Major John Bowley Quested (14 December 1893 – 11 March 1948) was a

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

from England. He was credited with eight aerial victories, the most notable of which was over

Gustav Leffers Gustav Leffers (2 January 1895 –27 December 1916) was a German flying ace in World War I, credited with 9 victories. Background Leffers was born in Wilhelmshaven, the son of a naval engineer. He was educated in Wilhelmshaven and Stettin a ...

World War I service

Quested was commissioned as a temporary second lieutenant in the Army Service Corps on 11 November 1914. In April 1915, he began flying as an observer/gunner in 11 Squadron of the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

, and was promoted to lieutenant on 1 December 1915. On 6 July 1916 he was appointed a flying officer, and transferred to the

General List The General Service Corps (GSC) is a corps of the British Army. Role The role of the corps is to provide specialists, who are usually on the Special List or General List. These lists were used in both World Wars for specialists and those not allo ...

, to become a pilot of the

Royal Aircraft Factory FE.2 Between 1911 and 1914, the Royal Aircraft Factory used the F.E.2 (Farman Experimental 2) designation for three quite different aircraft that shared only a common "Farman" pusher biplane layout. The third "F.E.2" type was operated as a day and n ...

bs of 11 Squadron. He scored his first aerial victory on 16 August 1916, driving a

Roland C Roland (; frk, *Hrōþiland; lat-med, Hruodlandus or ''Rotholandus''; it, Orlando or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as th ...

two-seater reconnaissance biplane down out of control over

Fampoux Fampoux () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography A farming village situated east of Arras, on the D42 road. The A1 autoroute passes by the village about half a mile away. Population ...

. On 2 September, he repeated and doubled the feat, driving down two Rolands over

Bapaume Bapaume (original Dutch name Batpalmen) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. The inhabitants of this commune are known as ''Bapalmois'' or ''Bapalmoises''. Geography Bapaume is a far ...

. On the 15th, he destroyed another enemy fighter aircraft in the same area, the same day as being appointed a flight commander with the rank of captain. A week later, on 22 September, he became an ace by shooting down and destroying an

Aviatik C Automobil und Aviatik AG was a German aircraft manufacturer during World War I. The company was established at Mülhausen (today in France) in 1909 and soon became one of the country's leading producers of aircraft. It relocated to Freiburg in 1 ...

two-seater over Longeast Wood. On 20 December 1916, Quested drove an

Albatros D.I The Albatros D.I was a German fighter aircraft used during World War I. Although its operational career was short, it was the first of the Albatros D types which equipped the bulk of the German and Austrian fighter squadrons ('' Jagdstaffeln'') ...

down out of control over

Monchy-le-Preux Monchy-le-Preux () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography Monchy-le-Preux is situated southeast of Arras, at the junction of the D33 and the D339 roads. Junction 15 of the A1 autoroute ...

, and a week later, on the 27th, he supposedly destroyed another over

Wancourt Wancourt is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography Wancourt is situated some southeast of Arras, at the junction of the D33 and the D34E roads. The A1 autoroute passes by just yards from the ...

, killing the pilot. However, his observer identified it as a

Nieuport 16 The Nieuport 16 C.1 (or Nieuport XVI C.1 in contemporary sources)The C in the designation indicates that it is a ''chasseur'' or fighter, and the 1 indicates the number of crew members. was a French World War I single-seat sesquiplane fighter ai ...

; it seems a captured French aircraft was being used against them. This seventh victim of Quested was German ace

. In turn, about an hour later, Quested was forced down behind British lines by another German ace, Wilhelm Cymera.Guttman & Dempsey (2009), p. 49. On 27 January 1917, he drove down an opposing fighter over

Beaurains Beaurains () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region in northern France. Geography A suburban town located 3 miles (5 km) south of Arras at the junction of the N17 with the D5 road. History The first ...

for his eighth victory; his final tally was three enemy planes destroyed and five driven down. On 13 February, he was awarded the Military Cross, his citation reading: :Temporary Captain John Bowley Quested, RFC. :For conspicuous gallantry in action. He manoeuvred his machine with great skill, and thereby enabled his observer to bring down a hostile machine. He has on many previous occasions displayed great courage and ability. The ''Croix de Guerre'' from France followed on 1 May 1917. A crash in July 1917 ended Quested's flying career, although he continued to serve in non-flying command positions for the duration of the war. He was appointed a squadron commander with the rank of major on 27 October 1917, and was commander of No. 1 Aerial Gunnery Range. He was wounded in February 1918, and after recovering commanded No. 2 Aeroplane Supply Depot until the end of the war.

Postwar

Quested reputedly served in Germany and India. Differing reports have him commanding 79 Squadron in 1919, or serving in 48 Squadron in

Quetta Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه‎) is the tenth most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in south-west of the country close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is the capital of the ...

that same year. He eventually left the RAF, being transferred to the unemployed list on 18 March 1920, and retired to

East Anglia East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in ...

to farm. Quested died on 11 March 1948 and is buried alongside his father, John Egerton Quested (1866–1943), in the churchyard of St Martin's Church,

Cheriton, Kent Cheriton is a northern suburb of Folkestone in Kent. It is the location of the English terminal of the Channel Tunnel as well as of the major army barracks of Shorncliffe Camp. History The coastal plain where the North Downs meet the Strait ...

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * {{DEFAULTSORT:Quested, John 1893 births 1948 deaths British Army personnel of World War I People from Elham, Kent Royal Army Service Corps officers Royal Flying Corps officers Royal Air Force personnel of World War I British World War I flying aces Recipients of the Military Cross Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Military personnel from Kent