Raymond Collishaw
Encyclopedia
Air Vice Marshal Raymond Collishaw CB
, DSO
& Bar
, OBE
, DSC
, DFC
, RAF
(22 November 1893 – 28 September 1976) was a distinguished Canadian fighter pilot, squadron leader, and commanding officer who served in the Royal Naval Air Service
(RNAS) and later the Royal Air Force
. He was the highest scoring RNAS flying ace
and the second highest scoring Canadian pilot of the First World War. He was noted as a great leader in the air, leading many of his own formations into battle. As a member of the RAF during the Second World War, he commanded No. 204 Group (which later became the Desert Air Force
) in North Africa
.
, Canada
on 22 November 1893. His father was John Edward Collishaw from Wrexham, Wales and his mother Sarah "Sadie" Jones from Newport, Wales but raised in Pantygog, Garw Valley.
At the age of 15, the younger Collishaw joined the Canadian Fisheries Protection Services as a cabin boy. He was a lower class sailor onboard the Alcedo when it sailed into the Arctic Circle in search of the Stefansson
expedition. Unfortunately, it turned out that the expedition was too late to rescue the Karluk
.
s. Some of the Sopwiths were equipped as bombers, while others were designed as two-seat fighters.
In February, 1917, Collishaw was posted to No. 3 Naval Squadron
, which was operating with the army near Cambrai
. During his two months there, Collishaw was employed as escort to the Corps Squadron bombers, downing one German aircraft in the process. In April, he returned to the coast, being transferred to No. 10 Naval Squadron
, engaging in mainly coastal patrols.
By the end of May, the Royal Flying Corps was badly in need of reinforcements, much due to the after-effects of Bloody April
. As a result, Collishaw was posted to his previous No. 10 Naval Squadron
as a Flight Commander. Collishaw's "B" Flight would be composed entirely of Canadians. Although British commanders had strongly discouraged pilots painting their aircraft, Collishaw's flight painted their Sopwith Triplane
s dead black, and called themselves the All-Black Flight, later known more simply as the Black Flight.
During their first two months they claimed a record 87 German aircraft destroyed or driven down - which, strangely enough, brought Collishaw and the unit no wide publicity. Collishaw later claimed that this was because officials in the regular Royal Flying Corps were loathe to give credit to naval pilots. He was the first Commonwealth pilot to claim six victories in one day (6 July 1917). There have been claims that Collishaw shot down German ace Karl Allmenröder
, but this has been disputed.
In August, Collishaw returned to Canada for two months' leave, the British Empire's second-highest-scoring living ace. He was virtually unknown, in stark contrast to the grand reception given to the top-scoring living ace, Billy Bishop
, when he returned on leave at about the same time. At this point, he had been awarded two British decorations during the summer: the Distinguished Service Cross, and the Distinguished Service Order
. Returning to the war late November, he was given command of No. 13 Naval Squadron
, which was operating from Dunkirk, doing escort duty with the Channel Patrol.
On 23 January 1918, Collishaw returned to the embattled area of the Western Front to command No. 3 Naval Squadron, which was equipped with the more deadly British Sopwith Camel
fighters. On 1 April, the RNAS and the RFC merged and No. 3 Naval became No. 203 Squadron Royal Air Force. Collishaw remained in command with the new rank of major, finding that serving as a Commanding Officer took up a great deal of his time with "paper work". But he was able to make time for flying, and by the end of the summer, he had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, and a bar
to his Distinguished Service Order.
Collishaw had quite a few close escapes during the war. He was shot down out of control and crashed several times. Once, lost in a fog, he landed on a German aerodrome, and was actually taxiing to the tarmac when he saw German insignia on the grounded planes, and German troops rushing out to arrest him. He opened his throttle wide, took off, and escaped. On another occasion, his goggles were shattered by an enemy bullet. He once had his controls disabled by German machine gun fire from the ground and had to ride out the flight until the aircraft crash-landed – luckily near the British front trenches.
Collishaw was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Distinguished Service Order with bar
and the French Croix de Guerre. He scored 60 victories, consisting of 28 enemy aircraft destroyed (including one shared victory), 30 enemy aircraft driven down "out of control" (including two shared wins), and one enemy aircraft "driven down."
when the Armistice was signed. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel during this time. He took some leave in Canada in December before returning to England. He was planning on attempting to fly across the Atlantic using a long range bomber but his plans were interrupted by events.
The decision was made to send a squadron to help General Denikin's White Russian forces in the Russian Civil War
and Collishaw was chosen to be in command. His squadron found itself fighting against the Bolsheviks, who had skilled German pilots manning some of their aircraft. This campaign initially went well but eventually turned into a retreat then a rout during which the squadron was withdrawn. Collishaw added another victory to his total during this conflict, as well as managing to sink an enemy gunboat with a bomb dropped from his Sopwith Camel.
was withdrawn from Russia, Collishaw was sent to Egypt to command 84 Squadron
. The squadron was moved to Persia, which was made a British protectorate after the war, to defend against the Russians. In the 1921 New Year's Honours List, Collishaw was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.
In 1935 and 1936, during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War
, Collishaw commanded No. 5 Wing
.
, Collishaw attained the rank of Air Vice Marshal following distinguished service commanding the No. 204 Group in North Africa
; he was awarded a Companion of the Order of the Bath during this time. He was then posted as AOC No. 14 Group RAF
in the north of Scotland. He retired, involuntarily, from the RAF in July 1943 and spent the rest of the war as the Civil Defence Regional Air Liaison Officer.
His memoirs were titled Air Command, A Fighting Pilot's Story and were published in 1973.
Collishaw died on 28 September 1976 in West Vancouver, British Columbia
at the age of 82.
As early as the 1950s, there has been debate over whether his kills had been understated, due to the Royal Naval Air Service receiving less credit than the Royal Flying Corps. Some historians credit him with 81 (unofficial) kills, which would place him at the top of First World War flying ace
s, ahead of the "Red Baron"
and top British Empire ace Billy Bishop. If the application of stricter victory verification was applied, however, his score would invariably be considerably less (as with all RAF, RFC and RNAS aces' scores in the First World War).
Royal Canadian Air Cadets
205 Collishaw squadron, named after him, is in his home town of Nanaimo, and 204 Black Maria squadron, named after his aircraft, is located in Kamloops.
On 2 October 1999, the terminal at Nanaimo Airport
was named the Nanaimo-Collishaw Air Terminal in his honour.
|-
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
& Bar
Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
, OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, DSC
Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the third level military decoration awarded to officers, and other ranks, of the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and British Merchant Navy and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.The DSC, which may be awarded posthumously, is...
, 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...
, RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
(22 November 1893 – 28 September 1976) was a distinguished Canadian fighter pilot, squadron leader, and commanding officer who served in 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...
(RNAS) and later the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
. He was the highest scoring RNAS 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...
and the second highest scoring Canadian pilot of the First World War. He was noted as a great leader in the air, leading many of his own formations into battle. As a member of the RAF during the Second World War, he commanded No. 204 Group (which later became the Desert Air Force
Desert Air Force
The Desert Air Force , also known chronologically as Air Headquarters Western Desert, Air Headquarters Libya, AHQ Western Desert, the Western Desert Air Force, Desert Air Force, and the First Tactical Air Force , was an Allied tactical air force initially created from No...
) in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
.
Early life
Raymond Collishaw was born at Nanaimo, British ColumbiaNanaimo, British Columbia
Nanaimo is a city on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It has been dubbed the "Bathtub Racing Capital of the World" and "Harbour City". Nanaimo is also sometimes referred to as the "Hub City" because of its central location on Vancouver Island and due to the layout of the downtown...
, Canada
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...
on 22 November 1893. His father was John Edward Collishaw from Wrexham, Wales and his mother Sarah "Sadie" Jones from Newport, Wales but raised in Pantygog, Garw Valley.
At the age of 15, the younger Collishaw joined the Canadian Fisheries Protection Services as a cabin boy. He was a lower class sailor onboard the Alcedo when it sailed into the Arctic Circle in search of the Stefansson
Vilhjalmur Stefansson
Vilhjalmur Stefansson was a Canadian Arctic explorer and ethnologist.-Early life:Stefansson, born William Stephenson, was born at Gimli, Manitoba, Canada, in 1879. His parents had emigrated from Iceland to Manitoba two years earlier...
expedition. Unfortunately, it turned out that the expedition was too late to rescue the Karluk
Karluk (ship)
The last voyage of HMCS Karluk, flagship of the Canadian Arctic Expedition,ended with the loss of the ship and the subsequent deaths of nearly half her complement. On her outward voyage in August 1913 Karluk, a brigantine formerly used as a whaler, became trapped in the Arctic ice while sailing to...
.
First World War
When war broke out in 1914, his first idea was to join the Royal Navy in England, and he crossed the Atlantic at his own expense for that purpose. By 1915, he had worked his way up to first officer. Toward the end of 1915, Collishaw joined the Royal Naval Air Service. He qualified as a pilot in January 1916. He spent seven months patrolling the British coast then, on 2 August 1916, he joined the RNAS's 3rd Wing which was operating at Ochey, in France, flying the British Sopwith 1½ StrutterSopwith 1½ Strutter
The Sopwith 1½ Strutter was a British one or two-seat biplane multi-role aircraft of the First World War. It is significant as the first British-designed two seater tractor fighter, and the first British aircraft to enter service with a synchronised machine gun...
s. Some of the Sopwiths were equipped as bombers, while others were designed as two-seat fighters.
"Collishaw's first recorded victory came while he was flying escort on the Wing's first large-scale raid into Germany, on October 12th, 1916. The raid was against the Mauser Rifle Factory at Oberndorf, in Germany. The bombers had nearly reached their target when they were attacked by six German Fokkers. Collishaw got into position to allow his observer to fire on one, and he evidently damaged it. Collishaw then turned, gained height, and fired a burst with the front gun. The fokker dived out of control, and, according to the British crews, crashed to the ground, a total wreck. According to the German authorities, they lost no aircraft during the engagement, but it was not unheard of for combatants to attribute their losses to accident rather than enemy action.
Collishaw's next two victories were properly witnessed by thousands of French troops. He was ferrying a new aircraft from Wing Headquarters when six enemies dived out of the clouds and attacked him. It was six to one, and the Germans had the advantage of height. Collishaw, like BarkerWilliam George BarkerWilliam George Barker VC, DSO & Bar, MC & Two Bars was a Canadian First World War fighter ace and Victoria Cross recipient...
and McKeeverAndrew Edward McKeeverAndrew Edward McKeever DSO, MC & Bar, DFC was a Canadian World War I two-seater flying ace who, in conjunction with his gunners, was credited with 31 victories...
, was happiest when close to the ground in such a spot. He went down. At tree-top level the advantage of numbers meant much less. In two quick bursts, he sent two Albatroses crashing into the trees, after which the others flew off. The flight so impressed the French that they awarded him the Croix de GuerreCroix de guerreThe Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
.
On December 27th, while returning from a raid on the steel works at Dillingen, Collishaw's machine was damaged in flight; he only just succeeded in gliding back over French lines near Nancy [France], where he crashed, and his plane was a total wreck. It was the first of a number of crashes, and Collishaw on that occasion set the pattern which he followed throughout. He stepped out of the wreckage grinning, and ready to fly again."
In February, 1917, Collishaw was posted to No. 3 Naval Squadron
No. 203 Squadron RAF
No. 203 Squadron RAF was originally formed as No. 3 Squadron Royal Naval Air Service. It was renumbered No. 203 when the Royal Air Force was formed on 1 April 1918.-First World War:...
, which was operating with the army near Cambrai
Cambrai
Cambrai is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.Cambrai is the seat of an archdiocese whose jurisdiction was immense during the Middle Ages. The territory of the Bishopric of Cambrai, roughly coinciding with the shire of Brabant, included...
. During his two months there, Collishaw was employed as escort to the Corps Squadron bombers, downing one German aircraft in the process. In April, he returned to the coast, being transferred to No. 10 Naval Squadron
No. 210 Squadron RAF
No. 210 Squadron was a Royal Air Force unit established in World War I. Disbanded and reformed a number of times in the ensuing years, it operated as a fighter squadron during World War I and as a maritime patrol squadron during the Spanish Civil War, World War II and the Cold War before it was...
, engaging in mainly coastal patrols.
Bloody April
During the First World War, the month of April 1917 was known as Bloody April by the Royal Flying Corps . The RFC suffered particularly severe losses — about three times as many as the Imperial German Army Air Service over the same period — but continued its primary role in support of the ground...
. As a result, Collishaw was posted to his previous No. 10 Naval Squadron
No. 210 Squadron RAF
No. 210 Squadron was a Royal Air Force unit established in World War I. Disbanded and reformed a number of times in the ensuing years, it operated as a fighter squadron during World War I and as a maritime patrol squadron during the Spanish Civil War, World War II and the Cold War before it was...
as a Flight Commander. Collishaw's "B" Flight would be composed entirely of Canadians. Although British commanders had strongly discouraged pilots painting their aircraft, Collishaw's flight painted their Sopwith Triplane
Sopwith Triplane
The Sopwith Triplane was a British single seat fighter aircraft designed and manufactured by the Sopwith Aviation Company during the First World War. Pilots nicknamed it the Tripehound or simply the Tripe. The Triplane became operational with the Royal Naval Air Service in early 1917 and was...
s dead black, and called themselves the All-Black Flight, later known more simply as the Black Flight.
"The aircraft of the All-Black Flight were christened with suitable names. Ellis Reid, of Toronto, flew Black Roger; J. E. Sharman, of Winnipeg, flew Black Death; Gerry Nash, of Hamilton, called his machine Black Sheep; and Marcus Alexander, of Toronto, christened his plane the Black Prince. The flight commander, Collishaw, flew a machine which gloried in the name Black Maria."
Karl Allmenröder
Leutnant Karl Allmenröder , Pour le Merite, Knights Cross of Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Iron Cross First and Second Class, was a German World War I flying ace.-Early life:...
, but this has been disputed.
"Their first loss came when they had achieved an aggregate of fifty victories. On June 26th, the All-Blacks found themselves engaged with Richthofen'sManfred von RichthofenManfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen , also widely known as the Red Baron, was a German fighter pilot with the Imperial German Army Air Service during World War I...
Jagdstaffel 11. Gerry Nash found that he was fighting two German pilots single-handed. One of the Germans was Lieutenant Karl Allmenröder, victor in some 30 air battles, and second only to Richthofen among the German pilots then in action. Nash's other opponent was Richthofen himself.
Yet, faced by the two deadliest German pilots, Nash fought a tremendous battle. He twisted and turned, looking for openings, but at last Allmenröder got in a telling burst, and Nash's controls were damaged. He fell out of the fight and managed to land safely - but behind the enemy lines, where he destroyed his plane before he was captured.
The four survivors were bitterly grieved by the loss, for they had grown into a band of brothers, and they swore to keep a sharp eye out for the Albatroses of Richthofen's squadron which had brought down Nash. At the same time they thought that Nash was dead. On the morning of June 27th they met the Richthofen Staffel near Courtrai, and this time Collishaw found himself engaged with the bright-green Albatros of Allmenröder - though he was not aware at the moment that he was fighting the conqueror of Nash. It was one of the classic dogfights of the war, like Barker against Linke, like Hawker against Richthofen - two skilled and experienced fighters, who knew every trick, had met.
They met head-on, then they went into the "waltz", but at last Collishaw found an opening, and Allmenröder went down out of control, to crash to his death near Lille. Nash, lying in a cell, heard a church bell tolling that afternoon, and learned from his guard that it was the funeral of Allmenröder, who had shot him down. Allmenröder, the guard said, he been shot down by the leader of the Black Triplanes."
In August, Collishaw returned to Canada for two months' leave, the British Empire's second-highest-scoring living ace. He was virtually unknown, in stark contrast to the grand reception given to the top-scoring living ace, Billy Bishop
Billy Bishop
Air Marshal William Avery "Billy" Bishop VC, CB, DSO & Bar, MC, DFC, ED was a Canadian First World War flying ace, officially credited with 72 victories, making him the top Canadian ace, and according to some sources, the top ace of the British Empire.-Early life:Bishop was born in Owen Sound,...
, when he returned on leave at about the same time. At this point, he had been awarded two British decorations during the summer: the Distinguished Service Cross, and the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
. Returning to the war late November, he was given command of No. 13 Naval Squadron
No. 213 Squadron RAF
No. 213 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. The squadron was formed on 1 April 1918 from No. 13 Squadron of the Royal Naval Air Service...
, which was operating from Dunkirk, doing escort duty with the Channel Patrol.
"His most amazing experience on that tour of duty was an air battle between his squadron and a formation of German Scouts in which no shot was fired. The squadron was providing protection for an observation machine, which was ranging guns for a fleet firing on Zeebrugge. The German formation approached, and Collishaw led his pilots to the attack but found that his guns had jammed, owing to the congealing of the oil in the low temperature. Several times he turned to attack the Germans, and each time they withdrew, until the navy's shoot was finished. Then Collishaw learned that all the squadron's guns were jammed - possibly all the guns of the German Scouts as well."
On 23 January 1918, Collishaw returned to the embattled area of the Western Front to command No. 3 Naval Squadron, which was equipped with the more deadly British 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...
fighters. On 1 April, the RNAS and the RFC merged and No. 3 Naval became No. 203 Squadron Royal Air Force. Collishaw remained in command with the new rank of major, finding that serving as a Commanding Officer took up a great deal of his time with "paper work". But he was able to make time for flying, and by the end of the summer, he had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, and a bar
Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
to his Distinguished Service Order.
Collishaw had quite a few close escapes during the war. He was shot down out of control and crashed several times. Once, lost in a fog, he landed on a German aerodrome, and was actually taxiing to the tarmac when he saw German insignia on the grounded planes, and German troops rushing out to arrest him. He opened his throttle wide, took off, and escaped. On another occasion, his goggles were shattered by an enemy bullet. He once had his controls disabled by German machine gun fire from the ground and had to ride out the flight until the aircraft crash-landed – luckily near the British front trenches.
Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
and the French Croix de Guerre. He scored 60 victories, consisting of 28 enemy aircraft destroyed (including one shared victory), 30 enemy aircraft driven down "out of control" (including two shared wins), and one enemy aircraft "driven down."
Russia 1919
Collishaw was in England working on the formation of the Royal Canadian Air ForceRoyal Canadian Air Force
The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
when the Armistice was signed. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel during this time. He took some leave in Canada in December before returning to England. He was planning on attempting to fly across the Atlantic using a long range bomber but his plans were interrupted by events.
The decision was made to send a squadron to help General Denikin's White Russian forces in the Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
and Collishaw was chosen to be in command. His squadron found itself fighting against the Bolsheviks, who had skilled German pilots manning some of their aircraft. This campaign initially went well but eventually turned into a retreat then a rout during which the squadron was withdrawn. Collishaw added another victory to his total during this conflict, as well as managing to sink an enemy gunboat with a bomb dropped from his Sopwith Camel.
Inter-war years
After 47 SquadronNo. 47 Squadron RAF
No. 47 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Hercules from RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire.-First formation:No. 47 Squadron Royal Flying Corps was formed at Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire on 1 March 1916 as a home defence unit, protecting Hull and East Yorkshire against attack by German...
was withdrawn from Russia, Collishaw was sent to Egypt to command 84 Squadron
No. 84 Squadron RAF
No. 84 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is at present a Search and Rescue Squadron based at RAF Akrotiri, it uses the Bell Griffin HAR.2 helicopter. It is currently part of the RAF's Search and Rescue Force-History:...
. The squadron was moved to Persia, which was made a British protectorate after the war, to defend against the Russians. In the 1921 New Year's Honours List, Collishaw was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.
In 1935 and 1936, during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War
Second Italo-Abyssinian War
The Second Italo–Abyssinian War was a colonial war that started in October 1935 and ended in May 1936. The war was fought between the armed forces of the Kingdom of Italy and the armed forces of the Ethiopian Empire...
, Collishaw commanded No. 5 Wing
No. 5 Wing RAF
Number 5 Wing of the Royal Air Force was a wing of aircraft squadrons which was originally established as the Fifth Wing of the Royal Flying Corps. Currently inactive, the wing has been formed and disbanded five times over the course of its history....
.
Second World War
During the Second World WarWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Collishaw attained the rank of Air Vice Marshal following distinguished service commanding the No. 204 Group in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
; he was awarded a Companion of the Order of the Bath during this time. He was then posted as AOC No. 14 Group RAF
No. 14 Group RAF
No. 14 Group RAF was first formed on 1 April 1918 by the redesignation of Milford Haven Anti-Submarine Group. On 8 May it was transferred to Midland Area, and it was disbanded on 19 May 1919....
in the north of Scotland. He retired, involuntarily, from the RAF in July 1943 and spent the rest of the war as the Civil Defence Regional Air Liaison Officer.
Later years and legacy
Collishaw died on 28 September 1976 in West Vancouver, British Columbia
West Vancouver, British Columbia
West Vancouver is a district municipality in the province of British Columbia, Canada. A member municipality of Metro Vancouver, the governing body of the Greater Vancouver Regional District, the municipality is northwest of the city of Vancouver on the northern side of English Bay and the...
at the age of 82.
As early as the 1950s, there has been debate over whether his kills had been understated, due to the Royal Naval Air Service receiving less credit than the Royal Flying Corps. Some historians credit him with 81 (unofficial) kills, which would place him at the top of First World War 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...
s, ahead of the "Red Baron"
Manfred von Richthofen
Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen , also widely known as the Red Baron, was a German fighter pilot with the Imperial German Army Air Service during World War I...
and top British Empire ace Billy Bishop. If the application of stricter victory verification was applied, however, his score would invariably be considerably less (as with all RAF, RFC and RNAS aces' scores in the First World War).
"A man who flew with him claimed that he would often "give" a victory to a new, green pilot, just to bolster his confidence. The new pilot would be taken out by the renowned Collishaw to "bag one". Anxiously following the leader, he would find himself diving on the tail of a German reconnaissance plane. Trying to control the machine, so that the nose would stay still, he would find his gun-sight wobbling all over the sky. He would press the firing button, spraying bullets like a lawn sprinkler. Then suddenly Collishaw would appear alongside; there would be a short, deadly burst, and the new pilot would turn sick as he saw the enemy plane catch fire and plunge to earth. He would fly back to the aerodrome, where the flight commander would clap him heartily on the shoulder and insist "You got one! Grand show, old boy!" The new pilot, unable to speak, would nod timidly, and thereafter he would fly into battle with Collisaw anywhere. That was - according to the story - part of Collishaw's great quality of leadership."
Royal Canadian Air Cadets
Royal Canadian Air Cadets
Royal Canadian Air Cadets is a Canadian national youth program for persons aged 12 to 18. It is administered by the Canadian Forces and funded through the Department of National Defence with additional support from the civilian Air Cadet League of Canada...
205 Collishaw squadron, named after him, is in his home town of Nanaimo, and 204 Black Maria squadron, named after his aircraft, is located in Kamloops.
On 2 October 1999, the terminal at Nanaimo Airport
Nanaimo Airport
Nanaimo Airport, , is located south southeast of Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada.The airport is classified as an airport of entry by NAV CANADA and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency...
was named the Nanaimo-Collishaw Air Terminal in his honour.
External links
- Letters written by AVM Collishaw to Colin MacGregor Stevens 1967-1968
- Collishaw biography
- An excellent, in-depth and thorough biography of Collishaw
- Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation - AVM R Collishaw
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