Captain James Henry Forman DFC (1 February 1896 - 4 October 1972) was a World War I Canadian

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 was personally decorated by his king for his valor. After leaving military service in the 1920s, he would return to service in World War II.

Early life

James Henry Forman was born in

Kirkfield Kirkfield is a village located in the city of Kawartha Lakes, in the Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. The incorporated place, unincorporated village was named in 1864 after the initial name, ''Novar'', was rejected by the government. A list of ...

, Ontario, Canada on 1 February 1896. When he enlisted in the

Canadian Expeditionary Force The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF; French: ''Corps expéditionnaire canadien'') was the expeditionary warfare, expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed on August 15, 1914, following United Kingdom declarat ...

on 29 June 1916, he gave his profession as minister and listed his mother Mary as his next of kin. He had three months prior military experience. He was six feet tall, with medium complexion, gray eyes, and black hair. A scar on his right foot served as a distinguishing mark. He was assigned Regimental Number 490828 and posted to the 3rd Training Brigade of the Canadian Expeditionary Force.Shores, et al, p. 158

World War I aerial service

Forman transferred into the

Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty (United Kingdom), Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British ...

and underwent pilot's training. His initial assignment was to 6 Naval Squadron, where he scored his first aerial victory on 27 July 1917. He was wounded in action the following day, then transferred into 1 Naval Squadron and remained with it during its transition into 201 Squadron Royal Air Force, scoring seven victories along the way. On 21 May 1918 Lieutenant J. H. Forman promoted to temporary captain. On 2 July 1918, Forman was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross by his king.(''The Edinburgh Gazette,'' 5 July 1918, p. 2337) http://www.edinburgh-gazette.co.uk/issues/13284/pages/2337 Retrieved 10 July 2011. On 7 August 1918, the DFC was officially gazetted: Forman was reassigned to 70 Squadron as a

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 ...

. He scored one victory while leading a flight for his new unit. Then, on 4 September 1918, Forman was flying one of a dozen Sopwith Camels that engaged German fliers from

Jagdgeschwader III ''Jagdgeschwader III (Fighter Wing III, or JG III)'' was a fighter wing of the Imperial German Air Service during World War I. It was founded on 2 February 1918, as a permanent consolidation of four established ''jagdstaffeln'' (fighter squadron ...

. The German opponents included aces

Bruno Loerzer Bruno Loerzer (22 January 1891 – 23 August 1960) was a German air force officer during World War I and World War II. Credited with 44 aerial victories during World War I, he was one of Germany's leading flying aces, as well as commander of ...

and Otto Fruhner. Forman was one of eight pilots downed by the Germans in the largest single loss of Camels during the war.

Post World War I

Forman survived the war and served into the 1920s. He returned to duty during World War II as a Flight Lieutenant. He died in Santa Barbara, California, USA on 4 October 1972.The Aerodrome website: http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/canada/forman.php Retrieved 4 October 2019

Notes

References

* Shores, Christopher, et al. (1990). ''Above the Trenches: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces, 1915-1920''. Fortress Publications. {{DEFAULTSORT:Forman, James Henry 1896 births 1972 deaths People from Kawartha Lakes Canadian Expeditionary Force soldiers Royal Naval Air Service aviators Canadian recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)