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The Arras Flying Services Memorial.
Two notable names included are Major Lanoe Hawker and Major Edward Mannock. Both men were holders of the VC (Hawker being the first airman to receive the award).
Hawker is regarded as Britians first great pilot. He achieved seven victories at a time when aerial combat was in its infancy. He and his mechanic devised a contraption to fit a Lewis gun to his aircraft, much improving the offensive capabilities of the early planes. He was shot down and killed by Manfred von Richthofen in November 1916.
"Mick" Mannock was Britains greatest ace. His tally is disputed, but lies between 61 and 73. He was an oddity in the RFC ranks, being of lower middle class stock, and having a working class attitude and a membership in the Labour Party. The mystery of his true tally came about due to his disinterest in such things. He often gave victories to others, knowing he had actually been the victor. An Air Ministry investigation after the war set his total at 73.
As well as the VC, he was also awarded the DSO and bar and the Military Cross and bar.
Many of his contemporaries regarded him as the best of the best, and deserving of more praise than some lesser pilots received. He didn't let such things bother him.
He died in July 1918 after escorting a novice pilot as he scored his first kill. A volley of fire from infantry hit his engine and he crashed in flames behind enemy lines. He predicted and feared a fiery death and carried a pistol to shoot himself with rather than endure the flames.
He was buried by the Germans but an artillery barrage destroyed the plot and his body was lost. Investigations continue to this day to find him.
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