Captain William James Arthur Duncan (July 4, 1891 – April 13, 1975) was a Canadian aviator and a professional ice hockey player,

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

, and general manager. In 1926 he served as the first team captain, head coach, and general manager of the Detroit Cougars of the National Hockey League (NHL). He interrupted his sports career to serve in World War I, and became a

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

credited with 11 official aerial victories.

Early life and service

Born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Duncan debuted in professional hockey in the 1915–16 season. Duncan's October 1, 1916, enlistment papers gave his occupation as accountant. He listed his next of kin as his mother, Mrs. W. A. Duncan. He listed his home address as his mother's place in Toronto. He also claimed to be serving in the 34th Regiment of the militia, which may be the basis for his direct commissioning as an officer. During the 1916 and 1917 hockey seasons, Duncan continued to play, as his battalion fielded a team in the National Hockey Association both years. His transfer to France cut off his sporting career.

World War I

Duncan first served with the 228th Battalion CEF in France as a lieutenant. On August 1, 1917, Lieutenant W. J. A. Duncan of the Canadian Railway Troops was appointed a Flying Officer in the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

and seconded for duty with them. He was transferred to the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

and assigned to 60 Squadron in September 1917 as a

Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5 The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 is a British biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War. It was developed at the Royal Aircraft Factory by a team consisting of Henry Folland, John Kenworthy and Major Frank Goodden. It was one of the fast ...

a pilot with a roving commission. Duncan scored his first aerial victory on November 6, 1917, when he destroyed a German DFW reconnaissance plane northeast of

Polygon Wood In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two to ...

. He began to accumulate wins. On the day the RFC was consolidated into the Royal Air Force, April 1, 1918, he shared his seventh victory with American ace John Griffith. On May 17, 1918, he raised his tally to nine. The next day, he was promoted to temporary captain. He would score twice more after that, destroying an LVG on June 3 and busting a German observation balloon on June 5, 1918. He was returned to

Home Establishment A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. H ...

on June 30, 1918. A summary of his victories included an enemy

observation balloon An observation balloon is a type of balloon that is employed as an aerial platform for intelligence gathering and artillery spotting. Use of observation balloons began during the French Revolutionary Wars, reaching their zenith during World War ...

destroyed, an enemy fighter plane captured, seven enemy planes destroyed (including four shared wins), and two enemy airplanes driven down out of control. His combat exploits won him the award of the Military Cross, gazetted on July 26, 1918:

For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. On one occasion he attacked and shot down an enemy plane which had been engaged at firing on our infantry. He then led his patrol over the enemy's lines, dived down to an altitude of 100 feet, and attacked large numbers of hostile infantry with machinegun fire, causing the utmost panic amongst them and inflicting heavy casualties. His continuous gallantry and initiative have been most conspicuous.

An award of a Bar to the Military Cross in lieu of a second award followed on September 16, 1918:

For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. This officer sighted fifteen enemy scouts attacking eight of ours and immediately joined in, destroying one enemy aeroplane, which fell with a wing off. He then attacked and drove down three other machines, maintaining the fight until the eight had got back to their lines. He has also, with another officer, destroyed an Albatros scout, which he followed down to a height of 200 feet, in spite of heavy machine-gun fire from the ground.

Post World War I

On March 31, 1919, Duncan resigned his commission upon ceasing to be employed by the Royal Air Force. He played eight seasons in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association with the Vancouver Millionaires (1915–16; 1918–19–1921–22) and Vancouver Maroons (1922–23–1924–25). He played with the Calgary Tigers of the Western Canada Hockey League for one season (1925–26). He also played with the Detroit Cougars ( 1926–27) and Toronto Maple Leafs ( 1927–28– 1931–32) in the National Hockey League. Duncan served as player-coach with both the Cougars and the Maple Leafs. Duncan died in 1975 in Aurora, Ontario.

Career statistics

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Duncan, Art 1891 births 1975 deaths Calgary Tigers players Canadian ice hockey coaches Canadian ice hockey defencemen Canadian military personnel of World War I Canadian recipients of the Military Cross Canadian people of Scottish descent Detroit Cougars players Detroit Red Wings captains Detroit Red Wings coaches Detroit Red Wings general managers Edmonton Eskimos (ice hockey) players Sportspeople from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Toronto 228th Battalion players Toronto Maple Leafs coaches Toronto Maple Leafs players Vancouver Maroons players Vancouver Millionaires players Ice hockey people from Ontario Ice hockey player-coaches