Captain Ronald Sykes (1899-1977) was a

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 ...

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.

World War I service

Sykes 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 ...

in April 1917. In September, he joined 9 Naval Squadron to fly a

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 ...

in Roy Brown's flight. On the 20th, he shot down an

Albatros D.III The Albatros D.III was a biplane fighter aircraft used by the Imperial German Army Air Service () during World War I. A modified licensed version was built by Oeffag for the Austro-Hungarian Air Service (''Luftfahrtruppen''). The D.III was flown ...

out of control, and was in turn shot down by Paul Baumer. Sykes evaded capture by the Germans and swam the Yser River to return to friendly forces. In March 1918, he joined

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 3 Naval Squadron. On 30 May, he scored again, driving down a Fokker Dr.I triplane. In early August 1918, he moved to 201 Squadron as a flight commander. On the 12th, he teamed with Robert McLaughlin and H. R. de Wilde to destroy two

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 ...

s. Sykes would destroy another D.VII on 2 September, and drive one down on 9 November 1918.

Postwar service

In 1919, Sykes served in northern Russia. His Camel's tension wires snapped, dropping him behind Russian lines. He was repatriated in 1920. He left the Royal Air Force and became an engineer.

Honors and awards

Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) "Lieut. (A./Capt.) Ronald Sykes, 201 Squadron. (FRANCE) An excellent patrol leader, who displayed marked gallantry on 27 September. While engaged in dropping bombs on enemy infantry in a sunken road he was attacked by four enemy aeroplanes. Out-manoeuvring them, he retired west. As soon as the hostile aeroplanes had withdrawn, he returned and fired a number of rounds into the infantry at 200 feet, causing many casualties. He then dived on another party of fifteen, who became so demoralised that they surrendered to one of our men."

Sources of information

References

''Above the Trenches: a Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces 1915–1920.'' Christopher F. Shores, Norman L. R. Franks, Russell Guest. Grub Street, 1990. , .

External links

Imperial War Museum Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sykes, Ronald 1899 births 1977 deaths Royal Naval Air Service aviators Royal Air Force personnel of the Russian Civil War People from Stockton-on-Tees Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Military personnel from County Durham