Lieutenant Reginald Milburn Makepeace (27 December 1890 – 28 May 1918) was a British 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 ...

credited with 17 aerial victories.

Early life and background

Makepeace was born in

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...

County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...

, the son of John P. Makepeace, a printer and compositor, and Mary A. Makepeace (née Milburn). The family emigrated to Canada in 1905, eventually settling in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

where Makepeace worked for the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

World War I flying service

Makepeace was commissioned as a second lieutenant (on probation) in the Royal Flying Corps on 17 November 1916, and was assigned to No. 20 Squadron as a pilot flying a Royal Aircraft Factory FE.2d on 8 June 1917.Guttman & Dempsey (2009), p. 89. He scored his first victory on 29 June 1917, with Lieutenant Melville Waddington as his observer gunner, and gained his second on 6 July, before his period of probation was over, as he was not confirmed in his rank until 12 July. Makepeace triumphed six more times in the FE.2d, including a triple victory on the evening of 27 July, with his eighth win coming on 17 August 1917. His squadron was then re-equipped with the Bristol F.2 Fighter, and he and Waddington were the first to score with the new aircraft when they shot down an Albatros D.V in flames on 3 September. He would score seven more times flying the Bristol, gaining his sixteenth win on 4 January 1918. For his seventeenth and final victory on 28 January 1918 he flew as observer/gunner for pilot Second Lieutenant John Stanley Chick of No. 11 Squadron. Makepeace was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

on 26 September 1917, which was

gazetted A gazette is an official journal, a newspaper of record, or simply a newspaper. In English and French speaking countries, newspaper publishers have applied the name ''Gazette'' since the 17th century; today, numerous weekly and daily newspapers ...

on 9 January 1918. His citation read: :Second Lieutenant Reginald Milburn Makepeace, Royal Flying Corps, Special Reserve. ::"For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty whilst on an offensive patrol. He and his gunner shot down three enemy aircraft in quick succession, having attacked a large hostile formation, about twenty in number, with great dash and determination." Makepeace was serving as an instructor at the No. 1 School of Aerial Fighting and Gunnery, based at Turnberry Aerodrome, on 28 May 1918 when the wings of his Bristol F2b fighter folded up in flight, and Makepeace and his crewman Second Lieutenant Thomas Albert McClure were both killed. He is buried at Anfield Cemetery,

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

Combat record

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Makepeace, Reginald 1890 births 1918 deaths Royal Flying Corps officers British World War I flying aces English emigrants to Canada Recipients of the Military Cross People from Darlington Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in Scotland Royal Air Force personnel of World War I Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1918 Burials at Anfield Cemetery British Army personnel of World War I Royal Air Force officers Military personnel from County Durham Canadian Pacific Railway people