Thomas Sinclair Harrison facts for kids

Major Thomas Sinclair Harrison was a brave pilot from Cape Colony, born on January 8, 1898. He became a famous "fighter ace" during World War I. A fighter ace is a pilot who shoots down five or more enemy aircraft. Thomas Harrison was very good at this, achieving 22 aerial victories. He was also known as a "balloon buster" because he destroyed two enemy observation balloons. This made him one of the top South African pilots of the war.

Flying High: Thomas Harrison's Military Service

Thomas Harrison first served in the army with an artillery group in German East Africa. In April 1917, he decided to join the Royal Flying Corps, which was the air force at the time. He quickly became a pilot.

Joining Squadron 29

In May 1918, Thomas joined No. 29 Squadron RAF. This squadron had just received new and powerful planes called RAF SE.5as. Thomas started winning battles in June and soon became the best pilot in his squadron. He was a steady scorer, meaning he kept getting victories regularly.

First Victories and Awards

His first victory was on June 27, 1918. He shot down an enemy plane called a Halberstadt C. A few days later, on July 1, he destroyed another plane, a Hannover C.

On July 4, while on a special mission to listen to enemy radio signals, he shot down an LVG plane carrying a radio. He also destroyed one of its escort planes. For this brave mission, he received the Distinguished Flying Cross. This is a very important award for pilots who show great courage in air battles.

Becoming an Ace

By July 8, Thomas Harrison had become an "ace," with five victories. By mid-August, he was a "double ace," having scored ten wins. Two of these victories were against enemy balloons. By the end of August, he had 12 victories.

He had a favorite plane, serial number E5947. He won seven battles in this plane. Sadly, a fellow pilot damaged it during a landing.

Final Victories

In October, Thomas scored six more victories. On October 29, he was promoted to "flight commander," which meant he led a group of planes. He scored three more victories in November, with his last one on November 10, just one day before the war ended.

In total, Thomas Harrison achieved 22 victories. He destroyed 13 enemy planes by himself, with four of them catching fire. He also helped destroy two other planes with another pilot. He forced four planes to crash out of control and destroyed two balloons by himself.

In July 1919, he received another award, the Croix de guerre from Belgium, for his bravery.

Serving in World War II

Thomas Harrison returned to military service during World War II. He worked as an intelligence officer in the South African Air Force. He served in Air Headquarters East Africa during the East African Campaign in 1941.

Awards and Recognition

Thomas Harrison received several important awards for his bravery and skill as a pilot.

Distinguished Flying Cross

He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for his amazing courage. For example, he once attacked three enemy planes, shooting one down in flames. Even when more enemy planes attacked him, he shot down another. He also destroyed three more planes and a balloon, showing great energy and bravery.

Bar to the Distinguished Flying Cross

He later received a Bar to his Distinguished Flying Cross, which means he earned the award a second time. This was because he was always bold and skillful in battle, never afraid to fight the enemy, even when they had more planes. On one occasion, he and three other planes fought eight enemy planes, and Thomas helped destroy one of them. Another time, he and four others fought a large group of enemy planes, and he destroyed one of those too. By this point, he had destroyed twenty enemy machines.