27-559: Captain John Stevenson Stubbs DFC AFC was an English First World War flying ace credited with 11 official victories. He was a pioneering bomber pilot who was the war's leading ace for the British Airco DH.9 . He also carried off the rather unusual feat of destroying an enemy observation balloon with a bomber. John Stevenson Stubbs was born on 24 September 1894. He was named after his father, who
54-491: A Class A Flying Officer in the RAF Reserves. On 19 June 1924, he transferred from Class A of the reserves to Class C. Nothing more is known of John Stevenson Stubbs after that. Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) 1918-1919: horizontal alternate white and purple stripes The Distinguished Flying Cross ( DFC ) is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers, and since 1993 to other ranks, of
81-636: A German Fokker D.VII fighter aflame and sent another down out of control southwest of Ham, Surrey . On 4 July, Stubbs and his observer drove a Pfalz D.III fighter down out of control. On the 31st, with John Bernard Russell manning the observer's guns, Stubbs was credited with driving down two more enemy planes out of control. On 25 August, Stubbs and Russell repeated the feat of destroying one Fokker D.VII and driving another down out of combat. Five days later, Stubbs drove down one more Fokker D.VII. He would go on to destroy two more Fokker D.VIIs, on 6 September and 30 October 1918. Stubbs had succeeded in becoming
108-403: A pilot in training, an adjutant, a security officer or an administrative officer and is typically given charge of personnel and/or resources. By the time aviators have completed their training, they will have served their 2½ years and typically join their frontline squadrons as flight lieutenants. The rank insignia consists of one narrow blue band on slightly wider black band. This is worn on both
135-408: Is joining a ground branch other than engineer will serve 3½ years as a flying officer – the early promotion for MEng engineers is designed as a recruitment incentive. The starting salary for a flying officer is £39,671 per year. In many cases the rank of flying officer is the first rank an air force officer holds after successful completion of his professional training. A flying officer might serve as
162-627: Is usually equivalent to the rank of sub-lieutenant in the navy and of the rank of lieutenant in other services. The equivalent rank in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force was "section officer". The rank was used in the Royal Canadian Air Force until the 1968 unification of the Canadian Forces , when army-type rank titles were adopted. Canadian flying officers then became lieutenants . In official Canadian French usage,
189-602: The Distinguished Flying Medal , which had until then been awarded to other ranks , was discontinued. While remaining a reward for "flying in active operations against the enemy", the requirement was changed from "valour, courage or devotion to duty" to "exemplary gallantry". The DFC had also been awarded by Commonwealth countries but by the 1990s most, including Canada , Australia and New Zealand , had established their own honours systems and no longer recommended British honours. The DFC now serves as
216-675: The Korean War , and one cross to the US Marine Corps during the Iraq War . Flying Officer Flying officer ( Fg Offr or F/O ) is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force . The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence . Flying officer is immediately senior to pilot officer and immediately below flight lieutenant . It
243-587: The 3rd Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment to serve in World War I. On 26 January 1916, he was promoted to temporary lieutenant. On 4 January 1917, he was appointed a Flying Officer with orders to remain seconded from the Garrison Battalion, Liverpool Regiment . Stubbs served in France with No. 27 Squadron RFC (later No. 27 Squadron RAF ) from 24 February until 9 May 1917 when he was wounded. He
270-509: The DFC who received a further award, with a silver rosette worn on the ribbon when worn alone to denote the award of each bar. Recipients are entitled to use the post-nominal letters "DFC". The decoration, designed by Edward Carter Preston , is a cross flory , 2.125 inches (54.0 mm) wide. The horizontal and bottom bars are terminated with bumps, the upper bar with a rose. The decoration's face features aeroplane propellers, superimposed on
297-531: The RAF in World War I. For World War II, 4,018 DFCs with 213 first bars and six second bars were earned by members of the Royal Canadian Air Force , with a further 247 crosses and 34 first bars to Canadians serving with the RAF. From 1918 to 1972 the DFC was awarded to 2,391 Australians, along with 144 first Bars and five second Bars. Over 1,000 DFCs were awarded to New Zealanders during the World War II, with
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#1732775621461324-512: The RAF, aircrew and engineer officers are commissioned directly into the rank of flying officer, while ground branches are commissioned as pilot officers for an initial period of six months. Time served in the rank of flying officer varies depending on branch before automatic promotion to flight lieutenant ; aircrew and BEng qualified officers will serve for a period of 2½ years, MEng qualified engineers for 1½ years, and all other ground branches for 3½ years. A graduate entrant who has an MEng but
351-475: The RAF. However, with the creation of the RAF's own rank structure in August 1919, RAF lieutenants were re-titled flying officers, a rank which has been in continuous use ever since. The rank title does not imply that an officer in the rank of flying officer flies. Some flying officers are aircrew, but many are ground branch officers. Amongst the ground branches some flying officers have command of flights . In
378-796: The United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services , and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against the enemy". The award was established on 3 June 1918, shortly after the formation of the Royal Air Force (RAF), with the Royal Warrant published on 5 December 1919. It was originally awarded to RAF commissioned and warrant officers , including officers in Commonwealth and allied forces. In March 1941 eligibility
405-609: The most recent awards for service in Vietnam. In 1999 the DFC was replaced by the New Zealand Gallantry Decoration . A total of 1,022 honorary awards have been made to members of allied foreign forces. This comprises 46 crosses and one bar for World War I and 927, along with 34 first and three second bars, for World War II. Eight crosses and two bars were awarded to members of the US Air Force for
432-627: The newly formed Royal Air Force on 21 April 1918 (the RAF was formed on 1 April 1918). Stubbs was posted to No. 103 Squadron RAF in the RAF as an Airco DH.9 pilot on the same date that he was appointed Captain on 21 April 1918. He left Lake Down for active service in France on 9 May 1918. He scored his first aerial victory–a highly unusual one– on 20 May 1918; despite flying a bomber, he and his observer destroyed an enemy observation balloon over Seclin . On 6 June 1918, Stubbs and his observer, along with two other Royal Air Force air crews, set
459-548: The rank title was lieutenant d'aviation . The term "flying officer" was originally used in the Royal Flying Corps as a flying appointment for junior officers, not a rank. On 1 April 1918, the newly created RAF adopted its officer rank titles from the British Army , with Royal Naval Air Service sub-lieutenants (entitled flight sub-lieutenants) and Royal Flying Corps lieutenants becoming lieutenants in
486-861: The ranking ace on the lightly regarded Airco DH.9 bomber. On 2 November 1918, Stubbs was awarded the Air Force Cross. On that same day, his Distinguished Flying Cross was gazetted: "Captain Stubbs is a fine leader and a skilful tactician, who during the last few months, has led fifty-one reconnaissances and raids over enemy lines with marked success, frequently extricating his formation, when attacked by large numbers of scouts, by his coolness and judgment. One evening this officer, with Lt. Russell as Observer, in company with another machine, encountered ten enemy aeroplanes. Regardless of their superiority in numbers, he at once attacked and shot down one. By skilful manoeuvring he enabled his Observer to bring down another;
513-584: The recipient. The suspender is straight and decorated with laurel wreaths. The ribbon bar denoting a further award is silver, with the Royal Air Force eagle in its centre. Bars awarded during World War II have the year of award engraved on the reverse. The 1.25-inch (32 mm) ribbon was originally white with deep purple broad horizontal stripes, but it was changed in 1919 to the current white with purple broad diagonal stripes. From 1918 to 2017 approximately 22,322 Distinguished Flying Crosses and 1,737 bars have been awarded. The figures to 1979 are laid out in
540-514: The remainder of the enemy were driven down to their lines; he then completed his reconnaissance and returned home. Leaving the other machine behind, he again crossed the enemy lines; he bombed a trail and attacked some mechanical transport at 1,500 ft. altitude. This particular exploit is highly creditable to both these officers, the machine in which they flew being unsuitable for low bombing attacks; moreover, they were subjected to very heavy anti-aircraft and machine-gun fire." On 24 October 1919, Stubbs
567-770: The table below, the dates reflecting the relevant entries in the London Gazette: In addition, between 1980 and 2017 approximately 80 DFCs have been earned, including awards for the Falklands and the wars in the Gulf , Iraq and Afghanistan . Additionally, two second-award, and one third-award bars have been awarded. The above figures include awards to the Dominions : In all, 4,460 DFCs have gone to Canadians, including 256 first bars and six second bars. Of these, 193 crosses and nine first bars were for service with
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#1732775621461594-691: The third-level award for all ranks of the British Armed Forces for exemplary gallantry in active operations against the enemy in the air, not to the standard required to receive the Victoria Cross or the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross . Apart from honorary awards to those serving with allied forces, all awards of the DFC are announced in the London Gazette . A bar is added to the ribbon for holders of
621-433: The vertical arms of the cross, and wings on the horizontal arms. In the centre is a laurel wreath around the RAF monogram, surmounted by a heraldic Imperial Crown . The reverse is plain, except for a central roundel bearing the reigning monarch's cypher and the date '1918'. Originally awarded unnamed, from 1939 the year of issue was engraved on the reverse lower limb of cross, and since 1984 it has been awarded named to
648-458: Was a grocer. His mother was Jessie Stubbs. They were living at 235 County Road, Walton-on-the-Hill, Lancashire , England at the time the child was christened. (There is a discrepancy between the birth certificate [235] and the baptism record transcription [225] as to the house number of the family home). The younger John Stevenson Stubbs attended Longmoor Lane School, followed by a year's enrollment at St. Bees School for 1910. Stubbs enlisted in
675-610: Was extended to Naval Officers of the Fleet Air Arm , and in November 1942 to Army officers, including Royal Artillery officers serving on attachment to the RAF as pilots-cum- artillery observers . Posthumous awards were permitted from 1979. Since the 1993 review of the honours system as part of the drive to remove distinctions of rank in bravery awards, all ranks of all arms of the Armed Forces have been eligible, and
702-404: Was granted a short service commission as a Flying Officer in the Royal Air Force. On 13 January 1920, he transferred to the RAF's unemployed list, which was tantamount to discharge. On 15 April 1921, he was restored to the active list for temporary duty. On 4 June 1921, he returned to the unemployed list after completion of temporary duty. On 29 May 1923, he was granted probationary commission as
729-464: Was repatriated on medical grounds in July 1917. After he recovered from his injuries, he was posted to No 2 Training Depot, Lake Down, near Salisbury , 19 September 1917 where he worked as an instructor until 24 March 1918. He was promoted to Acting Flight Commander on 9 October 1917. While stationed at Lake Down, he was posted to No. 107 Squadron RAF on 4 December 1917. Stubbs was appointed Captain in
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