Below is the list of World War I flying aces from New Zealand. While New Zealand did not have its own military air service during World War I, many New Zealanders did join Australian or British military aviation to fight in the war. Some of New Zealand's first class of aces continued to serve post-war, whether in the Royal Air Force or the Royal New Zealand Air Force; some served in World War II. Several earned advanced rank in the process.
| Name | Air service(s) | Victories | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keith Caldwell | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force | 25 | Rose to Air Commodore in RNZAF[1] |
| Keith Park | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 20 | Rose to Chief Air Marshal; was a crucial commander in the Battle of Britain[2] |
| Ronald Bannerman | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 17 | Rose to Air Commodore[3] |
| Arthur Coningham | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 14 | Rose to Air Marshal in RAF; pioneered close air support[4] |
| Herbert Gilles Watson | Australian Flying Corps | 14 | Highest scoring New Zealander in the AFC[5] |
| Clive Franklyn Collett | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 12 | First military pilot in British service to parachute from an airplane in January 1917[6] |
| Harold Beamish | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 11 | Highest scoring New Zealander in the RNAS[7] |
| Malcolm C. McGregor | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 11[8] | |
| Frederick Gordon | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 9[9] | |
| Herbert Drewitt | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 7 | Earned a DFC for trench strafing exploits[10] |
| Thomas Culling | Royal Naval Air Service | 6 | New Zealand's first ace; Stan Dallas's wingman[11] |
| Forster Maynard | Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force | 6 | Rose to Air Vice Marshal in RAF;[12] commanded air defense of Malta during WWII |
| Carrick Paul | Australian Flying Corps | 5[13] | |
| Alan Scott | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force | 5 | Rose to Group Captain before early death[14] |
Endnotes[]
- ↑ http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/nzealand/caldwell.php Retrieved on 3 April 2011.
- ↑ http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/nzealand/park.php Retrieved on 3 April 2011.
- ↑ http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/nzealand/bannerman.php Retrieved on 3 April 2011.
- ↑ http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/australi/coningham.php Retrieved on 3 April 2011.
- ↑ http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/nzealand/watson2.php Retrieved on 3 April 2011.
- ↑ http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/nzealand/collett.php Retrieved on 3 April 2011.
- ↑ http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/nzealand/beamish.php Retrieved on 3 April 2011.
- ↑ http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/nzealand/mcgregor2.php Retrieved on 3 April 2011.
- ↑ http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/nzealand/gordon1.php Retrieved on 3 April 2011.
- ↑ http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/nzealand/drewitt.php Retrieved on 3 April 2011.
- ↑ http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/nzealand/culling.php Retrieved on 3 April 2011.
- ↑ http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/nzealand/maynard.php Retrieved on 3 April 2011.
- ↑ http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/nzealand/paul.php Retrieved on 3 April 2011.
- ↑ http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/nzealand/scott1.php Retrieved on 3 April 2011.
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The original article can be found at List of World War I aces from New Zealand and the edit history here.