Alexander Roulstone facts for kids

Captain Alexander Roulstone MC was a brave pilot from Britain. He was born on 10 October 1890 and passed away in December 1965. He fought in World War I.

Alexander Roulstone was known as a "flying ace." This means he shot down at least five enemy planes. He achieved eight aerial victories during the war. He even defeated two German aces. He did all this while flying bomber planes, which was a very challenging task.

Fighting in World War I

Alexander Roulstone first joined the army as a temporary second lieutenant. This was on 7 April 1915. In May 1916, he moved to the regular army. He was part of the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment.

Joining the Royal Flying Corps

Later, he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps. This was the air force of Britain at the time. He became a flying officer on 14 February 1917.

First Victories in the Sky

By April 1917, he was flying with No. 25 Squadron. His plane was a Royal Aircraft Factory FE.2b. On 6 April, he was flying over Givenchy. He saw a German Albatros D.III plane attack a British aircraft. Roulstone quickly turned his plane around. He then attacked the German pilot, Leutnant Karl Emil Schäfer. This was his very first victory!

Roulstone continued to be successful. He scored two more victories in April and May 1917. On 7 July 1917, he became a flight commander. This meant he was in charge of a group of planes. He was given the rank of acting captain.

Flying New Bombers

Around this time, No. 25 Squadron received new planes. They started flying Airco DH.4 bombers. These planes were faster and more powerful. Roulstone used his new plane very well. He shot down a German plane on 20 July and another on 22 July. With these wins, he officially became a "flying ace."

He added one more victory a month later, on 22 August. Later, he moved to No. 57 Squadron. He was still a flight commander flying a DH.4. He completed his list of victories with two more in March 1918. His last victory was against Hans Bethge. Bethge was badly wounded and later died. Roulstone himself was also wounded in that fight.

Life After the War

After World War I, Alexander Roulstone left the Royal Air Force. This was in March 1920.

He settled down in a place called East Leake, in Nottinghamshire. He bought some land there. He built a large house and named it "Adastral House." He became a successful businessman. He was a company secretary and director for a mine. This mine was later bought by British Gypsum in 1944.

In 1954, Alexander Roulstone and his wife gave some land. This land was used to build a new Catholic church. It was named "Our Lady of the Angels." In 1961, he sold more land for building houses. A street in that area is now named "Roulstone Crescent" after him.

Alexander Roulstone passed away in late 1965. He died on the Isle of Wight. He was buried in East Leake on 6 December.

Military Honours

Military Cross

Alexander Roulstone received the Military Cross. This is a special award for bravery. The award citation said:

"For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty when engaged in aerial fighting and in photographic reconnaissances. In spite of continual hostile attacks he had proved most successful in securing photographs, and on several occasions he shot down enemy machines out of control, displaying skilful manoeuvring and great determination."

This means he was very brave and dedicated. He flew dangerous missions to take photos. He also shot down enemy planes many times. He showed great skill and determination in his fights.