Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
Frank Billinge, (19 December 1894 – 28 September 1928) was a
World War I
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 ...
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 five aerial victories.
Military service
Billinge was commissioned as a probationary second lieutenant in the 3rd Battalion,
Manchester Regiment
The Manchester Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1958. The regiment was created during the 1881 Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 63rd (West Suffolk) Regiment of Foot and the 96th R ...
, from the
Officers' Training Corps
The University Officers' Training Corps (UOTC), also known as the Officers' Training Corps (OTC), are British Army reserve units, under the command of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, which recruit exclusively from universities and focus on ...
on 15 August 1914, being confirmed in the rank in March 1915, and promoted to Lieutenant in April 1915.
Billinge was a founding member of No. 20 Squadron, in September 1915, flying as an observer/gunner in the front seat of a
FE.2b. He scored his first victory there, on 13 February 1916. He was transferred back to
Home Establishment
A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be pe ...
in England for pilot training on 31 August 1916. His first posting as a pilot was to No. 32 Squadron, on 24 November 1916, to fly a
DH 2. For his next two kills, of two-seater observation planes, he set his opponents on fire, on 23 and 27 January 1917. He was promoted to
Flight Commander
A flight commander is the leader of a constituent portion of an aerial squadron in aerial operations, often into combat. That constituent portion is known as a flight, and usually contains six or fewer aircraft, with three or four being a common ...
on 12 March 1917, and served in that capacity until 1 June 1917. He was then withdrawn from combat until he was assigned to No. 56 Squadron on 16 February 1918. Once again a Flight Commander, flying a
Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a, he drove down another observation plane on 19 February, and an
Albatros D.V on 22 March 1918.
Billinge was promoted to captain in the 3rd Manchesters on 1 July 1921, with seniority from 31 March 1919.
Honours and awards
;Distinguished Flying Cross
:Captain Frank Billinge (Manchester Regiment).
:A gallant officer who displays determination and judgment. When on a night reconnaissance his engine suddenly failed and he was compelled to head for home. At this moment he was attacked by an enemy aeroplane. Owing to engine trouble he was forced to avoid an engagement, and only escaped by the exercise of marked skill and resource. With great difficulty he managed to cross our trenches at a height of 200 feet, crashing into the reserve trenches behind. Although considerably shaken and bruised he and his observer proceeded to the nearest signal station and sent in their reconnaissance report.
Personal life
In August 1919, Billinge married Millicent Constance Grosvenor, daughter of Lord Henry George Grosvenor and Dora Mina Erskine-Wemyss. He died on 28 September 1928.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Billinge, Frank
1894 births
1928 deaths
Manchester Regiment officers
Royal Flying Corps officers
British World War I flying aces
Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
Military personnel from Manchester
British Militia officers
British Army personnel of World War I