John Edward Sharman, DSC and Bar and

Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

(11 September 1892 – 22 July 1917) was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

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 ...

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 ...

credited with eight victories.

Early life

Sharman was born in

Oak Lake, Manitoba Oak Lake is an unincorporated urban community in the Rural Municipality of Sifton within the Canadian province of Manitoba that held town status prior to January 1, 2015. It is located west of Brandon along the Trans-Canada Highway. The lake ...

, to Thomas Higgins Sharman and Frances A. Sharman. He was the oldest child in his family, followed by his sister Beverly and his brother Thomas. He attended university in Toronto, where he studied to become a mining engineer. His father had served in the 90th Winnipeg Rifles during the

North-West Rebellion The North-West Rebellion (), was an armed rebellion of Métis under Louis Riel and an associated uprising of Cree and Assiniboine mostly in the District of Saskatchewan, against the Government of Canada, Canadian government. Important events i ...

of 1885 and then as a member of the militia with the 12th Manitoba Dragoons.

World War I

Sharman joined 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 ...

on 3 February 1916 and served with 3 Wing until its disbandment in April 1917. Flying

Sopwith 1½ Strutter The Sopwith Strutter is a British single- or two-seat Multirole combat aircraft, multi-role biplane aircraft of the First World War.Lake 2002, p. 40. It was the first British two-seat tractor configuration, tractor fighter and the first Briti ...

aircraft, he participated in at least twenty-nine raids and claimed one enemy aircraft destroyed. Sharman was cited by the

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

General Castelnau for services in eleven of these raids, notably two raids on the same day on

Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau or simply Freiburg is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fourth-largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim and Karlsruhe. Its built-up area has a population of abou ...

and was awarded the Croix de guerre. From 1 May 1917, Sharman was posted to form part of the nucleus of 10(N) Squadron, flying

Sopwith Triplane The Sopwith Triplane is a British single seat fighter aircraft designed and manufactured by the Sopwith Aviation Company during the First World War. It has the distinction of being the first military triplane to see operational service. The T ...

s; his flight commander was the notable Canadian ace

Raymond Collishaw Raymond Collishaw, (22 November 1893 – 28 September 1976) was a distinguished Canadian fighter pilot, squadron leader, and commanding officer who served in the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) and later the Royal Air Force (RAF). He was the high ...

. In June and July 1917, Sharman claimed seven victories and became a flight commander on 9 July 1917. On 22 July 1917, Sharman and the rest of C Flight set off for a morning patrol at around 0725 hrs. His flight was patrolling the area between Ypres and Messines when they encountered scouts from JG1. As he engaged the first aircraft, his Triplane suffered a direct hit from anti-aircraft fire, probably from

Flak Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface ( submarine-launched), and air-bas ...

Batterie 503. John Sharman is commemorated on the Arras Memorial to the Missing. During the same dogfight, FLt J. Page was shot down and killed by Ltn Otto Brauneck. They were both shot down in the same area around Comines-Warneton, Belgium. Sharman and Page are buried side by side at Pont-Du-Hem Military Cemetery, La Gorgue, France. Sharman had no offspring.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharman, John Edward 1917 deaths 1892 births Royal Naval Air Service aviators Royal Naval Air Service personnel of World War I Canadian World War I flying aces Canadian recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Canadian recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) Aviators killed by being shot down People from Westman Region, Manitoba British military personnel killed in World War I