Lieutenant Charles Henry Arnison (13 January 1893 – 4 September 1974) was a British World War I

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

credited with nine aerial victories. He won the Military Cross for valour in World War I, and returned to the RAF to serve in World War II.

Early life

Charles Henry Arnison was born in Newcastle-on-Tyne on 13 January 1893.

World War I

On 26 May 1917

Sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

C. H. Arnison of the

Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry in ...

was commissioned as a second lieutenant and transferred to the

General List The General Service Corps (GSC) is a corps of the British Army. Role The role of the corps is to provide specialists, who are usually on the Special List or General List. These lists were used in both World Wars for specialists and those not allo ...

of the

Royal Flying Corps 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 sup ...

. On 28 June 1917 he was confirmed as a second lieutenant and appointed a

flying officer Flying officer (Fg Offr or F/O) is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Flying officer is immediately ...

. By early 1918, he was assigned to 62 Squadron as a Bristol F.2 Fighter pilot; he began his victories with them with a win on 12 April 1918, and ran his string out at nine with his last victory on 15 May 1918. On both 6 and 20 June 1918 he was reported wounded in ''Flight'' magazine, although it is uncertain if this is a reference to two separate woundings. His exploits won him the Military Cross, gazetted 16 September 1918: He also won a Distinguished Flying Cross.Shores, et al, p. 53. Arnison remained in the Royal Air Force after the war. On 28 October 1919 he was appointed as a Flight Lieutenant in the reorganized RAF. However, less than a year later, on 6 October 1920, he retired due to injuries, retaining his rank.

World War II

On 25 January 1941, Arnison was commissioned as a probationary

in the

Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) was established in 1936 to support the preparedness of the U.K. Royal Air Force (RAF) in the event of another war. The Air Ministry intended it to form a supplement to the Royal Auxiliary Air Force ( ...

, and assigned to the Administrative and Special Duties Branch. On 17 July 1941 he was reported wounded or injured in action in ''Flight'' magazine. Post-war Arnison remained on the RAF List of Reserve Officers until relinquishing his commission on 11 May 1954.

List of aerial victories

Endnotes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Arnison, Charles 1893 births 1974 deaths Military personnel from Newcastle upon Tyne British World War I flying aces Royal Air Force personnel of World War I Recipients of the Military Cross British Army personnel of World War I Royal Flying Corps officers Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II Royal Air Force officers