Geoffrey Bailey

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Geoffrey Grierson Bailey
Nickname(s) "Buster", "Lumpy"
Born(1899-03-10)10 March 1899
Died After 1929
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service/branch Royal Flying Corps
Royal Air Force
Rank Lieutenant
Unit No. 43 Squadron RAF
Awards Distinguished Flying Cross

Lieutenant Geoffrey Grierson Bailey DFC was an English World War I flying ace credited with eight aerial victories. Although well connected in English society of the time, he faded into obscurity post-war.

Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) military decoration of the United Kingdom

The Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers, and since 1993 to other ranks, of 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".

Flying ace Distinction given to fighter pilots

A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more.

Contents

Early life

Geoffrey Gierson Bailey was born on 10 March 1899. [1] He was the youngest of the three sons born to Norman Coles Bailey, solicitor, who was a partner in the family's law firm in London. The younger Bailey, then nicknamed "Buster", began attending Westminster School on 26 September 1912, according to the school's records. In April 1917, he quit to join the Royal Flying Corps, enlisting on 2 May 1917. [2] [3]

Norman Bailey (footballer) English footballer

Norman Coles Bailey was an English footballer from the late 19th century, who made 19 appearances for England playing at half back.

A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and enabled to practise there as such. For example, in England and Wales a solicitor is admitted to practise under the provisions of the Solicitors Act 1974. With some exceptions, practising solicitors must possess a practising certificate. There are many more solicitors than barristers in England; they undertake the general aspects of giving legal advice and conducting legal proceedings.

Westminster School school in Westminster, London, England

Westminster School is an independent day and boarding school in London, England, located within the precincts of Westminster Abbey. With origins before the 12th century, the educational tradition of Westminster probably dates back as far as 960, in line with the Abbey's history. Boys are admitted to the Under School at age seven and to the senior school at age thirteen; girls are admitted at age sixteen into the Sixth Form. The school has around 750 pupils; around a quarter are boarders, most of whom go home at weekends, after Saturday morning school. The school motto, Dat Deus Incrementum, is taken from the New Testament, specifically 1 Corinthians 3:6.

World War I

Tracing Geoffrey Grierson Bailey through official papers can be confusing; sometimes mentioned as G. G. Bailey, he was also occasionally mistakenly gazetted as G. C. Bailey throughout war, until a notice of correction was made postwar on 21 November 1919. [4]

However, it is known that after training as a scout pilot, Bailey was assigned to 43 Squadron to fly a Sopwith Camel on the Western Front in France. He posted his first aerial victory on 16 February 1918, and became an ace with his fifth on 9 May 1918. By the time he scored his eighth win against opposing German fighters, his tally included an Albatros D.III set afire in midair, three Albatros D.Vs destroyed, and three Albatros D.Vs and a Fokker D.VII driven down out of control. [5]

Fighter aircraft Military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat against other aircraft

A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat against other aircraft, as opposed to bombers and attack aircraft, whose main mission is to attack ground targets. The hallmarks of a fighter are its speed, maneuverability, and small size relative to other combat aircraft.

Sopwith Camel British First World War single-seat biplane fighter

The Sopwith Camel was a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It was developed by the Sopwith Aviation Company as a successor to the earlier Sopwith Pup and became one of the best known fighter aircraft of the war.

Albatros D.III fighter aircraft

The Albatros D.III was a biplane fighter aircraft used by the Imperial German Army Air Service (Luftstreitkräfte) during World War I. A modified licence model was built by Oeffag for the Austro-Hungarian Air Service (Luftfahrtruppen). The D.III was flown by many top German aces, including Wilhelm Frankl, Erich Löwenhardt, Manfred von Richthofen, Karl Emil Schäfer, Ernst Udet, and Kurt Wolff, and Austro-Hungarian ones, like Godwin von Brumowski. It was the preeminent fighter during the period of German aerial dominance known as "Bloody April" 1917.

His combat performance was rewarded by the award of the Distinguished Flying Cross on 2 July 1918, [6] gazetted 3 August 1918. [7]

On 6 December 1918 he was confirmed as in the rank of lieutenant. [8]

Post World War I

On 23 September 1919, [9] Geoffrey Bailey, by now nicknamed "Lumpy", [5] ended his military service when he was transferred to the unemployed list of the Royal Air Force. [10]

He was reputed to have emigrated to South Africa circa 1929. [3] After that, nothing is known.

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References

  1. ↑ "Bailey, Geoffrey Grierson". The National Archives. 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  2. ↑ Grierson, Alan-MacGregor (26 September 2003). "Geoffrey Grierson Bailey". genforum.genealogy.com. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  3. 1 2 Bailey, Peter Henry Grierson (30 December 2009). "Geoffrey Grierson Bailey". genforum.genealogy.com. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  4. ↑ "No. 31651". The London Gazette . 21 November 1919. p. 14046.
  5. 1 2 "Geoffrey Grierson Bailey". theaerodrome.com. 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  6. ↑ "No. 30775". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 July 1918. p. 7746.
  7. ↑ "No. 30827". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 August 1918. p. 9198.
  8. ↑ "No. 31180". The London Gazette. 14 February 1919. p. 2276.
  9. ↑ "No. 31616". The London Gazette. 24 October 1919. p. 13031.
  10. ↑ "No. 31616". The London Gazette. 24 October 1919. p. 13031.


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