Francis Casey

Francis Casey
Born(1890-08-03)3 August 1890
Clonmel, County Tipperary, Ireland
Died11 August 1917(1917-08-11) (aged 27)
Buried
Adinkerke Military Cemetery, Belgium
51°04′15″N 2°36′09″E / 51.07083°N 2.60250°E / 51.07083; 2.60250
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service / branchRoyal Navy
Years of service1915–1917
RankFlight Commander
UnitNo. 3 (Naval) Squadron RNAS
Battles / warsFirst World War
AwardsDistinguished Service Cross
Mentioned in Despatches

Francis Dominic Casey, DSC (3 August 1890 – 11 August 1917) was an Irish flying ace of the Royal Naval Air Service during the First World War, credited with nine aerial victories. He received the Distinguished Service Cross before his death during a test flight in 1917.[1]

Early life

Francis Dominic Casey was born in Clonmel, County Tipperary, the youngest son of Maurice J. Casey and Agnes M. Casey, and was educated at St. George's College, Weybridge.[2][3]

First World War

In August 1914, when the First World War broke out, Casey was working for the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company.[2] On 25 May 1915 he was granted a temporary commission as a sub-lieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve,[4] and on 30 May he was posted to HMS President for duty with the Royal Naval Air Service.[5] On 27 May 1916 Casey's Royal Naval Reserve commission was cancelled, and the following day he was re-commissioned as a probationary flight sub-lieutenant in the Royal Naval Air Service.[6] On 3 August 1916 he was confirmed in his rank of flight sub-lieutenant, with seniority from 28 May.[7]

Casey served in No. 2 Wing, and was eventually posted to No. 3 (Naval) Squadron to fly the Sopwith Pup single-seat fighter. He gained his first aerial victory on 17 March 1917, driving down out of control a Halberstadt D.II fighter over Bapaume.[1] On 1 April Casey was promoted to flight lieutenant,[8] and gained his second victory a week later, driving down an Albatros D.III fighter on 8 April. He then gained seven more victories, six of them D.III fighters, in only twelve days, from 21 April to 2 May.[1] On 12 May he received a mention in despatches,[9] and on 22 June was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. His citation read:

Flight Lieutenant Francis Dominic Casey, R.N.A.S.
For conspicuous bravery and skill in attacking hostile aircraft on numerous occasions. On 21 April 1917, he attacked a hostile two-seater machine at a range varying from 40 to 100 yards, and brought it down completely out of control. On 23 April 1917, on four different occasions during one flight, he attacked hostile machines, one of which was driven down in a spinning nose dive and another turning over on its side went down completely out of control. This officer has driven down four machines completely out of control, and forced many others down.[10]

Appointed to the acting rank of flight commander, Casey died in a flying accident during a test flight on 11 August 1917.[1][11] He is buried in Adinkerke Military Cemetery in De Panne, West Flanders, Belgium.[3]

List of aerial victories

See also: Aerial victory standards of World War I
Combat record[1][12]
No. Date/Time Aircraft/
Serial No. 		Opponent Result Location Notes
1 17 March 1917
@ 1040 hours 		Sopwith Pup
(N6163) 		Halberstadt D.II Driven down out of control North-east of Bapaume
2 8 April 1917
@ 1500 hours 		Sopwith Pup
(N6182) 		Albatros D.III Driven down out of control North-east of Pronville
3 21 April 1917
@ 1730 hours 		Sopwith Pup
(N6182) 		Albatros D.III Destroyed Hendecourt
4 Albatros D.III Driven down out of control
5 23 April 1917
@ 1730 hours 		Sopwith Pup
(N6182) 		Albatros D.III Driven down out of control Cagnicourt
6 24 April 1917
@ 1650 hours 		Sopwith Pup
(N6182) 		DFW reconnaissance aircraft Captured Morchies—Louverval Victory shared with Flight Lieutenant Herbert Travers and Flight Sub-Lieutenant John Joseph Malone.
7 26 April 1917
@ 1915 hours 		Sopwith Pup
(N6182) 		Albatros D.III Driven down out of control Cambrai
8 29 April 1917
@ 1100 hours 		Sopwith Pup
(N6182) 		Albatros D.III Set afire; destroyed Between Bantouzelle and Cambrai
9 2 May 1917
@ 1120 hours 		Sopwith Pup
(N6182) 		Albatros D.III Driven down out of control Mœuvres

Endnotes

  1. ^ a b c d e "Francis Dominic Casey". The Aerodrome. 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Et Cetera". The Tablet: 21. 18 August 1917. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  3. ^ a b "Casualty Details: Casey, Francis Dominick". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  4. ^ "No. 29171". The London Gazette. 25 May 1915. p. 5006.
  5. ^ "Royal Naval Air Service: Appointments". Flight. VII (336): 392. 4 June 1915. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  6. ^ "Royal Naval Air Service: Appointments". Flight. VIII (889): 481. 8 June 1916. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  7. ^ "No. 29694". The London Gazette. 4 August 1916. p. 7675.
  8. ^ "No. 30055". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 May 1917. pp. 4359–4360.
  9. ^ "No. 30066". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 May 1917. p. 4627.
  10. ^ "No. 30147". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 June 1917. p. 6256.
  11. ^ "The Roll of Honour: Killed". Flight. IX (451): 835. 16 August 1917. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  12. ^ Shores, et al, p. 100.

References

  • Franks, Norman; Guest, Russell F. & Alegi, Gregory (1997). Above the War Fronts: The British Two-seater Bomber Pilot and Observer Aces, the British Two-seater Fighter Observer Aces, and the Belgian, Italian, Austro-Hungarian and Russian Fighter Aces, 1914–1918. London, UK: Grub Street. ISBN 978-1-898697-56-5.