Jack Hunt (RAF officer)
Frederick John Hunt | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | "Jack" |
| Born | 1899 Whitchurch, Hampshire, England |
| Died | 17 March 1954 Basingstoke, Hampshire, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service | Aviation |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Unit | No. 74 Squadron RAF |
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross |
Lieutenant Frederick John Hunt was an English World War I flying ace credited with nine aerial victories.
Early life
[edit]Hunt was born in Whitchurch, Hampshire, England in 1899 the son of Frederick and Emily Hunt, his father was a coal and corn merchant. He would not be old enough for military duty until late in World War I; his earliest known record of service is 1918.[1]
World War I
[edit]Hunt was stationed with 74 Squadron in July 1918. He became a balloon buster for his first aerial victory on 1 September 1918, and would win over another balloon and seven of Germany's finest fighter of the war, the Fokker D.VII, by war's end. He was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross after his seventh victory, though it would not be gazetted until 1 February 1919.[2]
List of aerial victories
[edit]See also Aerial victory standards of World War I
| No. | Date/time | Aircraft | Foe | Result | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 September 1918 @ 1350 hours | Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a serial number E5967 | Observation balloon | Destroyed | Northeast of Armentières | |
| 2 | 4 September 1918 @ 1930 hours | Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a | Fokker D.VII | Driven down out of control | Half a mile south of Lille | |
| 3 | 17 September 1918 @ 1845 hours | Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n D6967 | Fokker D.VII | Set afire; destroyed | North of Courtrai | |
| 4 | 21 September 1918 @ 1840 hours | Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a | Fokker D.VII | Destroyed | Lille | |
| 5 | 26 October 1918 @ 1455 hours | Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a | Fokker D.VII | Destroyed | Cordes | |
| 6 | 26 October 1918 @ 1455 hours | Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a | Fokker D.VII | Driven down out of control | Cordes | |
| 7 | 27 October 1918 @ 0940 hours | Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n C1137 | Observation balloon | Destroyed | Molenbaix | |
| 8 | 30 October 1918 @ 0820 hours | Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a | Fokker D.VII | Destroyed | De Klype | |
| 9 | 30 October 1918 @ 0825 hours | Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a | Fokker D.VII | Set afire; destroyed | Quaremont | [3][4] |
Post World War I
[edit]On 31 March 1923, Hunt and Roland John Neale dissolved their partnership in "The Whitchurch Engineering Works". The firm's business was motor, agricultural, and general engineering.[5]
Hunt was living in Ellisfield when his marriage to Frances Ann Selmer of Valparaíso, Chile was set for 29 September 1927.[6]
References
[edit]- Shores, Christopher F.; Franks, Norman L. R.; Guest, Russell. Above The Trenches: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces 1915-1920. Grub Street, 1990. ISBN 0-948817-19-4, ISBN 978-0-948817-19-9.
Endnotes
[edit]- ^ "Frederick John Hunt". www.theaerodrome.com. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
- ^ Shores, et al, p. 204.
- ^ "Frederick John Hunt". www.theaerodrome.com. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
- ^ Shores, et al, p. 204.
- ^ (The London Gazette, 24 April 1923, p. 2998.) http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/32817/pages/2998 Retrieved 6 August 2011.
- ^ (Flight, 15 September 1927, p. 658.) http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1948/1948%20-%200612.html?search=Frederick%20Hunt Retrieved 8 August 2011.