Frederick Dudley Travers

Frederick Dudley Travers
Born 15 February 1897
York, England
Died Post 1968
Allegiance England
Service/branch Aviation
Years of service 1914/1915–1954
Rank Captain
Unit No. 47 Squadron RFC, No. 17 Squadron RFC, No. 150 Squadron RAF
Awards Distinguished Flying Cross, French Croix de guerre
Other work Aviation pioneer in two continents; expert pilot of flying boats

Captain Frederick Dudley Travers was an English World War I flying ace credited with nine aerial victories. His later life saw his continued service to his nation in both the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve and in civil aviation. He pioneered air routes into Africa, the Middle East, and India. He also became proficient in piloting flying boats. He flew civilian aircraft into the war zones during World War II. By the end of his civil aviation career, he had flown over two million miles and logged 19,000 accident-free flying hours. Upon his retirement from the RAF, he had served for almost four decades.

Early life

Frederick Dudley Travers was born in York, England on 15 February 1897.[1]

World War I

Travers served initially in the Hertfordshire Yeomanry of the Territorial Force, rising to the rank of lance corporal. He graduated from Inns of Court Officers Training Corps and was commissioned as a second lieutenant on 1 January 1916.[2]

He was promoted to lieutenant in the Yeomanry on 1 July 1917, but remained seconded to the Royal Flying Corps.[3]

Travers received the Croix de guerre with Palme on 2 November 1918.[4] He also received the Distinguished Flying Cross, which was gazetted on 29 November 1918:

"A gallant and able officer who has displayed on many occasions boldness in attack, never hesitating to engage the enemy as opportunity occurs. On June 1st he, in company with two other pilots, attacked a hostile formation of twelve machines; four off these were shot down and the remainder driven off."[5]

List of aerial victories

See also Aerial victory standards of World War I

No. Date/time Aircraft Foe Result Location Notes
1 19 December 1917 @ 1230 hours Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.12 serial number 4046 Albatros D.III Driven down out of control West of Doiran Lake
2 15 May 1918 @ 0630 hours Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n B688 Albatros D.V Driven down out of control Hudova aerodrome Victory shared with Gerald Gordon Bell
3 28 May 1918 @ 1500 hours Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n B688 DFW reconnaissance plane Set afire; destroyed East of Vardarhohe Victory shared with Acheson Goulding
4 1 June 1918 @ 1510 hours Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n B690 Albatros D.V Destroyed Bogdanci
5 2 September 1918 @ 0815 hours Bristol M.1c s/n C4976 LVG reconnaissance plane Set afire; destroyed Nihor Shared victory
6 3 September 1918 @ 0815 hours Bristol M.1c Albatros D.V Destroyed Northwest of Lake Doiran
7 3 September 1918 @ 0820 hours Bristol M.1c Albatros D.V Destroyed East of Cerniste
8 4 September 1918 @ 1055 hours Bristol M.1c s/n C4976 Reconnaissance plane Destroyed North of Karasu Bridge Victory shared with Leslie Hamilton
9 16 September 1918 @ 1205 hours Bristol M.1c s/n C4976 Fokker D.VII Driven down out of control Lake Doiran[6][7] This victory made Travers the sole ace in this type aircraft[8]

Between the World Wars

Military career

On 5 December 1919, he was granted a short service commission as a Flying Officer.[9] Travers transferred to the Class A Reserve of the Royal Air Force on 5 December 1922.[10] He kept his reserve status in various capacities[11][12] until 5 December 1940, when he was ranked as a Flight Lieutenant.[13]

Career in civil aviation

Travers began his civil aviation career as an air taxi pilot.[14] On 20 February 1924, he was elected to membership in the Royal Aero Club.[15]

In 1926, he began flying for Imperial Airways; he pioneered air service to Egypt for them that year. Flying from Heliopolis, he opened air routes between Cairo, Baghdad, and Basra.[16]

In 1929, Flight magazine noted that Travers, as senior pilot of the Middle East Division of Imperial Airways had made the first air mail flights to and from India.[17]

World War II and beyond

During World War II, Travers continued in civil aviation; however, he was piloting flying boats from the United Kingdom to India and West Africa.[18] By 1942, Travers was noted as having flown two million air miles.[19]

As part of his sovereign's birthday honours for 1944, Captain Travers was commended for "valuable service in the air" while employed by British Overseas Airways Corporation.[20]

By late 1945, Travers was ferrying a Short Sunderland flying boat to Buenos Aires for Company Dodero Navigation Argentina SA shipping lines.[21]

In early May 1947, Travers was feted at a BOAC luncheon banquet hosted by Lord Knollys to celebrate Travers' retirement from the company after 30 years flying. It was noted that in his 19,000 flying hours, he had never had an accident.[22] Travers' retirement plans included work on development of the Saunders-Roe flying boat.[23]

On 10 February 1954, Frederick Dudley Travers surrendered his commission in the Royal Air Force Reserve of Officers.[24] In his retirement, he made his home in Kenya. He was still alive and available for an interview with famed aviation historian Norman Franks as late as 1968.[25]

References

Endnotes

  1. ↑ http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/england/travers1.php Retrieved 17 September 2011.
  2. ↑ (Supplement to the London Gazette, 6 January 1916, p. 329.) http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/29430/supplements/329 Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  3. ↑ (Supplement to the London Gazette, 21 February 1918, p. 2297.) http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/30535/supplements/2297 Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  4. ↑ (Supplement to the Edinburgh Gazette, 11 February 1919, p. 808.) http://www.edinburgh-gazette.co.uk/issues/13400/pages/808 Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  5. ↑ (Sixth Supplement to the London Gazette, 29 November 1918, pp. 14315, 14326.) http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/31046/supplements/14315; http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/31046/supplements/14326 Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  6. ↑ http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/england/travers1.php Retrieved 17 September 2011.
  7. ↑ Above the Trenches, p. 367.
  8. ↑ SE 5/5a Aces of World War I, p. 85.
  9. ↑ (The London Gazette, 5 December 1922, p. 15061.) http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/31674/pages/15061 Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  10. ↑ (The London Gazette, 5 December 1922, p. 8616.) http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/32774/pages/8616 Retrieved 20 September 2011.
  11. ↑ (The London Gazette, 10 December 1935, p. 7957.) http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/34230/pages/7957 Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  12. ↑ (The London Gazette, 13 April 1937, p. 2381.) http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/34388/pages/2381 Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  13. ↑ (The London Gazette, 12 March 1940, p. 1475.) http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/34810/pages/1475 Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  14. ↑ (Flight, 3 April 1947, p. 299.) http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1947/1947%20-%200499.html Retrieved 23 September 2011.
  15. ↑ (Flight, 28 February 1924, p. 118.) http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1924/1924%20-%200118.html Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  16. ↑ (Flight, 3 April 1947, p. 299.) http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1947/1947%20-%200499.html Retrieved 23 September 2011.
  17. ↑ (Flight, 16 May 1929, p. 1034.) http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1929/1929%20-%201034.html Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  18. ↑ (Flight, 3 April 1947, p. 299.) http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1947/1947%20-%200499.html Retrieved 23 September 2011.
  19. ↑ (Flight, 8 October 1942, p. 399.) http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1942/1942%20-%202119.html Retrieved 23 September 2011.
  20. ↑ (Supplement to the London Gazette, 10 June 1944, p. 2682.) http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/36547/supplements/2682 Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  21. ↑ (Flight, 29 November 1945, p. 572.) http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1945/1945%20-%202329.html Retrieved 23 September 2011.
  22. ↑ (Flight, 3 April 1947, p. 299.) http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1947/1947%20-%200499.html Retrieved 23 September 2011.
  23. ↑ (Flight, 8 May 1947, p. 414.) http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1947/1947%20-%200708.html Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  24. ↑ (Supplement to the London Gazette, 4 January 1955, p. 90.) http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/40375/supplements/90 Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  25. ↑ SE 5/5a Aces of World War I, p. 85.
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