Captain Ernest Charles Hoy DFC

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...

 (6 May 1895 –22 April 1982) was a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 First World War

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 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...

, officially credited with 13 victories. He later pioneered airmail flight over the Canadian Rockies.

Early life and service

Hoy was serving in the Canadian militia, in the 93rd Regiment, when he enlisted in the regular forces on 3 March 1915. He gave his next of kin as Charles Hoy, and his own occupation as salesman. His physical characteristics were recorded; he was five feet nine inches tall, swarthy, with brown hair and eyes, and a Presbyterian.aerodrome.com

World War I aviation service

Hoy joined 29 Squadron as a Royal Aircraft Factory pilot in January 1918. He would not begin to score with them until 12 August. He then tallied up seven wins in August, and six more in September. In summary, he shared in being a balloon buster

Balloon buster

Balloon busters were military pilots known for destroying enemy observation balloons. These pilots were noted for their fearlessness. Seventy-six fighter pilots in World War I were each credited with destroying five or more balloons, and thus were balloon aces....

 along with Lieutenant Charles Ross

Charles G. Ross (aviator)

Brigadier Charles Gordon Ross was a career soldier who served in both the Royal Air Force and the South African Air Force. He was a quadruple ace, being credited with 20 victories during World War I....

 and another pilot, as well as downing one of the observation gasbags solo; he destroyed nine enemy airplanes, including a triumph shared with Lieutenant Christoffel Venter

Christoffel Venter

Major-General Christoffel 'Boetie' Venter CB, DFC with bar, was a South African military commander. He served in the Royal Air Force in World War I, being credited with 16 aerial victories, and joined the South African Air Force in 1922....

; he also drove two planes down out of control.

On 28 September 1918, the day after his final victory, Hoy was shot down and imprisoned for the rest of the war.

Post World War I

In August 1919, Hoy used a Curtiss Jenny to carry the first airmail from Vancouver to Calgary across the Canadian Rocky Mountains; the pioneering flight took sixteen hours, forty-two minutes.

Honours and awards

• 3 December 1918 - Lieut. (A./Capt.) Ernest Charles Hoy is awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC)
  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...
  
   in recognition of gallantry in flying operations against the enemy in France:

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