Lieutenant-Colonel James Valentine (1887 – 1917) was an early

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

aviator An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators because they a ...

who died during 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 ...

, serving in 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 ...

Early life

Valentine was born in

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, which today also gives its name to the (much larger) London Borough of Lambeth. Lambeth itself was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey. It is situated 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Charin ...

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on 22 August 1887 the son of James and Fanny Valentine. His father was a general manager of an insurance company in 1891.

Aviator

Valentine gained his

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 ...

aviators certificate (No. 47) on 31 December 1910 at Brooklands Aerodrome using a Macfie Biplane. In 1911, flying a Deperdussin, he was one of only four airmen to complete the Circuit of Britain race and was the only British aviator to compete in the

Circuit of Europe The Circuit of Europe (''Circuit d'Europe'') was an air race held in 1911. A prize of £8,000 was offered by ''Le Journal'' for the entire Circuit, with additional prizes for the individual stages. The stages of the race totalled were: *Paris-Li� ...

race. He was one of the few competitors to complete the course. In the

Aerial Derby The Aerial Derby was an air race in the United Kingdom sponsored by the ''Daily Mail'' in which the competitors flew a circuit around London. It was first held in 1912, with subsequent races in 1913 and 1914. Suspended during the First World W ...

of eighty-one miles around London on 3 June 1912, Valentine was third flying a

Bristol Prier monoplane The Bristol Prier monoplane was an early British aircraft produced in a number of single- and two-seat versions. Background The Bristol Prier Monoplanes were a series of tractor configuration monoplanes designed for the Bristol and Colonial Ae ...

. In 1913 he married Louisa Eileen Knox in London.

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index of marriages registered in April, May, and June 1915, - Name: James Valentine & Louisa E Knox, District: Westminster, London, Volume: 1A Page: 1045.

Royal Flying Corps

With the outbreak of the First World War Valentine joined the

in 1914. On 7 August 1917 Valentine died aged 29 as result of wounds at Kieff in Russia (now

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

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). He is commemorated on the Archangel Memorial to men who died in the north Russian campaign and whose graves are not known.

Honours and awards

He was awarded the Silver Medal of the Royal Aero Club for his aviation achievements in 1912 Valentine was awarded the second Royal Aero Club ''Special certificate'' on 6 December 1911; *8 November 1915 - Lieutenant (temporary Captain) James Valentine, Royal Flying Corps (Special Reserve) was appointed a

Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was o ...

by the President of France for distinguished service in the field. *4 June 1917 - Captain (temporary Major) James Valentine was appointed a

Companion of the Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful command and leadership during active operations, typicall ...

for distinguished service in the field. *Russian

Order of St. George The Order of Saint George () is the highest military decoration of the Russian Federation. It was originally established on 26 November 1769 Julian (7 December 1769 Gregorian) as the highest military decoration of the Russian Empire for commiss ...

4th Class.

References

External links

The Great 1911 Air Race visits Whipton
Whipton was a stopping point for the contestants in the 1911 Circuit of Britain race)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valentine, James 1887 births 1917 deaths Knights of the Legion of Honour English aviators Royal Flying Corps officers Companions of the Distinguished Service Order British military personnel killed in World War I British Army personnel of World War I