James Thomas Byford McCudden | |
|---|---|
 James McCudden c.1918 | |
| Nickname(s) | "Mac" |
| Born | 28 March 1895 Gillingham, Kent, England |
| Died | 9 July 1918 (aged 23) Auxi-le-Château, France |
| Buried | Wavans British Cemetery |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/ | British Army (1910–18) Royal Air Force (1918) |
| Years of service | 1910–18 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | No. 56 Squadron RAF |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Victoria Cross Distinguished Service Order & Bar Military Cross & Bar Military Medal Croix de Guerre (France) |
| Relations | John McCudden (brother) |
James Thomas Byford McCudden, VC, DSO & Bar, MC & Bar, MM (28 March 1895 – 9 July 1918) was a British flying ace of the First World War and among the most highly decorated airmen in British military history. Born in 1895 to a middle class family with military traditions, McCudden joined the Royal Engineers in 1910. Having an interest in mechanics he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) in 1913 at which time he first came into regular contact with aircraft. At the outbreak of war in 1914 he flew as an observer before training as a fighter pilot in 1916.
McCudden claimed his first victory in September 1916 flying the Airco DH.2. He claimed his fifth victory—making him an ace—on 15 February 1917. For the next six months he served as an instructor and flew defensive patrols over London. He returned to the frontline in summer 1917 flying the S.E.5a. That same year he dispatched a further 31 enemy aircraft while claiming multiple victories in one day on 11 occasions. With his six British medals and one French, McCudden received more awards for gallantry than any other airman of British nationality serving in the First World War. He was also one of the longest serving. By 1918, in part due to a campaign by the Daily Mail newspaper, McCudden became one of the most famous airmen in the British Isles.
At the time of his death, he had achieved 57 aerial victories, placing him seventh on the list of the war's most successful aces. Just under two-thirds of his victims can be identified by name.[a] This is possible since, unlike other Allied aces, a substantial proportion of McCudden's claims were made over Allied-held territory.[2] The majority of his successes were achieved with 56 Squadron RFC and all but five were shot down while McCudden was flying the S.E.5a. On 9 July 1918, McCudden was killed in a flying accident when his aircraft crashed on takeoff due to engine failure. His rank at the time of his death was major, a significant achievement for a man who had begun his career in the RFC as an air mechanic. McCudden is buried at the British war cemetery at Beauvoir-Wavans.
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