Cedric Howell

Cedric Ernest Howell (17 June 1896 – 10 December 1919), or Spike to his squadron mates, was an Australian fighter pilot and ace of World War I. He shot down 19 German aircraft between his entry into the air war in 1917 and the end of the war in 1918, setting him on par with Andrew Cowper as the 6th highest-scoring Australian pilot of the war. He flew with the 45 Squadron of the RFC in Sopwith Camels all through the war, mostly over northern Italy. He reached the rank of Captain in his short time at the front, and was awarded the Military Cross, the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Distinguished Service Order for particularly brave patrols. He survived the war, but died in an airplane crash near Corfu while enroute back to Australia.