Albert Enstone
Encyclopedia
Captain Albert James Enstone DSC DFC
was a British World War I flying ace
. Various sources credit him with differing air victory scores. In one text, he is credited with 13 confirmed aerial victories and driving down 11 other German airplanes, including three Gotha
bombers.
Another source lists 15 confirmed aerial victories; ten (including one shared win) were destroyed, and five (including one shared win) were driven down out of control. However, there is no mention of Gotha bombers. Regardless of his actual victory totals, records show that Enstone served his country valiantly.
, Birmingham
, England.
in April 1916 and learned to fly at Cranwell
.
He was one of the founding members of 4 Naval Squadron in April 1917; it was stationed at Bray Dunes on the Franco-Belgian border, and was tasked with both flying offensive patrols and escorting RNAS bombing missions. He used a Sopwith Pup
to counter German probes over the English Channel
. Enstone destroyed four enemy airplanes near or over the English Channel between 9 May and 5 June 1917, including one kill shared with Arnold Jacques Chadwick
. His second victory, scored on 9 May, forecast his later citation for valor; Naval 4 battled a large opposing force of German Albatroses for 25 minutes, with Alexander MacDonald Shook
and Langley Frank Willard Smith
joining Enstone in victory.
After he and his squadron upgraded to Sopwith Camel
s, Enstone used his new mount to down three more German planes in July 1917, including an effort against a seaplane teamed with Chadwick and Ronald M. Keirstead
. The new ace would go on to push his victory total to 10 for 1917. Between his ninth and tenth wins, on 1 October 1917, Enstone was promoted from temporary Flight Sub-Lieutenant to temporary Flight Lieutenant
. He also won the Distinguished Service Cross during this string of victories.
Enstone continued to win throughout early 1918 until he was relieved of combat duty and returned to Home Establishment in England in August 1918.
He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross during this period.
, London.
On 18 March 1924, Enstone dissolved a partnership with Clarence Walter Lynfield (formerly Lilienfield) as a general merchant in London, Birmingham, and Dublin.
On 27 November 1928, the firm of Enstone and Lilienfield posted notice that their joint stock company
would dissolve within the next three months. On 26 April 1929, the firm was dissolved.
Flight Commander Alexander MacDonald Shook R.N.A.S.
Flight Lieutenant Arnold Jacques Chadwick R.N.A.S (since reported drowned)
Flight Sub-Lieutenant Albert James Enstone, R.N.A.S.
Flight Sub-Lieutenant Langley Frank Willard Smith R.N.A.S. (since reported missing)
For exceptional gallantry and remarkable skill and courage whilst serving with the R.N.A.S. at Dunkirk during May and June, 1917, in repeatedly attacking and destroying hostile aircraft.
Capt. Albert James Enstone, D.S.C. (Sea Patrol).
Has been engaged for eighteen months on active service flying (ten months as Flight Leader). Has destroyed twelve hostile machines and brought down six more out of control. During the past month Capt. Enstone attacked an enemy gun, which was firing on one of our crashed machines, and succeeded in blowing up the ammunition dump alongside the gun, causing a great explosion, with flames reaching to a height of nearly 300 feet.
can be instructive. Please supply source(s) of information for entries.
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Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
was a British World War I flying ace
Flying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
. Various sources credit him with differing air victory scores. In one text, he is credited with 13 confirmed aerial victories and driving down 11 other German airplanes, including three Gotha
Gothaer Waggonfabrik
Gothaer Waggonfabrik was a German manufacturer of rolling stock established in the late nineteenth century at Gotha. During the two world wars, the company expanded into aircraft building.-World War I:...
bombers.
Another source lists 15 confirmed aerial victories; ten (including one shared win) were destroyed, and five (including one shared win) were driven down out of control. However, there is no mention of Gotha bombers. Regardless of his actual victory totals, records show that Enstone served his country valiantly.
Early life
Albert James Enstone was the second son of Thomas and Flora Enstone of EdgbastonEdgbaston
Edgbaston is an area in the city of Birmingham in England. It is also a formal district, managed by its own district committee. The constituency includes the smaller Edgbaston ward and the wards of Bartley Green, Harborne and Quinton....
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England.
World War I service
Enstone joined the Royal Naval Air ServiceRoyal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
in April 1916 and learned to fly at Cranwell
RAF Cranwell
RAF Cranwell is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire close to the village of Cranwell, near Sleaford. It is currently commanded by Group Captain Dave Waddington...
.
He was one of the founding members of 4 Naval Squadron in April 1917; it was stationed at Bray Dunes on the Franco-Belgian border, and was tasked with both flying offensive patrols and escorting RNAS bombing missions. He used a Sopwith Pup
Sopwith Pup
The Sopwith Pup was a British single seater biplane fighter aircraft built by the Sopwith Aviation Company. It entered service with the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service in the autumn of 1916. With pleasant flying characteristics and good maneuverability, the aircraft proved very...
to counter German probes over the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
. Enstone destroyed four enemy airplanes near or over the English Channel between 9 May and 5 June 1917, including one kill shared with Arnold Jacques Chadwick
Arnold Jacques Chadwick
Flight Commander Arnold Jacques Chadwick was a Canadian-born World War I flying ace credited with 11 aerial victories. He became an ace twice over; once while flying Sopwith Pups and again while piloting Sopwith Camels.-Early life:...
. His second victory, scored on 9 May, forecast his later citation for valor; Naval 4 battled a large opposing force of German Albatroses for 25 minutes, with Alexander MacDonald Shook
Alexander MacDonald Shook
Major Alexander MacDonald Shook was a Canadian World War I flying ace. During his stint with the Royal Naval Air Service, he was credited with 12 official aerial victories.-Early life:...
and Langley Frank Willard Smith
Langley Frank Willard Smith
Langley Frank Willard Smith, was a Canadian Flying Ace in World War I credited with 16 victories.-Background:Smith was born in Philipsburg, in the Province of Quebec, and was brought up by his grandmother, his father having been widowed. Whilst attending Flying School in St...
joining Enstone in victory.
After he and his squadron upgraded to Sopwith Camel
Sopwith Camel
The Sopwith Camel was a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter introduced on the Western Front in 1917. Manufactured by Sopwith Aviation Company, it had a short-coupled fuselage, heavy, powerful rotary engine, and concentrated fire from twin synchronized machine guns. Though difficult...
s, Enstone used his new mount to down three more German planes in July 1917, including an effort against a seaplane teamed with Chadwick and Ronald M. Keirstead
Ronald M. Keirstead
Captain Ronald McNeill Keirstead DSC was a Canadian First World War flying ace, officially credited with 13 victories.-World War I:...
. The new ace would go on to push his victory total to 10 for 1917. Between his ninth and tenth wins, on 1 October 1917, Enstone was promoted from temporary Flight Sub-Lieutenant to temporary Flight Lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
. He also won the Distinguished Service Cross during this string of victories.
Enstone continued to win throughout early 1918 until he was relieved of combat duty and returned to Home Establishment in England in August 1918.
He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross during this period.
Post World War I
Albert James Enstone married Elsie Grace Lilienfield on 16 March 1920 at Saint Mary's, Bryanston SquareBryanston Square
Bryanston Square is a square in Marylebone, Westminster, London, England. Named after its owner Henry William Portman's home village of Bryanston in Dorset, it was built as part of the Portman Estate between 1810 and 1815, along with Montagu Square a little to the east and Wyndham Place to its...
, London.
On 18 March 1924, Enstone dissolved a partnership with Clarence Walter Lynfield (formerly Lilienfield) as a general merchant in London, Birmingham, and Dublin.
On 27 November 1928, the firm of Enstone and Lilienfield posted notice that their joint stock company
Joint stock company
A joint-stock company is a type of corporation or partnership involving two or more individuals that own shares of stock in the company...
would dissolve within the next three months. On 26 April 1929, the firm was dissolved.
Honours and awards
- Text of citation for award of the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC)
Flight Commander Alexander MacDonald Shook R.N.A.S.
Flight Lieutenant Arnold Jacques Chadwick R.N.A.S (since reported drowned)
Flight Sub-Lieutenant Albert James Enstone, R.N.A.S.
Flight Sub-Lieutenant Langley Frank Willard Smith R.N.A.S. (since reported missing)
For exceptional gallantry and remarkable skill and courage whilst serving with the R.N.A.S. at Dunkirk during May and June, 1917, in repeatedly attacking and destroying hostile aircraft.
- Text of citation for award of the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC)
Capt. Albert James Enstone, D.S.C. (Sea Patrol).
Has been engaged for eighteen months on active service flying (ten months as Flight Leader). Has destroyed twelve hostile machines and brought down six more out of control. During the past month Capt. Enstone attacked an enemy gun, which was firing on one of our crashed machines, and succeeded in blowing up the ammunition dump alongside the gun, causing a great explosion, with flames reaching to a height of nearly 300 feet.
List of victories
Accounts of victories scored by Albert James Enstone differ widely from source to source. The table below is an attempt to collate his victories. Numbered victories are those that were confirmed by the Royal Naval Air Service or its successor Royal Air Force. Unconfimed victories are denoted by the notation "u/c". If you are uncertain about how to list a claim, Aerial victory standards of World War IAerial victory standards of World War I
During World War I, the national air services involved developed their own methods of assessing and assigning credit for aerial victories.The victory scores of the pilots represented at List of World War I flying aces often cannot be definitive, but are based on itemized lists that are the best...
can be instructive. Please supply source(s) of information for entries.
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| No. | Date/time | Aircraft | Foe | Result | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 May 1917 @ 0730 hours | Sopwith Pup serial number N6187 | Unidentified reconnaissance plane | Destroyed | Over Ghistelles, Belgium | |
| 2 | 12 May 1917 @ 0720 hours | Sopwith Pup serial number N6187 | Siemens-Schuckert D.I Siemens-Schuckert D.I The Siemens-Schuckert D.I was a German single-seat fighter built by Siemens-Schukert Werke.A number of captured Nieuport 17 fighters were given to German aircraft manufacturers to study, the Siemens-Schukert Werke produced the D.I based on the captured fighter. The D.I was a biplane powered by... |
Destroyed | 5 miles off Zeebrugge Zeebrugge Zeebrugge is a village on the coast of Belgium and a subdivision of Bruges, for which it is the modern port. Zeebrugge serves as both the international port of Bruges-Zeebrugge and a seafront resort with hotels, cafés, a marina and a beach.-Location:... , Belgium |
Combat over the English Channel English Channel The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover... |
| 3 | 26 May 1917 @ 0845 hours | Sopwith Pup serial number N6187 | Unidentified reconnaissance plane | Destroyed | Southwest of Furnes Furnes Furnes is a village in the Ringsaker municipality of Hedmark County , Norway.-History:Furnes is situated between Hamar and Brumunddal. Furnes was also a former municipality in Hedmark county. Furnes was separated from Vang in 1891. It was merged with Ringsaker January 1, 1964.Furnes's own parish... , Belgium |
Victory shared with Arnold Jacques Chadwick Arnold Jacques Chadwick Flight Commander Arnold Jacques Chadwick was a Canadian-born World War I flying ace credited with 11 aerial victories. He became an ace twice over; once while flying Sopwith Pups and again while piloting Sopwith Camels.-Early life:... |
| 4 | 5 June 1917 @ 1915 hours | Sopwith Pup serial number N6187 | Enemy aircraft | Destroyed | 2 miles northeast off Nieuwpoort, Belgium Nieuwpoort, Belgium Nieuwpoort is a municipality located in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium, and in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Nieuwpoort proper and the towns of Ramskapelle and Sint-Joris. On January 1, 2008 Nieuwpoort had a total population of 11,062.... |
|
| 5 | 7 July 1917 @ 1115 hours | Sopwith Camel serial number N6347 | Reconnaissance seaplane | Destroyed | 19 miles off Ostend Ostend Ostend is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerke , Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the largest on the Belgian coast.... , Belgium |
Combat over the English Channel |
| 6 | 14 July 1917 @ 0420 hours | Sopwith Camel serial number N6370 | Unidentified reconnaissance plane | Destroyed | A mile southeast of Ghistelles, Belgium | |
| 7 | 25 July 1917 @ 1930 hours | Sopwith Camel serial number N6370 | Seaplane | Driven down out of control | 30 miles north-northeast of Ostend, Belgium | Victory shared with Ronald M. Keirstead Ronald M. Keirstead Captain Ronald McNeill Keirstead DSC was a Canadian First World War flying ace, officially credited with 13 victories.-World War I:... |
| 8 | 10 September 1917 @ 1625 hours | Sopwith Camel serial number B3841 | Unidentified reconnaissance plane | Driven down out of control | Over Westende Westende Westende is a town in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium, and in the Flemish province of West-Flanders. It lies on the Belgian coast, also called Flemish coast. It used to be the far west of the island Testerep which lay along the Belgian coast.... , Belgium |
|
| 9 | 30 September 1917 @ 1200 hours | Sopwith Camel serial number B3841 | Albatros D.V | Driven down out of control | Over Rattevale | |
| 10 | 9 November 1917 @ 1435 hours | Sopwith Camel serial number B3841 | DFW DFW DFW may refer to:*Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport*Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, a metropolitan area in north Texas*Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources*Division of Fisheries and Wildlife... reconnaissance plane |
Driven down out of control | Southeast of Pervijze Pervijze Pervijze is a small rural village in the Belgian province of West-Flanders, and a part of the municipality of Diksmuide. Pervijze has an area of 12.23 km² and almost 900 inhabitants... , Belgium |
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| 11 | 24 March 1918 @ 1140 hours | Sopwith Camel serial number B3841 | Albatros D.V | Destroyed; burned | South of Thorout | |
| 12 | 27 June 1918 @ 0715 hours | Sopwith Camel serial number N6347 | Unidentified reconnaissance plane | Driven down out of control | Over Nieuwpoort, Belgium | |
| 13 | 30 June 1918 @ 1445 hours | Sopwith Camel serial number D6624 | Fokker D.VII | Destroyed; burned | 5 miles north of Blankenberghe, Belgium | |
| 14 | 30 June 1918 @ 1445 hours | Sopwith Camel serial number D6624 | Fokker D.VII | Destroyed | North of Blankenberghe, Belgium | |
| 15 | 1 July 1918 @ 1710 hours | Sopwith Camel serial number D6624 | Hansa-Brandenburg W.12 Hansa-Brandenburg W.12 |-See also:-External links:* *... |
Destroyed | Over Middelkerke Middelkerke Middelkerke is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders, on the North Sea, west of Ostend. The municipality comprises the towns of Leffinge, Lombardsijde, Mannekensvere, Middelkerke proper, Schore, Sint-Pieters-Kapelle, Slijpe, Westende and Wilskerke. On January 1, 2006... , Belgium |
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