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Auction: 24111 - Orders, Decorations and Medals - e-Auction
Lot: 884

A Combat in the Air report for the famous Canadian pilot Lt. E. C. Hoy and Lt. C. G. Ross, on 16 August 1918 aboard an S.E.5a, East of Ypres.

At 6.35 p.m. O.P. of 29 Squadron saw 6 E.A. Scouts N.E. Armentieres at 15,000ft. At 6.40 P.M. these were joined by 6 other E.A. Scouts coming from N.Roulers. Eleven of the E.A. were Fokker Biplanes and the other a Pfiaz Scout.

When E of Ypres the Pfalz Scout left the other E.A., and attempted to join S.E.5 formation at 11,000ft.

Lt. E. C. Hoy turned, and fired 200 rounds into E.A. at close range in short bursts, following it down to 4,000ft. E.A. then went into a vertical nose-dive, and crashed E of Ypres. Confirmed by Patrol.

Five of remaining E.A. then dived towards Lt. Hoy; and Lts. Ross and Dougan, who were at 15,000ft., dived on these.

Remaining 6 E.A. then attacked it. Ross, who fired 200 rounds into them, shooting one down out of control. lt. Ross did not see it crash, being engaged with two other E.A. at the time. lt Ross drove these two East, and remainder dived away and also escaped East.

[D.F.C.] London Gazette 3 December 1918.

A bold and skilful airman who has accounted for four enemy machines and shot down a balloon in flames displaying at all times a fine fighting spirit, disregarding adverse odds.

Ernest Charles Roy was born on 6 May 1895 and was a Canadian First World War flying ace, officially credited with 13 victories. Hoy was serving in the Canadian militia, in the 93rd Regiment, when he enlisted in the regular forces on 3 March 1915. He gave his next of kin as Charles Hoy, and his occupation as salesman. Hoy joined 29 Squadron as a Royal Aircraft Factory pilot in January 1918. He would not begin to score with them until 12 August. He then tallied up seven wins in August, and six more in September. In summary, he shared in being a balloon buster along with Lieutenant Charles Ross and another pilot, as well as downing one of the observation gasbags solo; he destroyed nine enemy airplanes, including a triumph shared with Lieutenant Christoffel Venter; he also drove two planes down out of control.

On 28 September 1918, the day after his final victory, Hoy was shot down by Lieutenant Josef Raesch and imprisoned for the rest of the war.

In August 1919, Hoy used a Curtiss Jenny to carry the first airmail from Vancouver to Calgary across the Canadian Rocky Mountains; the pioneering flight took sixteen hours, forty-two minutes.

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Estimate
£300 to £400

Starting price
£300