Robert Dodds
Encyclopedia
Robert Dodds was born in Stoney Creek, Canada on 11 March 1893, to Margaret Dodds. He enrolled in the 129th Battalion
of the Canadian Expeditionary Force
on 3 January 1916 at Dundas
, Canada. On his enlistment papers, he gave his occupation as fruit grower, stated he was single and lived on Rural Route 5 with his mother. Though he claimed no prior military experience, he belonged to the 77th Regiment of militia. He signed his enrollment form "R. Dodds, Lieut."
.
Dodds was posted to 48 Squadron as a Bristol F.2 Fighter
pilot on 12 July 1917. Nine days later, Dodds shared in a victory with fellow aces Brian Edmund Baker
and Robert Coath. Dodds scored his fifth victory on 21 October 1917 and closed out the year as an ace. A double victory on 9 January 1918, followed by three wins on 8 March, brought his total to ten.
On 10 February 1918, after his sixth and seventh wins, Lieutenant
Dodds was appointed Flight Commander and temporary captain.
His valor was not confined to air-to-air combat; on 19 March 1918, he led a bombing attack through heavy ground fire to bomb a German hangar from low level. He then circled the German airfield in his riddled plane as his squadron also bombed the enemy.
Both of these feats were cited when Military Cross (MC) was published in The London Gazette:
Lieutenant (Temporary/Captain) Robert Dodds, Central Ontario Regiment and Royal Flying Corps
"...He has destroyed or driven down eleven enemy machines. On one occasion while on a one-machine patrol he attacked three enemy scouts, but owing to his gun jamming he was forced to withdraw from the attack. Though under heavy fire from the pursuing enemy he succeeded in remedying the defect, and then turned and attacked the enemy again. He destroyed one of them and drove down another out of control. Later, he led a bombing raid on an enemy aerodrome, and under intense machine gun fire from the ground dived to within 100 feet of the hangars before releasing his bombs. Though his machine was damaged, he remained at a height of 200 feet until the rest of his formation had dropped their bombs. His magnificent example of pluck and determination was of the greatest value to the squadron."
Dodds then returned to Canada and helped found the Hamilton Ontario Aero Club. He managed International Airways and supervised airmail operations in eastern Canada.
Dodds joined the Canadian Civil Aeronautics Division in 1930; he would become heavily involved in development of Canada's airways system, especially as it affected Trans-Canada Air Lines
.
There was a Trans-Canada Airlines landing crash of a Lockheed Electra 14
(Registration CF-TCP) at Armstrong, Ontario
on 6 February 1941, killing 12; Chief Airline Inspector Dodds as chairman of the Federal Board of Inquiry arranged for removal of the crash debris to Winnipeg to aid in the accident investigation. This crash investigation was in addition to his ongoing administrative duties during World War II, providing airfields for use under the Empire Air Training Plan. He won the Order of the British Empire for this World War II service.
In 1950, he was promoted to Controller of Civil Aviation, putting him effectively in charge of Canada's civil aviation infrastructure.
On 11 August 1957, a DC-4 crash found Dodds as Director of the Civil Aviation Branch of Canada's Department of Transport
.
He retired in 1958. He died on 8 October 1980.
129th (Wentworth) Battalion, CEF
The 129th Battalion, CEF was a unit in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. Based in Dundas, Ontario, the unit began recruiting in late 1915 in Wentworth County. After sailing to England in August 1916, the battalion was absorbed into the 123rd and 124th Battalions, CEF...
of the Canadian Expeditionary Force
Canadian Expeditionary Force
The Canadian Expeditionary Force was the designation of the field force created by Canada for service overseas in the First World War. Units of the C.E.F. were divided into field formation in France, where they were organized first into separate divisions and later joined together into a single...
on 3 January 1916 at Dundas
Dundas
Dundas may refer to:Places* Dundas, Greenland* Dundas, Minnesota, United States* Dundas, New Brunswick, Canada* Dundas, New South Wales, Australia* Dundas, Ontario, Canada* Dundas, Tasmania, Australia* Dundas, Wisconsin, United States...
, Canada. On his enlistment papers, he gave his occupation as fruit grower, stated he was single and lived on Rural Route 5 with his mother. Though he claimed no prior military experience, he belonged to the 77th Regiment of militia. He signed his enrollment form "R. Dodds, Lieut."
World War I
On 27 March 1917, Dodds was appointed a Flying OfficerFlying 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...
.
Dodds was posted to 48 Squadron as a Bristol F.2 Fighter
Bristol F.2 Fighter
The Bristol F.2 Fighter was a British two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War flown by the Royal Flying Corps. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter or popularly the "Brisfit" or "Biff". Despite being a two-seater, the F.2B proved to be an agile aircraft...
pilot on 12 July 1917. Nine days later, Dodds shared in a victory with fellow aces Brian Edmund Baker
Brian Edmund Baker
Air Marshal Sir Brian Edmund Baker KBE, CB, DSO, MC, AFC was a British Flying Ace in World War I credited, in conjunction with his gunners, with 12 victories, comprising 1 aircraft captured, 1 and 3 shared destroyed, and 6 and 1 shared 'out of control'.-Military career:Baker served in the Rifle...
and Robert Coath. Dodds scored his fifth victory on 21 October 1917 and closed out the year as an ace. A double victory on 9 January 1918, followed by three wins on 8 March, brought his total to ten.
On 10 February 1918, after his sixth and seventh wins, Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Dodds was appointed Flight Commander and temporary captain.
His valor was not confined to air-to-air combat; on 19 March 1918, he led a bombing attack through heavy ground fire to bomb a German hangar from low level. He then circled the German airfield in his riddled plane as his squadron also bombed the enemy.
Both of these feats were cited when Military Cross (MC) was published in The London Gazette:
Lieutenant (Temporary/Captain) Robert Dodds, Central Ontario Regiment and Royal Flying Corps
"...He has destroyed or driven down eleven enemy machines. On one occasion while on a one-machine patrol he attacked three enemy scouts, but owing to his gun jamming he was forced to withdraw from the attack. Though under heavy fire from the pursuing enemy he succeeded in remedying the defect, and then turned and attacked the enemy again. He destroyed one of them and drove down another out of control. Later, he led a bombing raid on an enemy aerodrome, and under intense machine gun fire from the ground dived to within 100 feet of the hangars before releasing his bombs. Though his machine was damaged, he remained at a height of 200 feet until the rest of his formation had dropped their bombs. His magnificent example of pluck and determination was of the greatest value to the squadron."
List of victories
| No. | Date/time | Aircraft | Foe | Result | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 July 1917 @ 1800 hours | Bristol F.2 Fighter Bristol F.2 Fighter The Bristol F.2 Fighter was a British two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War flown by the Royal Flying Corps. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter or popularly the "Brisfit" or "Biff". Despite being a two-seater, the F.2B proved to be an agile aircraft... serial number A7153 |
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 | Slijpe, Belgium | Dodd's ace observer was Lieutenant Thomas Tuffield |
| 2 | 22 August 1917 @ 0905 hours | Bristol F.2 Fighter s/n 7222 | Albatros D.III | Driven down out of control | Ghistelles, Belgium | Observer Tuffield |
| 3 | 3 September 1917 @ 0815 hours | Bristol F.2 Fighter s/n 7222 | Albatros D.III | Destroyed by fire | North of Dixmude, Belgium | Observer Tuffield. Otto Hartmann Otto Hartmann Hauptmann Otto Hartman was a World War I flying ace credited with seven aerial victories.-Reference:... KIA Killed in action Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to... |
| 4 | 3 September 1917 @ 0815 hours | Bristol F.2 Fighter s/n 7222 | Albatros D.III | Driven down out of control | North of Dixmude | Observer Tuffield |
| 5 | 21 October 1917 @ 1245 hours | Bristol F.2 Fighter s/n B1134 | 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.... |
Driven down out of control | Clemskerke | Observer ace Lieutenant Arthur Cyril Cooper |
| 6 | 9 January 1918 @ 1140 hours | Bristol F.2 Fighter s/n B1182 | Rumpler Rumpler The Rumpler Tropfenwagen was a car developed by Austrian engineer Edmund Rumpler.Rumpler, born in Vienna, was a designer of aircraft when on the 1921's Berlin car show he introduced the Tropfenwagen. It was to be the first streamlined car . The Rumpler had a Cw-value of only 0.28... reconnaissance plane |
Driven down out of control | Caudry Caudry Caudry is a commune of the Nord department in northern France.-History:In the Middle Ages, as tradition will have it, Maxellende, a daughter of the lord of Caudry, was stabbed to death by one Harduin d'Amerval on 13 November 670 after turning him down. Following this Harduin became blind... , France |
Observer Lieutenant W. Hart |
| 7 | 9 January 1918 @ 1150 hours | Bristol F.2 Fighter s/n B1182 | Albatros D.V | Driven down out of control | Willencourt Willencourt Willencourt is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Willencourt is situated some west of Arras, at the junction of the D118 and the D118E roads, on the banks of the river Authie, the border with the department of the... , France |
Observer Lieutenant W. Hart |
| 8 | morning of 8 March 1918 | Bristol F.2 Fighter s/n C4606 | 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 by fire | La Fère La Fère La Fère is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in France.-Population:-References:*... , France |
Observer Lieutenant D. Wishart-Orr |
| 9 | morning of 8 March 1918 | Bristol F.2 Fighter s/n C4606 | 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 by fire | La Fère | Observer Lieutenant D. Wishart-Orr |
| 10 | 8 March 1918 @ 1600 hours | Bristol F.2 Fighter s/n C4606 | Reconnaissance two-seater | Driven down out of control | Bellecourt-Quesnoy | Observer Lieutenant D. Wishart-Orr |
Post World War I
On 4 May 1919, Dodds was seconded from 1st Central Ontario Regiment to the Royal Air Force as an acting captain; simultaneously, he relinquished his RAF commission and went on the unemployed list.Dodds then returned to Canada and helped found the Hamilton Ontario Aero Club. He managed International Airways and supervised airmail operations in eastern Canada.
Dodds joined the Canadian Civil Aeronautics Division in 1930; he would become heavily involved in development of Canada's airways system, especially as it affected Trans-Canada Air Lines
Trans-Canada Air Lines
Trans-Canada Air Lines was a Canadian airline and operated as the country's flag carrier. Its corporate headquarters were in Montreal, Quebec...
.
There was a Trans-Canada Airlines landing crash of a Lockheed Electra 14
Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Francillon, René J. Lockheed Aircraft since 1913. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1987. ISBN 0-85177-835-6.-External links:*...
(Registration CF-TCP) at Armstrong, Ontario
Armstrong, Ontario
Armstrong is a township in the Timiskaming District of Ontario. The community of Earlton is part of Armstrong Township.-References :**...
on 6 February 1941, killing 12; Chief Airline Inspector Dodds as chairman of the Federal Board of Inquiry arranged for removal of the crash debris to Winnipeg to aid in the accident investigation. This crash investigation was in addition to his ongoing administrative duties during World War II, providing airfields for use under the Empire Air Training Plan. He won the Order of the British Empire for this World War II service.
In 1950, he was promoted to Controller of Civil Aviation, putting him effectively in charge of Canada's civil aviation infrastructure.
On 11 August 1957, a DC-4 crash found Dodds as Director of the Civil Aviation Branch of Canada's Department of Transport
Transport Canada
Transport Canada is the department within the government of Canada which is responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of transportation in Canada. It is part of the Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities portfolio...
.
He retired in 1958. He died on 8 October 1980.