John Geoffrey Sadler Candy, (19 February 1897 – 11 May 1955) was a British aviator, military officer, and

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 six aerial victories 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 ...

. He transferred to the Royal Air Force in 1919, and retired in 1937, but was recalled to serve throughout the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, retiring permanently in 1946.

Early life

Candy was born on 19 February 1897 in

Froyle Froyle is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is 3.6 miles (5.8 km) northeast of Alton. The nearest railway station is 2 miles (3.3 km) east of the village, at Bentley. According to the ...

, Hampshire, England. He was the eldest son of John Alfred Sadler Candy, a farmer, and Emily Louisa French Candy.

Military career

Candy graduated from the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC) was a United Kingdom, British military academy for training infantry and cavalry Officer (armed forces), officers of the British Army, British and British Indian Army, Indian Armies. It was founded in 1801 at Gre ...

on 26 October 1916, receiving a

commission In-Commission or commissioning may refer to: Business and contracting * Commission (remuneration), a form of payment to an agent for services rendered ** Commission (art), the purchase or the creation of a piece of art most often on behalf of anot ...

as a Second Lieutenant in the

Royal Sussex Regiment The Royal Sussex Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was in existence from 1881 to 1966. The regiment was formed in 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 35th (Royal Sussex) Regiment of Foo ...

Royal Flying Corps career

On 2 May 1917 Candy was seconded to 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 ...

as a temporary Flying Officer. He was assigned to No. 19 Squadron to fly the

SPAD S.VII The SPAD S.VII C.1 was the first in a series of single-seat biplane fighter aircraft produced by '' Société Pour L'Aviation et ses Dérivés'' (SPAD) during the First World War. Like its successors, the S.VII was renowned as a sturdy and rugg ...

. He began his scoring streak on 26 August 1917; in cooperation with

Alexander Pentland Alexander Augustus Norman Dudley "Jerry" Pentland, (5 August 1894 – 3 November 1983) was an Australian fighter ace in World War I. Born in Maitland, New South Wales, he commenced service as a Lighthorseman with the Austral ...

and three other pilots, he destroyed a DFW reconnaissance aircraft over Moorseele. On 30 September, he once again had help in driving down a German two-seater down out of control; on that occasion from Richard Alexander Hewat,

Frederick Sowrey Group Captain Frederick Sowrey, (25 July 1893 – 21 October 1968) was a British aviator, military officer, and a flying ace of the First World War credited with thirteen aerial victories. He was most noted for his first victory, when he shot d ...

, and two other pilots. On 9 October, he teamed with Sowrey and Hewat to drive down an

Albatros An albatross is one of a family of large winged seabirds. Albatross or Albatros may also refer to: Animals * Albatross (butterfly) or ''Appias'', a genus of butterfly * Albatross (horse) (1968–1998), a Standardbred horse Literature * Albat ...

reconnaissance aircraft. After another shared win on 11 November 1917, two days later, he cooperated with Albert Desbrisay Carter in the destruction of an

Albatros D.V The Albatros D.V is a fighter aircraft of the German aircraft manufacturer ''Albatros Flugzeugwerke''. It was the final development of the Albatros D.I family and the last Albatros fighter to see operational service with the (Imperial German A ...

. His sixth win, on 29 December 1917, was a solo one, when he drove down another D.V.Shores ''et.al.'' (1997), p. 97. On 3 June 1918 he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in the King's

Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning monarch's official birthday in each realm by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are ...

. On 6 July 1918 he was appointed

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 ...

with acting rank of Captain. On 1 August 1919 Candy was granted a permanent commission in the RAF with the rank of Captain, while also formally resigning his army commission.

Royal Air Force career

On 5 October 1921 Candy was posted to the RAF Depot (Inland Area), and on 1 October 1923 was assigned to No. 1 School of Technical Training (Boys) at Halton. He then served in the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

, being posted to the Aircraft Depot, Iraq, on 27 November 1924, then served as Station Commandant at

Basra Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...

h from 5 January 1926, before transferring to the RAF Depot, Egypt, on 2 January 1927. On 12 December 1928 he was promoted to Squadron Leader. On 30 June 1934 Candy was posted to No. 99 (Bomber) Squadron at

RAF Upper Heyford Royal Air Force Upper Heyford or more simply RAF Upper Heyford is a former Royal Air Force station located north-west of Bicester near the village of Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire, Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire, England. In the World War II, Second W ...

for flying duties, and on 11 July 1935 was posted to the

Royal Air Force College Cranwell The Royal Air Force College (RAFC) is the Royal Air Force academy which provides initial training to all RAF personnel who are preparing to become commissioned officers. The College also provides initial training to aircrew cadets and is resp ...

for engineer duties. On 12 September 1937 Candy, at his own request, was placed on the RAF retired list. However, Candy was recalled to duty on 25 August 1939, just prior to the outbreak of the Second World War. He was transferred to the RAF Technical Branch on 24 April 1940. On 23 September 1941 Candy (now an acting Wing Commander) was

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

. He finally reverted to the retired list on 26 January 1946, retaining the rank of Wing Commander.

Personal life

On 2 September 1933, at

St Martin-in-the-Fields St Martin-in-the-Fields is a Church of England parish church at the north-east corner of Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, London. Dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours, there has been a church on the site since at least the medieval pe ...

, London, he married Eileen Marcella Going, the elder daughter of Dr. R. M. Going, of Tollbridge. Candy died at East Kingston, near

Littlehampton Littlehampton is a town, seaside resort and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the English Channel on the eastern bank of the mouth of the River Arun. It is south south-west of London, west of Brighton and ...

, West Sussex, on 11 May 1955. He is buried with his wife (died 3 July 1954) at

St Margaret's Church, Angmering St Margaret's Church is a Church of England parish church in Angmering, West Sussex. The church is a grade II* listed building. History St Margaret's Church was built in the 13th century. A Steeple (architecture), tower was added in 1507. The c ...

, West Sussex.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Candy, John 1897 births 1955 deaths Burials in West Sussex People from Froyle Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Royal Sussex Regiment officers Royal Flying Corps officers British World War I flying aces Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Air Force personnel of World War II People from Arun District British Army personnel of World War I Military personnel from Hampshire