Charles Gordon Bell (31 May 1889 – 29 July 1918) was an early British pilot. He was one of the first hundred licensed pilots in the United Kingdom, and in a short career became known as one of the most skilled and experienced pilots in the country. During the First World War he became an ace, shooting down five German aircraft, before returning to England to work as a flying instructor and test pilot. He was killed in July 1918, when an experimental aircraft he was flying crashed in France.

Early career

Gordon Bell was awarded Aviator's Certificate #100 by the

Royal Aero Club The Royal Aero Club (RAeC) is the national co-ordinating body for air sport in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1901 as the Aero Club of Great Britain, being granted the title of the "Royal Aero Club" in 1910. History The Aero Club was foun ...

in 1911, making him one of the earliest qualified pilots in the country.''Flight'' 8 July 1911
/ref> As with many early aviators, he had learned at the

Brooklands Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England, United Kingdom. It opened in 1907 and was the world's first purpose-built 'banked' motor racing circuit as well as one of Britain's first airfields, ...

flying school.''Flight'' 1 Aug. 1918
/ref> He then moved to France, where he worked for

Robert Esnault-Pelterie Robert Albert Charles Esnault-Pelterie (8 November 1881 – 6 December 1957) was a French aircraft designer and spaceflight theorist. He is referred to as being one of the founders of modern rocketry and astronautics, along with the Russian K ...

's aircraft firm R.E.P.; while demonstrating one of their aircraft to potential buyers in Turkey, he became the first person to fly across the

Sea of Marmara The Sea of Marmara, also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, is a small inland sea entirely within the borders of Turkey. It links the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea via the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, separating Turkey's E ...

. Over the following years, he became famous in flying circles, and was considered one of the most skilled pilots in the country. By 1914, he had flown over sixty different models of aircraft. However, his reputation had been damaged by a fatal accident at Brooklands in 1913, where Gordon Bell's aircraft crashed whilst flying low over the airfield. The accident was ruled entirely due to pilot error, and he was formally cautioned by the Royal Aero Club. The passenger, a naval lieutenant, was killed, and Gordon Bell was badly injured.

Military service

At the time of the outbreak of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he was called up as a

Special Reserve The Special Reserve was established on 1 April 1908 with the function of maintaining a reservoir of manpower for the British Army and training replacement drafts in times of war. Its formation was part of the military reforms implemented by Ri ...

officer by 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 ...

, and flew on active service over the Western Front. He became an "

ace An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or a club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the ...

", credited with shooting down five enemy aircraft. He served with No. 10 Squadron RFC, flying

Bristol Scout The Bristol Scout was a single-seat rotary-engined biplane originally designed as a racing aircraft. Like similar fast, light aircraft of the period it was used by the RNAS and the RFC as a "scout", or fast reconnaissance type. It was one o ...

s. Ill-health caused Gordon Bell to be invalided back to England at the end of 1915, where he was appointed to command a squadron at the Central Flying School, Upavon, rising to the temporary rank of Major. In late 1917 he was invalided out of the Army, and joined

Vickers Vickers was a British engineering company that existed from 1828 until 1999. It was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by Edward Vickers and his father-in-law, and soon became famous for casting church bells. The company went public in 18 ...

as a

test pilot A test pilot is an aircraft pilot with additional training to fly and evaluate experimental, newly produced and modified aircraft with specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques.Stinton, Darrol. ''Flying Qualities and Flight Testin ...

. He was killed on 29 July 1918 while flying an experimental Vickers F.B.16E at Villacoublay Airfield, and buried at

Cimetière des Gonards The Cimetière des Gonards () is the largest cemetery in Versailles (city), Versailles on the outskirts of Paris. It began operations in 1879. The cemetery covers an area of and contains more than 12,000 graves. Description This is a rurally la ...

in Versailles.BELL, C G
''Commonwealth War Graves Commission'' He was the most successful pilot flying the

, having downed all of his 5 victories in the type.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon Bell, Charles 1889 births 1918 deaths Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in France British military personnel killed in World War I British World War I flying aces English test pilots Royal Flying Corps officers Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1918 Burials at the Cimetière des Gonards