Samuel Frederick Henry Thompson facts for kids

Samuel Frederick Henry "Siffy" Thompson (born August 30, 1890 – died September 27, 1918) was a brave British pilot during World War I. He was known as a "fighter ace" because he shot down many enemy aircraft. Working with his observer-gunners, he achieved an amazing thirty victories in the air. This included 18 planes completely destroyed and 12 forced out of control.

Even though he was only an active fighter pilot for five months, he quickly became a Captain. He also received two important British military awards for his courage.

Early Life and Dreams

Samuel Thompson was born in Bow, London, in 1890. His father, Samuel Whitell Thompson, was a doctor. In 1911, when Samuel was 20, he was studying to become a civil engineer. This means he was learning how to design and build things like roads and bridges.

Joining the Military

Samuel Thompson joined the Royal Army Service Corps on March 22, 1915. He started as a second lieutenant and was promoted to lieutenant a few months later, on August 25, 1915.

On June 7, 1917, he moved to the Royal Flying Corps. This was the air force branch of the British military at the time. He became a flying officer.

Becoming a Fighter Pilot

When Thompson joined No. 20 Squadron in late 1917, his start was a bit rough. He crashed his plane on October 27. After this, he was moved to No. 22 Squadron.

Flying a Bristol F.2b plane, he got his first victory on April 22, 1918. He shot down an Albatros D.V plane east of Merville, France.

Amazing Victories

Thompson was a very aggressive and skilled pilot. In May 1918, he achieved nine victories! This included three Pfalz D.III planes on May 16, near Douai. He also shot down two more D.IIIs on May 21, near Vitry-en-Artois.

June 1918 was also a very successful month for Thompson. He scored eight more victories, mostly while flying his plane, C929. On June 1, he shot down an Albatros C.III and an Albatros D.V near Erquinghem-le-Sec. The very next day, June 2, he got two more victories near Lens, Pas-de-Calais, both Pfalz D.IIIs.

He had one victory in July, shooting down a Fokker Dr.I near Laventie on July 26. In August, he added six more victories. He shot down three Fokker D.VII planes among others. On August 24, 1918, he was made a flight commander with the temporary rank of captain.

September started well for Thompson. He achieved four more victories against Fokker D.VIIs by September 24. He was awarded the Military Cross on September 16 for his bravery.

Final Flight

On September 27, 1918, while flying plane E2243, he shot down a Halberstadt C plane. Soon after, he was shot down east of Cambrai by a German pilot named Otto Schmidt. Samuel Thompson was killed in action.

After his death, he was given another award, the Distinguished Flying Cross, on November 2. He does not have a known grave, but his name is remembered on the Arras Flying Services Memorial.

His Observers

Samuel Thompson often flew with an "observer-gunner" in his two-seater plane. These observers helped spot enemy planes and also fired a machine gun.

He flew with Lieutenant Charles George Gass for two of his victories. Gass was the highest-scoring observer ace during the war. Thompson also flew with Sergeant L. Kendrick for two victories in May 1918. The observer on his final flight was Second Lieutenant Clifford Tolman, who was also an "ace" with 8 victories. Sadly, Tolman was also killed in the crash.

However, for most of his time, Thompson flew with Observer Sergeant Ronald Malcolm Fletcher. Fletcher was a very skilled observer who recorded 26 victories during the war. He flew with Thompson for 25 of Thompson's 30 victories! Fletcher himself claimed at least six victories.

See also

• Lists of World War I flying aces