Captain Ian Donald Roy McDonald 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 20 aerial victories. Although born in the British West Indies, he returned to England to serve in the air force. After his successful career in combat, he spent a short while at home before returning to the colors. He served in Iraq postwar, and was executed there by insurgents.

Early life

Although McDonald was born in the Caribbean, he was a British citizen. His father was a legislator.

World War I service

The younger McDonald joined the Royal Flying Corps

Royal Flying Corps

The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...

 in 1916 and became a fighter pilot. On 26 April 1917, he was appointed a Flying Officer

Flying Officer

Flying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...

 with the rank of temporary second lieutenant

Second Lieutenant

Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...

. He was first assigned to 39 (Home Defence) Squadron. From there, he transferred to A Flight, 24 Squadron on 11 July 1917. Flying an Airco DH.5

Airco DH.5

-Bibliography:* Bruce, J.M. Warplanes of the First World War, Vol. 1. London: MacDonald, 1965, pp. 128–132.* Jackson, A.J. De Havilland Aircraft since 1915. London: Putnam, 1962....

, he scored his first three victories between 30 November and 10 December 1917. Then the squadron upgraded to Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5as. McDonald began to score with his new machine; his second victory on 26 February 1918, shared with Ronald T. Mark

Ronald T. Mark (aviator)

Lieutenant Ronald Turnbull Mark was a World War I flying ace credited with 14 aerial victories.-World War I service:...

, Herbert Richardson

Herbert Richardson (aviator)

Lieutenant Herbert Brian Richardson was a World War I flying ace credited with 15 aerial victories.Richardson scored his first aerial victory on 18 February 1918. He then scored steadily through 4 April 1918. All his wins were scored while flying a Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a fighter...

, and three other pilots, made McDonald an ace.

McDonald missed scoring in March, but was appointed as Flight Commander with the rank of temporary captain on the 15th. He tallied six wins in April, four in May, and three in the first week in June. Then, on 17 June, teaming with Horace Barton

Horace Barton

Captain Horace Dale Barton was a World War I flying ace credited with 19 aerial victories.He originally spent 1914–1916 with the army in German Southwest and East Africa. He then joined the Royal Flying Corps in England. His first assignment after pilot's training was 84 Squadron. On 3 January...

, George Owen Johnson

George Owen Johnson

Air Marshal George Owen Johnson CB, MC was a Canadian aviator.-World War I service:Born in Woodstock, Ontario in 1896, George Owen Johnson initially served as a subaltern with the Corps of School Cadet Instructors from 1913 to 1916...

, and C. E. Walton, he forced down into captivity one of Germany's leading aces, Kurt Wüsthoff

Kurt Wusthoff

Leutnant Kurt Wüsthoff was a German fighter pilot credited with 27 victories during World War I. He was the second youngest winner of Germany's highest decoration for valor, the Pour le Merite or Blue Max.-Early life:...

. Four days later, McDonald went for a rest. He had become the squadron's second scoring ace.

List of aerial victories

No.	Date/time	Aircraft	Foe	Result	Location	Notes
1	15 November 1917 @ 1330 hours	Airco DH.5 Airco DH.5 -Bibliography:* Bruce, J.M. Warplanes of the First World War, Vol. 1. London: MacDonald, 1965, pp. 128–132.* Jackson, A.J. De Havilland Aircraft since 1915. London: Putnam, 1962....  serial number A9471	Albatros D.III Albatros D.III The Albatros D.III was a biplane fighter aircraft used by the Imperial German Army Air Service and the Austro-Hungarian Air Service during World War I. The D.III was flown by many top German aces, including Manfred von Richthofen, Ernst Udet, Erich Löwenhardt, Kurt Wolff, and Karl Emil Schäfer...	Driven down out of control	Southeast of Dixmude
2	30 December 1917 @ 1235 hours	Airco DH.5 s/n A9339	German reconnaissance plane	Driven down out of control	Fontaine Fontaine Fontaine is a French word meaning fountain or natural spring.Fountain is the title of a famous sculpture by Marcel Duchamp.- Place Names :Fontaine or Fontaines is the name or part of the name of several communes in France:...
3	10 December 1917 @ 1200 hours	Airco DH.5 s/n A9257	Albatros D.V Albatros D.V |-See also:-Bibliography:*Bennett, Leon. Gunning for the Red Baron. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 2006. ISBN 1-58544-507-X....	Destroyed	South of Honnecourt
4	26 February 1918 @ 0840 hours	Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n C1057	Fokker Triplane Fokker Dr.I The Fokker Dr.I Dreidecker was a World War I fighter aircraft built by Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. The Dr.I saw widespread service in the spring of 1918...	Destroyed	East of Laon Laon Laon is the capital city of the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.-History:The hilly district of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held strategic importance...
5	26 February 1918 @ 0900 hours	Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n C1057	Fokker Triplane	Destroyed	East of Samoussy Samoussy Samoussy is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France....	Victory shared with Ronald Mark Ronald T. Mark (aviator) Lieutenant Ronald Turnbull Mark was a World War I flying ace credited with 14 aerial victories.-World War I service:... , Herbert Richardson Herbert Richardson (aviator) Lieutenant Herbert Brian Richardson was a World War I flying ace credited with 15 aerial victories.Richardson scored his first aerial victory on 18 February 1918. He then scored steadily through 4 April 1918. All his wins were scored while flying a Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a fighter... , James Dawe, two other pilots
6	7 April 1918 @ 1550 hours	Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n C9613	Albatros D.V	Destroyed	Bois de Moreuil
7	11 April 1918 @ 1655 hours	Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n C9613	LVG LVG Luftverkehrsgesellschaft m.b.H. was a German aircraft manufacturer based in Berlin-Johannisthal, which began constructing aircraft in 1912, building Farman-type aircraft. The company constructed many reconnaissance and light bomber biplanes during World War I.The raid on London in 1916 was...  reconnaissance plane	Driven down out of control	Villers-Bretonneux Villers-Bretonneux Villers-Bretonneux is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Villers-Bretonneux is situated some 19 km due east of Amiens, on the D1029 road and the A29 motorway.-History - World War I:...
8	12 April 1918 @ 1615 hours	Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n C9613	Albatros D.V	Destroyed	Hangard Hangard Hangard is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Hangard is situated on the D76 road, some southeast of Abbeville.-Population:-History:... -Moreuil Moreuil Moreuil is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Moreuil is situated on the D920 and D935 crossroads, some southeast of Amiens, on the banks of the Avre River.-Population:-History:...
9	12 April 1918 @ 1615 hours	Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n C9613	Albatros D.V	Driven down out of control	Hangard-Moreuil
10	20 April 1918 @ 0955 hours	Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n C9613	Pfalz D.III Pfalz D.III |-See also:-Bibliography:* Gray, Peter and Owen Thetford. German Aircraft of the First World War. London: Putnam, 1962. ISBN 0-93385-271-1.* Grosz, Peter M. Pfalz D.IIIa . Berkhamsted, Herts, UK: Albatros Publications, 1995. ISBN 0-94841-425-1.* Guttman, Jon. Balloon-Busting Aces of World War 1 ...	Destroyed	South of Morcourt Morcourt Morcourt may refer to the following places in France:* Morcourt, Aisne, a commune in the department of Aisne* Morcourt, Somme, a commune in the department of Somme...
11	23 April 1918 @ 1445 hours	Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n C9613	Pfalz D.III	Destroyed	South of Warfusée
12	3 May 1918 @ 1835 hours	Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n C9613	Fokker Triplane	Destroyed	Le Quesnel Le Quesnel Le Quesnel is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:The commune is situated at the D161 and D41 crossroads, some southeast of Amiens.-Population:-Places of interest:...
13	16 May 1918 @ 0615 hours	Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n D279	Albatros D.V	Driven down out of control	Foucaucourt
14	28 May 1918 @ 0600 hours	Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n D3444	Fokker D.VII Fokker D.VII The Fokker D.VII was a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the summer and autumn of 1918. In service, the D.VII quickly proved itself to be a formidable aircraft...	Driven down out of control	Maricourt Maricourt Maricourt is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France. It is twinned with Brundall, Norfolk, England.-Geography:Maricourt is situated on the D938 road, some southeast of Amiens.-Population:-The Commonwealth Cemetery:...
15	31 May 1918 @ 1730 hours	Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n D3444	Albatros D.V	Destroyed	Becquigny Becquigny Becquigny may refer to the following places in France:* Becquigny, Aisne, a commune in the department of Aisne* Becquigny, Somme, a commune in the department of Somme...
16	2 June 1918 @ 1115 hours	Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n D3444	Siemens-Schuckert D.III Siemens-Schuckert D.III -Bibliography:* Gray, Peter and Owen Thetford. German Aircraft of the First World War. London: Putnam, 1962. ISBN 0-93385-271-1.* Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. The Complete Book of Fighters. London: Salamander Books, 1994. ISBN 0-83173-939-8....	Destroyed	Contoire Contoire Contoire is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Contoire is situated at the junction of the D441 and D160, on the banks of the river Avre, some southeast of Amiens.-Population:-External links:* *...
17	3 June 1918 @ 1120 hours	Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n D3444	Albatros reconnaissance plane	Destroyed	Southeast of Marcelcave Marcelcave Marcelcave is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Marcelcave is situated on the D42 road, some east southeast of Amiens.-Population:-External links:*...	Victory shared with James Dawe
18	5 June 1918 @ 0805 hours	Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n D3444	Observation balloon Observation balloon Observation balloons are balloons that are employed as aerial platforms for intelligence gathering and artillery spotting. Their use began during the French Revolutionary Wars, reaching their zenith during World War I, and they continue in limited use today....	Destroyed 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....	Moreuil
19	7 June 1918 @ 1145 hours	Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n D3444	Fokker Triplane	Destroyed	Rosières Rosières Rosières may refer to the following places in France:* Rosières, Ardèche, a commune in the department of Ardèche* Rosières, Haute-Loire, a commune in the department of Haute-Loire* Rosières, Oise, a commune in the department of Oise...
20	17 June 1918 @ 1200 hours	Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n D3444	Fokker D.VII	Forced down and captured	Cachy Cachy Cachy is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Cachy is situated on the D168 road, some southeast of Amiens and near to Villers-Bretonneux.-Population:-External links:*...	Victory over Blue Max Blue Max Blue Max is an informal name of Pour le Mérite, a German military decoration from 1740 until the end of World War I.Blue Max may also refer to:* Blue Max , introduced in 1983* Blue Max , released in 1983...  winner Kurt Wusthoff Kurt Wusthoff Leutnant Kurt Wüsthoff was a German fighter pilot credited with 27 victories during World War I. He was the second youngest winner of Germany's highest decoration for valor, the Pour le Merite or Blue Max.-Early life:...  shared with Horace Barton Horace Barton Captain Horace Dale Barton was a World War I flying ace credited with 19 aerial victories.He originally spent 1914–1916 with the army in German Southwest and East Africa. He then joined the Royal Flying Corps in England. His first assignment after pilot's training was 84 Squadron. On 3 January... , George Owen Johnson George Owen Johnson Air Marshal George Owen Johnson CB, MC was a Canadian aviator.-World War I service:Born in Woodstock, Ontario in 1896, George Owen Johnson initially served as a subaltern with the Corps of School Cadet Instructors from 1913 to 1916... , C. E. Walton

Post World War I

He exited the Royal Air Force in early 1919 and went home to Antigua, suffering from eye strain. He then returned to the RAF, gaining a permanent commission as a lieutenant on 1 August 1919 and becoming an instructor at RAF 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...

. In 1920, he was assigned to flight operations in Iraq. On 22 September 1921, he flew DH.9a

Airco DH.9A

The Airco DH.9A was a British light bomber designed and first used shortly before the end of the First World War. Colloquially known as the "Ninak" , it served on in large numbers for the Royal Air Force following the end of the war, both at home and overseas, where it was used for colonial...

 no. F2838 on a relief expedition to drop food to a stranded boat, the Greenfly. He was shot down by ground fire at Samawahon, and seen to wade ashore. He was executed at Dangatora. He is commemorated on Panels 43 and 64 of the Basra Memorial.

Honors and awards

Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC)

Lt. (temp. Capt.) Ian Donald Roy McDonald, M.C.

A dashing, fighting pilot. In the past two months he has destroyed five enemy machines and brought down two others out of control. At all times he shows a fine offensive spirit and complete disregard of danger.
(Supplement to the London Gazette, 3 August 1918)

Military Cross (MC)

Lt. Ian Donald Roy McDonald, R.A.F.

For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. With seven scouts he attacked eighteen enemy machines, of which three were destroyed and one driven down completely out of control. When driven down to within 200 feet of the ground by two enemy machines owing to a choked engine, he turned on them and drove one down. He has in all destroyed eleven enemy aircraft and carried out valuable work in attacking enemy troops on the ground.

Reference

• SE 5/5a Aces of World War I. Norman Franks
  Norman Franks
  Norman Leslie Robert Franks is an English writer who specialises in aviation books on the pilots and squadrons of World Wars I and II.-Biography:...
  
  . Osprey Publishing, 2007. ISBN 184603180X, 9781846031809.
• Above the Trenches: a Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces 1915-1920. Christopher F. Shores, Norman L. R. Franks, Russell Guest. Grub Street, 1990. ISBN 0948817194, 9780948817199.