Captain Oscar Aloysius Patrick Heron (17 September 1896 – 5 August 1933) was an Irish World War I

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 ...

of the British Royal Air Force, credited with thirteen confirmed aerial victories. He later served in the Irish Air Corps, until killed in a flying accident.

Early life and background

Heron was born in

Armagh Armagh ( ; , , " Macha's height") is a city and the county town of County Armagh, in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Primates of All ...

, Ireland, the eldest of three sons born to Charles and Annie Heron. His father was the principal of St. Patrick's Boys School, while his mother headed the girls' section. The family lived in Banbrook Hill, and the 1911 census lists Oscar and his two brothers John and Charles, their parents, his mother's father Jeremiah McKenna, a cook, and two servant girls as residing there.

World War I

Flying activities

Heron served for a period in the

Connaught Rangers The Connaught Rangers ("The Devil's Own") was an Ireland, Irish line infantry regiment of the British Army formed by the amalgamation of the 88th Regiment of Foot (Connaught Rangers) (which formed the ''1st Battalion'') and the 94th Regiment of Fo ...

, before being commissioned from cadet to temporary second lieutenant (on probation) 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 ...

on 13 December 1917. He was assigned to No. 70 Squadron to fly the

Sopwith Camel The Sopwith Camel is a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that was introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It was developed by the Sopwith Aviation Company as a successor to the Sopwith Pup and became one of the b ...

single-seat fighter in May 1918. On 30 June, he gained his first victories, driving down an Albatros D.V and setting another ablaze. It would not be until 19 August that he would win again, when he destroyed a

Fokker D.VII The Fokker D.VII is a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the '' Fokker-Flugzeugwerke''. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the second half of 1918. In service with the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the D.VII ...

on an evening patrol. Again, there would be over a month's lapse, until he destroyed another Fokker D.VII on 28 September. On 1 October, Heron became an ace by destroying the only two-seater on his list; on the 7th he accounted for two more D.VII's, and three more on the 9th. For one of these, Heron cooperated with Captain Sydney Liversedge, Lieutenant Kenneth Watson and two other pilots to force down and capture a Fokker. Heron was appointed 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 ...

with the temporary rank of captain on 23 October, going on to gain three more victories, two on 26 October, and his thirteenth and last on the 28th. In the end, besides the captured aircraft, Heron destroyed ten enemy machines and drove down two out of control. Heron was subsequently awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, which was gazetted on 7 February 1919. His citation read: :Second Lieutenant (Acting Captain) Oscar Alois Patrick Heron. ::"An officer conspicuous for his skill and daring in aerial combats. He has accounted for eight enemy aeroplanes. On 28th September he attacked, single-handed, three Fokkers; one of these he shot down. On another occasion he, in company with five other machines, engaged six Fokkers, all six being destroyed, 2nd Lt. Heron accounting for two." On 15 July 1919 Heron was granted permission to wear the ''

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 ...

'' conferred by Belgium.

List of aerial victories

Post-war career

Heron was transferred to the RAF's unemployed list on 10 August 1919, but was granted a short service commission with the rank of

flying officer Flying officer (Fg Offr or F/O) is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Flying officer is immediately ...

two months later on 24 October. He served in No. 3 Squadron RAF based in

Ambala Ambala () is a city and a municipal corporation in Ambala district in the state of Haryana, India, located on the border with the Indian state of Punjab (India), Punjab and in proximity to both states capital Chandigarh. Politically, Ambala ...

, India, from 1 April 1921. On 7 November 1922, on completion of his period of service, Heron was transferred to the Reserve of Air Force Officers. He then returned to Ireland to join the National Army Air Service, which became the Air Corps in 1924, and served as an instructor based at Baldonnel Airfield. He finally relinquished his RAF Reserve commission on 7 November 1926.

Death

Heron was killed on 5 August 1933 while taking part in a mock aerial combat over

Phoenix Park The Phoenix Park () is a large urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its perimeter wall encloses of recreational space. It includes large areas of grassland and tree-lined avenues, and since ...

, Dublin, for Irish Aviation Day. Three days before, during practice flights, two aircraft collided, killing Lieutenant J. P. Twohig. Heron acted a pall-bearer at Twohig's funeral on the morning of the event. In the display Heron flew a

Vickers Vespa The Vickers Vespa was a British army cooperation biplane designed and built by Vickers Limited in the 1920s. While not adopted by Britain's Royal Air Force, small numbers were bought by the Irish Free State and Bolivia, the latter of which used ...

, fighting off an attack by three Avro Cadets. At the end he made a low pass over the park, in front of a large crowd, including his wife, but span into the ground from a height of about . Heron and his air gunner were pulled from the wreckage, but he died almost immediately, while the air-gunner, Private Richard Tobin, died the following day. Heron was buried with full military honours at

Glasnevin Cemetery Glasnevin Cemetery () is a large cemetery in Glasnevin, Dublin, Ireland which opened in 1832. It holds the graves and memorials of several notable figures, and has a museum. Location The cemetery is located in Glasnevin, Dublin, in two part ...

on 8 August.https://images.findagrave.com/photos/2016/309/150981819_1478380954.jpg Findagrave. Retrieved 19 November 2017.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Heron, Oscar Aloysius Patrick 1896 births 1933 deaths Connaught Rangers soldiers Royal Flying Corps officers Royal Air Force personnel of World War I Irish World War I flying aces Irish Air Corps personnel Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1933 Burials at Glasnevin Cemetery British Army personnel of World War I Military personnel from Armagh (city) Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in Ireland