sopwith Snipes, Gloster Grebes, Armstrong Whitworth Siskins, Bristol Bulldogs, Gloster Gauntlets, Gloster Gladiators, Harker Hurricanes, Hawker Typhoon, and Hawker Tempests. Battle of Honours of the Squadron are : Western front 1917 - 1918 , Arras, Ypres 1917, Cambrai 1917, Soome 1918, Amiens, Hindenburg Line. During World war two : France and the Low Countries 1940, Battle of Britian, Fortress Europe 1942 - 1944, Dieppe, France, Germany 1944 - 1945, Home Defence 1942 - 1945 and Arnhem.

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