Lieutenant Thomas Henry Barkell (born 1892, date of death unknown) was an Australian
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 ...
of the
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 fightin ...
, credited with
seven aerial victories.
Military service
No. 3 Squadron AFC
Barkell worked as a
motor mechanic in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
before enlisting into the
Australian Flying Corps on 16 October 1916. He was posted to "B" Flight, No. 2 Squadron, (later renumbered No. 3 Squadron) as a
private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
, but was regraded as an
air mechanic 2nd class
The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...
when the squadron arrived in England on 29 December aboard HMAT A38 ''Ulysses''.
His squadron was based at
South Carlton
South Carlton is a village and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated on the B1398 road, approximately north from the city and county town of Lincoln. The population (including Broxholme) at the 2011 ...
, Lincolnshire, engaged in flying training with
Avro 504 and
B.E.2e two-seater aircraft.
In February 1917 flying duty was opened to the rank and file; six positions for aerial gunners ranked as
NCO observers were offered, and over 100 applications (more than half the squadron's other ranks) were received. Six men were eventually selected, of whom Barkell was one. He was promoted to sergeant and posted to the No. 1 School of Aerial Gunnery in
Hythe, Kent
Hythe () is a coastal market town on the edge of Romney Marsh, in the district of Folkestone and Hythe on the south coast of Kent. The word ''Hythe'' or ''Hithe'' is an Old English word meaning haven or landing place.
History
The town has m ...
, for training. In mid-August the squadron finally began to move to France, the first Australian flying squadron to see service on the Western Front, based at
Savy, to support the
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) 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 ...
and
XIII Corps front near
Arras
Arras ( , ; pcd, Aro; historical nl, Atrecht ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department, which forms part of the regions of France, region of Hauts-de-France; before the regions of France#Reform and mergers of ...
.

In late September Barkell, began flying reconnaissance patrols in the
R.E.8 aircraft with which the squadron was equipped. Poor weather at the beginning of October kept his squadron grounded, but later in the month Barkell was flying again, reporting the positions of enemy artillery. In mid-November the squadron moved to a new base at
Bailleul to support the
Australian Corps, mainly carrying out photographic reconnaissance, but also offensive patrols. On 14 November Barkell was one of four Observer NCO's graded as Qualified Aerial Gunners. However, around dawn on 24 November he was flying with Lieutenant K. A. Roberts on a reconnaissance mission when their aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire. Barkell was shot in the left ankle, and their aircraft overturned on landing. Both men were sent to No. 2 (Australian) Casualty Clearing Station for treatment.
No. 4 Squadron AFC
Having recovered from his injuries, Barkell then trained to become a pilot, being posted to the No. 2 School of Military Aeronautics as a
cadet
A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in ...
on 10 February 1918. He completed his flight training on 19 July
and on 22 August, commissioned as a second lieutenant, was posted to "A" Flight,
No. 4 Squadron AFC, based at
Reclinghem
Reclinghem ( vls, Reklingem) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. It was settled by the Viking Rikiwulf (''the rich and powerful wolf'') in the 9th century, who probably also settled nearby Rich ...
under the command of Major
Edgar McCloughry
Air Vice-Marshal Edgar James Kingston-McCloughry, (10 September 1896 – 15 November 1972), born Edgar James McCloughry, was an Australian fighter pilot and flying ace of the First World War, and a senior commander in the Royal Air Force during t ...
. After several days of practice flights in 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, he flew his first operational mission on 26 August, dropping two bombs on an enemy ammunition dump at Bac St. Maur. Barkell gained his first aerial victory on 7 September while on patrol over
Hénin-Beaumont
Hénin-Beaumont (; pcd, Hinnin-Biaumont) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France.
Geography
Hénin-Beaumont used to be a coalmining town and is now a light industrial town situated some east of Lens ...
. On observing an
LVG
Luftverkehrsgesellschaft m.b.H. (L.V.G. or LVG) was a German aircraft manufacturer based in Berlin- Johannisthal, which began constructing aircraft in 1912, building Farman-type aircraft. The company constructed many reconnaissance and light bombe ...
aircraft below him, he manoeuvred to the east, then dived down to attack, followed by two other aircraft from his squadron. All three fired at the LVG from above, then Barkell attacked from below at close range causing the aircraft go into a vertical dive and crash. On 16 September Barkell was leading a patrol over
Frelinghien
Frelinghien (; nl, Ferlingen) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille.
Heraldry
See also
*Communes of the Nord department
The following is a list of the 648 communes of the ...
when they were attacked by about twelve enemy aircraft. During the ensuing dogfight Barkell was attacked by three aircraft, but managed to get onto the tail of one, a
Fokker D.VII
The Fokker D.VII was 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 qu ...
, and after firing from about 50 yards then saw it spin down and crash. On 22 September he was again leading a patrol of three aircraft over
Armentières
Armentières (; vls, Armentiers) is a commune in the Nord department in the Hauts-de-France region in northern France. It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille.
The motto of the town is ''Pauvre mais fière'' (Poor but proud).
Geogra ...
when they were attacked by about fourteen enemy aircraft, this time Barkell shot at another Fokker D.VII, which went down in a flat spin. He was then attacked by two more D.VIIs from behind, but made a tight turn and was able to fire at one from a very close range, causing it to turn over and dive steeply away. Unfortunately his aircraft had also been hit in the engine and he had to make a
forced landing
A forced landing is a landing by an aircraft made under factors outside the pilot's control, such as the failure of engines, systems, components, or weather which makes continued flight impossible. For a full description of these, see article on ' ...
at Neuve Église. On 29 September No. 4 Squadron moved to
Serny
Enquin-les-Mines (; vls, Enken; pcd, Inquin-les-Mines) is a town and former commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Since January 2017, it is a delegated commune of Enquin-lez-Guinegatte.
The inhabi ...
, and on 3 October received its first six
Sopwith Snipes, eventually replacing all their Camels by the 19th.

On 5 October 1918 a recommendation for the award of the
Distinguished Flying Cross was submitted by Brigadier General
Edgar Ludlow-Hewitt,
General Officer Commanding, 10th Brigade, Royal Air Force. It lists all the operations carried out by Barkell in just four days, from 29 September to 3 October, which included bombing attacks on five railway stations, and on motorized, horse-drawn and canal transports, artillery, and an observation balloon. It also noted that all but one were made from altitudes of less than . The award was approved on 10 October, and was
gazetted on 3 December 1918. His citation read:
:Second Lieutenant Thomas Harry Barkell, Australian Flying Corps.
::"Although this officer only joined his squadron some two months ago, his outstanding ability soon qualified him for the leadership of a patrol; and he has already acted as leader in twenty-three offensive flights. His conduct of these patrols, and the results he has achieved, testify to his exceptional enterprise, and fully justifies his early appointment to the responsible position of leader."
On 9 October Barkell attacked an observation balloon west of
Douai, seeing the crew parachute to safety while the balloon was set on fire. On 26 October he was a member of a patrol that attacked a formation of enemy biplanes east of
Tournai
Tournai or Tournay ( ; ; nl, Doornik ; pcd, Tornai; wa, Tornè ; la, Tornacum) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies southwest of Brussels on the river Scheldt. Tournai is part of Euromet ...
, and was credited with shooting down two. However, he was also wounded in the leg, sent to No. 5 Casualty Clearing Station, and on 27 October was written off the strength of No. 4 Squadron.
List of aerial victories
Post-war career
Barkell eventually returned to Australia on 7 February 1919,
where he continued to fly as a commercial pilot. He gained the dubious distinction of being the first pilot prosecuted under the terms of the
Air Navigation Act of 1920 when he was fined £5 in July 1922 for flying while his license was suspended. He was also involved in two accidents; in May 1922 he suffered an engine failure while conducting flights at
Bulli Park and had to make a forced landing on Sandon Point, and in January 1923 he crashed an aircraft belonging to the
Australian Aircraft and Engineering Company at
Cronulla, breaking his toe.
See also
*
Military history of Australia during World War I
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barkell, Thomas
1892 births
Year of death missing
Military personnel from Sydney
Australian Army soldiers
Australian Flying Corps officers
Australian World War I flying aces
Australian recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
Commercial aviators