Sidney Knights

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Sidney Arthur William Knights
Born 1898
Lavender Hill, London, England
Died 1 April 1968 (aged 6970)
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service/branch British Army
Royal Air Force
Years of service 1916–1919
Rank Lieutenant
Unit York and Lancaster Regiment
No. 62 Squadron RFC/RAF
Battles/wars World War I
  Western Front
Awards Military Cross

Lieutenant Sidney Arthur William Knights MC (1898 – 1 April 1968) was an English World War I flying ace credited with eight aerial victories. [1]

Military Cross third-level military decoration of the British Armed Forces, Commonwealth officers

The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries.

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.

Military service

Knights was commissioned from cadet into the York and Lancaster Regiment as a temporary second lieutenant (on probation) on 7 July 1916. [2] He served in France with the 13th Battalion, [1] winning the Military Cross, which was gazetted on 13 December. His citation read:

Cadet an under training military officer

A cadet is a trainee. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries. The term is also used in civilian contexts and as a general attributive, for example in its original sense of a branch of a ruling house which is not currently in the direct line of succession.

York and Lancaster Regiment

The York and Lancaster Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until 1968. The regiment was created in the Childers Reforms of 1881 by the amalgamation of the 65th Regiment of Foot and the 84th Regiment of Foot. The regiment saw service in many small conflicts and both World War I and World War II until 1968, when the regiment chose to be disbanded rather than amalgamated with another regiment, one of only two infantry regiments in the British Army to do so, with the other being the Cameronians.

Temporary Second Lieutenant Sidney Arthur William Knights, York and Lancaster Regiment.
"For conspicuous gallantry in action. During a raid on the enemy's trenches he showed marked courage and determination in leading his men. He set a splendid example throughout." [3]

He was promoted to lieutenant on 7 January 1918, [4] and soon moved to the Royal Flying Corps, being appointed a flying officer (observer) and transferred to the RFC General List on 16 March 1918, with seniority backdated to 27 January. [5]

Royal Flying Corps former air warfare service of the British Army

The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British Army before and during the First World War, until it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force. During the early part of the war, the RFC supported the British Army by artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance. This work gradually led RFC pilots into aerial battles with German pilots and later in the war included the strafing of enemy infantry and emplacements, the bombing of German military airfields and later the strategic bombing of German industrial and transport facilities.

Knights was posted to No. 62 Squadron on 10 March 1918, and served as observer/gunner with pilot George Everard Gibbons, flying a Bristol F.2b two-seater fighter. Between 12 March and 28 May they accounted for eight enemy aircraft, including three on 3 May and two on 28 May. Knights was hospitalized on 10 July 1918, and saw no further successes. [1]

Captain George Everard Gibbons was a British World War I flying ace credited with 18 aerial victories gained while flying a Bristol F.2 Fighter in 1918. Both of his observers, Sidney Knights and Thomas Elliott, also became aces flying with him. Gibbons' final tally consisted of three enemy aircraft destroyed by fire, five others destroyed, and ten driven down out of control.

Bristol F.2 Fighter fighter and reconnaissance aircraft

The Bristol F.2 Fighter was a British two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War developed by Frank Barnwell at the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter, other popular names include the "Brisfit" or "Biff".

Knights left the RAF post-war, being transferred to the unemployed list on 14 March 1919. [6]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Sidney Arthur William Knights". The Aerodrome. 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  2. "No. 29693". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 August 1916. p. 7661.
  3. "No. 13025". The Edinburgh Gazette. 13 December 1916. p. 2332.
  4. "No. 30608". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 April 1918. p. 4072.
  5. "No. 30637". The London Gazette. 16 April 1918. p. 4702.
  6. "No. 31802". The London Gazette. 2 March 1920. p. 2465.