Leslie Hamilton facts for kids

Flying Officer Leslie Hamilton was a brave British pilot and a "flying ace" during the First World War. A flying ace is a pilot who has shot down five or more enemy aircraft. He was known for winning six air battles. Sadly, he vanished while trying to be the first person to fly non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean from east to west. His plane, a Fokker F.VIIa named St. Raphael, was last seen over the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

Becoming a World War I Flying Ace

Leslie Hamilton joined the British Army's Royal Engineers as a second lieutenant on June 12, 1916. He was promoted to lieutenant in December 1917. Later, he joined the Royal Flying Corps to train as a pilot. He officially became a flying officer on January 17, 1918.

Hamilton was sent to Salonika, Greece, to join No. 17 Squadron. There, he flew a SE.5a plane. His first victory in the air was on April 21, which he shared with another skilled pilot, Acheson Goulding. After his squadron joined with another to form No. 150 Squadron, Hamilton won five more air battles. Many of these wins were shared with other aces like Gerald Gibbs and Frederick Travers. His sixth and final victory, on September 18, 1918, was one he achieved all by himself.

Because of his bravery, he received the Distinguished Flying Cross medal in February 1919. The award recognized him as a "gallant and skilful scout pilot" who was always ready to attack enemy planes, even when they were outnumbered. It also mentioned that he had helped bring down six enemy aircraft.

Life in the RAF After the War

After the war, Hamilton continued to serve in the Royal Air Force (RAF). He briefly left the RAF in late 1919 but rejoined on July 14, 1920, as a flying officer.

On July 2, 1921, he married Barbara Webber in Maidenhead, England.

In 1922, he was part of No. 24 Squadron, based at RAF Kenley. That June, he participated in the 3rd RAF Aerial Pageant at Hendon Aerodrome. He came second in a race flying an Avro 504 plane. His squadron also showed off their amazing formation flying skills. In September of the same year, he took part in the first King's Cup Race. He flew an Airco DH.9C plane with Lady Anne Savile (who later became Princess Loewenstein-Wertheim) as his passenger. They finished in sixth place.

In June 1923, he was honored as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by the King. In July, he again competed in the Fourth RAF Aerial Pageant, once more coming second in the Avro 504 race. He was given a permanent job in the RAF on September 5.

In July 1924, he joined the Fifth RAF Aerial Pageant. He was part of a winning team from Kenley in an aerial relay race. He flew the Avro plane for his team. A week later, No. 24 Squadron held another air show at Kenley. Hamilton, flying an Avro 504, performed amazing stunt flying for the audience. He left the RAF for good on September 19, 1925.

A New Adventure: Commercial Flying

After leaving the RAF, Hamilton started a new career in commercial flying. He bought a Martinsyde F.6 plane. On January 29, 1925, he flew from London to St. Moritz, Switzerland. This journey covered 450 miles and took eight hours of flying time. In August, he competed in two events at the Royal Aero Club Meeting in Kent.

Hamilton was also one of the people who helped start the British Private Aircraft Owners' Club in February 1926. During the General Strike in May, he helped deliver newspapers by air. He also planned to enter the 1926 King's Cup Race again, but his plane's engine wasn't ready in time.

From 1926 to 1927, Hamilton ran his own private flying taxi service. He operated in Switzerland and the South of France, flying a Vickers Viking IV amphibious aircraft. This type of plane can land on both water and land. You can see a replica of his plane at the Brooklands Museum today.

The Atlantic Flight and Disappearance

A Fokker VIIa, similar to St. Raphael

Leslie Hamilton then became involved in a daring plan: to make the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean from east to west. This meant flying from England all the way to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. A wealthy aircraft fan named Princess Lowenstein-Wertheim paid for the flight and provided the plane. It was a Fokker F.VIIa, named St. Raphael, and it had a powerful 500 horsepower engine.

Hamilton and another pilot, Frederick F. Minchin, flew the plane. Princess Lowenstein-Wertheim joined them as a passenger. They took off from Upavon Aerodrome, England, on August 31, 1927, at 7:15 in the morning. They flew along the coast of Wales and then over Ireland, leaving land behind them near the Aran Islands.

The last time anyone definitely saw the St. Raphael was at 9:44 that night. An oil tanker called SS Josiah Macy spotted them in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Around 6 the next morning, a Dutch ship reported seeing a white light moving eastward in the sky. This was far south of where St. Raphael was supposed to be, suggesting they might have been lost. The plane and its crew were never seen again. Their disappearance remains a mystery.

See also

• List of missing aircraft
• List of people who disappeared mysteriously at sea