Eric John Stephens

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Eric John Stephens
Born13 September 1895
Bendigo, Victoria, Australia
Died25 January 1967
Lae, Papua, New Guinea
AllegianceAustralia
Service/branchAviation
RankCaptain
Unit No. 41 Squadron RAF
Awards Distinguished Flying Cross

Captain Eric John Stephens (1895-1967) was an Australian flying ace who served in the Royal Air Force. He was credited with 13 confirmed aerial victories. He later became a Qantas pilot.

Contents

Early life

Eric John Stephens was born in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia on 13 September 1895. [1] When Eric John Stephens joined the Australian Imperial Force on 19 July 1915, he named his father, John Thomas Stephens, as next of kin. The younger Stephens was a college student and was in the militia when he joined. [2]

He landed at Marseilles, France in June 1916. He served on both the Northern Front and the Somme River, being commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the process. [1]

Flying service

Stephens' was commissioned in the RFC on 13 April 1917. He became a pilot on 30 June. He was retained as a flying instructor until his transfer to No. 41 Squadron RFC on 16 March 1918. Using a Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a, he shot down a Rumpler on 28 June for his first victory; he shared it with Frederick McCall. Stephens would accumulate 12 more wins after this, all solo, and most over enemy fighters, with the final one falling on 1 November 1918. By war's end, he was a Flight Commander, had destroyed five enemy airplanes, and driven down eight more out of control. [3]

Aerial victory list

No.Date/timeFoeResultLocationNotes
128 June 1918 @ 1050 hours Rumpler reconnaissance craftDestroyed Belloy-en-Santerre Victory shared with Frederick McCall
230 June 1918 @ 0815 hours Pfalz D.III fighterDriven down out of controlBray-Peronne
33 July 1918 @ 1915 hoursPfalz D.IIIDriven down out of controlEast of Lamotte
429 August 1918 @ 0850 hours Fokker D.VII fighterDriven down out of controlSouth of Armentieres
529 August 1918 @ 0930 hoursFokker D.VIIDestroyedEast of Comines
63 September 1918 @ 1845 hoursFokker D.VIIDriven down out of controlSouth of Vitry
729 September 1918 @ 1145 hoursFokker D.VIIDestroyedNortheast of Roulers
81 October 1918 @ 1110 hoursFokker D.VIIDriven down out of controlSouthwest of Roulers
91 October 1918 @ 1510 hoursFokker D.VIIDriven down out of controlSoutheast of Armentieres
108 October 1918 @ 1233 hours DFW reconnaissance craftDestroyed Ledgehem
1114 October 1918 @ 0855 hoursFokker D.VIIDriven down out of controlWest of Roulers
1228 October 1918 @ 1530 hoursFokker D.VIIDestroyedWest of Audenaarde
131 November 1918 @ 1520 hoursFokker D.VIIDriven down out of controlEast of Tournai

Post World War I

Stephens earned the Distinguished Flying Cross, which was gazetted to him on 3 June 1919. [4] He was transferred to the RAF's unemployed list on 16 August 1919. [5] He went on to fly for Qantas in the 1930s. [3]

Endnotes

  1. 1 2 The Aerodrome website, http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/australi/stephens.php Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  2. ↑ Attestation at http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/australi/attestation/stephens.php Retrieved on 31 September 2010.
  3. 1 2 Above the Trenches: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces 1915-1920. p. 351.
  4. ↑ "No. 31378". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 June 1919. pp. 7031–7032.
  5. ↑ "No. 31891". The London Gazette . 7 May 1920. p. 5251.

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References

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