Edward Grahame Johnstone
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant Edward Grahame Johnstone was a 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...

 credited with 17 aerial victories. He joined the Royal Naval Air Service
Royal 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...

 on his 18th birthday, 6 May 1917. After training with No. 12 Naval Squadron, he was assigned to fly 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 for No. 8 Naval Squadron (which became No. 208 Squadron RAF). He scored his first triumph on 6 December 1917, followed by 16 more over the next eight months. His final tally was four enemy airplanes destroyed, three of which were shared with other British pilots, and thirteen driven down out of control, eight of which were shared.

Honours and awards

Distinguished Service Cross (DSC)

Flt. Sub-Lieut. Edward Grahame Johnstone, R.N.A.S.

For the pluck and determination shown by him in engaging enemy aircraft.

On the 19th January, 1918, he attacked five Albatross scouts, and engaged one, nose on, opening fire at 75 yards range. The enemy aircraft turned on its side and spun. He followed, and engaged again at 30 yards range. The enemy aircraft went down completely out of control. Later in the day, in a general engagement with fourteen Albatross scouts, he followed one down to 8,000 feet, firing all the time. This is confirmed by other pilots of the patrol to have fallen completely out of control.

On several other occasions he has destroyed enemy machines or brought them down completely out of control.
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