Reginald Makepeace
Lieutenant Reginald Milburn Makepeace MC (27 December 1890 – 28 May 1918) was a British World War I flying ace credited with 17 aerial victories.[1]
Reginald Milburn Makepeace | |
|---|---|
| Born | 27 December 1890 Darlington, County Durham, England |
| Died | 28 May 1918 (aged 27) Turnberry, Ayrshire, Scotland |
| Buried | 53°26′20″N 2°57′30″W |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/ | British Army Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1916–1918 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Unit | No. 22 Squadron RFC No. 11 Squadron RFC |
| Battles/wars | World War I • Western Front |
| Awards | Military Cross |
Early life and background
Makepeace was born in Darlington, County Durham,[2] the son of John P. Makepeace, a printer and compositor, and Mary A. Makepeace (née Milburn). The family emigrated to Canada in 1905, eventually settling in Montreal where Makepeace worked for the Canadian Pacific Railway.[3]
World War I flying service
Makepeace was commissioned as a second lieutenant (on probation) in the Royal Flying Corps on 17 November 1916,[4] and was assigned to No. 20 Squadron as a pilot flying a Royal Aircraft Factory FE.2d on 8 June 1917.[5]
He scored his first victory on 29 June 1917, with Lieutenant Melville Waddington as his observer gunner, and gained his second on 6 July,[1] before his period of probation was over, as he was not confirmed in his rank until 12 July.[6] Makepeace triumphed six more times in the FE.2d, including a triple victory on the evening of 27 July, with his eighth win coming on 17 August 1917. His squadron was then re-equipped with the Bristol F.2 Fighter, and he and Waddington were the first to score with the new aircraft when they shot down an Albatros D.V in flames on 3 September. He would score seven more times flying the Bristol, gaining his sixteenth win on 4 January 1918. For his seventeenth and final victory on 28 January 1918 he flew as observer/gunner for pilot Second Lieutenant John Stanley Chick of No. 11 Squadron.[1]
Makepeace was awarded the Military Cross on 26 September 1917,[7] which was gazetted on 9 January 1918. His citation read:
- Second Lieutenant Reginald Milburn Makepeace, Royal Flying Corps, Special Reserve.
- "For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty whilst on an offensive patrol. He and his gunner shot down three enemy aircraft in quick succession, having attacked a large hostile formation, about twenty in number, with great dash and determination."[8]
Makepeace was serving as an instructor at the No. 1 School of Aerial Fighting and Gunnery, based at Turnberry Aerodrome, on 28 May 1918[5] when the wings of his Bristol F2b fighter folded up in flight, and Makepeace and his crewman Second Lieutenant Thomas Albert McClure were both killed.[9] He is buried at Anfield Cemetery, Liverpool.[10][11]
Combat record
| No. | Date Time |
Aircraft Serial No. |
Opponent | Result | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 June 1917 @ 1330 | F.E.2d (A6498) | Albatros D.III | Driven down 'out of control' | Houthem | Observer: Lieutenant Melville Waddington |
| 2 | 6 July 1917 @ 1830 | F.E.2d (A6457) | Albatros D.III | Driven down 'out of control' | Comines | Observer: Second Lieutenant W. D. Kennard |
| 3 | 27 July 1917 @ 1945-2040 | F.E.2d (A6458) | Albatros D.III | Destroyed (in flames) | Menen | Observer: Private S. Pilbrow |
| 4 | Albatros D.III | Driven down 'out of control' | Polygon Wood | |||
| 5 | Albatros D.III | Driven down 'out of control' | South of Polygon Wood | |||
| 6 | 28 July 1917 @ 0920 | F.E.2d (A1956) | Albatros D.III | Driven down 'out of control' | Kezelberg | Observer: Private S. Pilbrow |
| 7 | 16 August 1917 @ 0905 | F.E.2d (A3) | Albatros D.V | Driven down 'out of control' | Zonnebeke | Observer: Lieutenant Melville Waddington. Shared with Second Lieutenants William Durrand Jr. & J. P. Flynn. |
| 8 | 17 August 1917 @ 2000 | F.E.2d (B1897) | Albatros D.V | Driven down 'out of control' | East of Polygon Wood | Observer: Gunner J. McMechan |
| 9 | 3 September 1917 @ 1010 | Bristol F.2b (B7214) | Albatros D.V | Destroyed (in flames) | Menen-Wervik | Observer: Lieutenant Melville Waddington |
| 10 | 5 September 1917 @ 1117 | Bristol F.2b (B7203) | Albatros D.V | Driven down 'out of control' | West of Lille | Observer: Lieutenant Melville Waddington |
| 11 | 11 September 1917 @ 1400 | Bristol F.2b (B7214) | Albatros D.V | Driven down 'out of control' | East of Menen | Observer: Lieutenant Melville Waddington |
| 12 | 17 October 1917 @ 0840-0905 | Bristol F.2b (B7255) | Albatros D.V | Driven down 'out of control' | Zonnebeke | Observer: Lieutenant Melville Waddington |
| 13 | Albatros D.V | Driven down 'out of control' | North-East of Zonnebeke | |||
| 14 | 15 November 1917 @ 1500 | Bristol F.2b (B7193) | Albatros D.V | Driven down 'out of control' | Moorslede | Observer: Second Lieutenant W. T. V. Harmer |
| 15 | 22 December 1917 @ 1415 | Bristol F.2b (B7255) | Albatros D.V | Destroyed | Moorslede | Observer: Lieutenant George Brooke |
| 16 | 4 January 1918 @ 1200 | Bristol F.2b (B7255) | Albatros D.V | Driven down 'out of control' | Menen | Observer: Captain John H. Hedley |
| 17 | 28 January 1918 @ 1715 | Bristol F.2b | DFW C | Driven down 'out of control' | North of Bourlon Wood | Pilot: Second Lieutenant John S. Chick |
References
- "Reginald Milburn Makepeace". The Aerodrome. 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
- "Reginald Milburn Makepeace". Liverpool & South West Lancs Genealogy. 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
- "Makepeace and Hedley, RFC, 1918". The Great War Forum. 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
- "No. 29848". The London Gazette. 5 December 1916. p. 11848.
- Guttman & Dempsey (2009), p. 89.
- "No. 30179". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 July 1917. p. 6975.
- "No. 30308". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 September 1917. p. 9977.
- "No. 30466". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 January 1918. p. 626.
- Barrass, M. B. (2015). "Casualties May 1918". Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
- "Casualty Details: Makepeace, Reginald Milburn". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
- "Makepeace, Reginald Milburn". The War Graves Photographic Project. 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
Bibliography
- Guttman, Jon & Dempsey, Harry (2009). Pusher Aces of World War I. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84603-417-6.