Samuel Kinkead
Encyclopedia
Samuel Marcus Kinkead DSO
, DSC
& Bar
, DFC
& Bar
(25 February 1897 – 12 March 1928) was a South African fighter ace Captain
with 33 victories during World War I. He went on to serve in southern Russia and the Middle East postwar.
, South Africa
, to an Irish father and Scottish mother who had recently emigrated to South Africa. He was the second son, with an elder brother named Thompson Calder Kinkead, born circa 1893.
Samuel Kinkead joined the Royal Naval Air Service
in September, 1915. He took pilot training at Eastbourne in South Africa. He earned his wings by the end of 1915.
. While flying a Bristol Scout
, he shot down a Fokker on 11 August 1916. He also scored on 28 August 1916 while flying a Nieuport
, and was credited with a third victory while flying a Nieuport.
He fell ill with a serious case of malaria and was shipped home to convalesce. Upon recovery, he was forwarded to England, where his older brother Thompson was training as a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps
. While on his second solo flight on 3 September 1917, Thompson died in a crash at Shoreham. Samuel signed for his deceased brother's personal effects.
Samuel Kinkead was assigned to 1 Naval Squadron to fly Nieuports on the Western Front
. Exactly two weeks after his brother's death, on 17 September 1917, he drove down a DFW C out of control. A month later, he repeated the feat to become an ace. He went on to claim three more triumphs in October.
In November and December 1917, he downed three planes each. In mid November, he switched 'birds' to fly a Sopwith Camel
, the type of plane he would fly through war's end. Then, with his tally at 14, he went on hiatus for three months. During this time, on 22 February, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross
.
In March, 1918, he started accumulating victories by ones and twos, finishing up May with his total at 26. Most of the time, he drove enemy craft out of the fight; he reported few destroyed. However, he received a Bar to his DSC on 26 April 1918. Then, on 30 May, he broke his string again, this time for two months.
He scored on each of the last three days of July, and four times in August, bringing his total to 33. He had become the leading ace out of the 18 in his squadron, now renumbered 201 Squadron when it was folded into the newly formed Royal Air Force
. On 3 August, he received the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
. On 2 November, he was awarded a bar to his DFC.
Out of the victories whose details are recorded, Kinkead claimed 23 enemy planes 'out of control' including 3 shared. He destroyed 5, and shared in the destruction of 2 others. 1 aircraft was claimed captured.
. He served as B Flight Commander under Raymond Collishaw
. The squadron operated from an equipped train. It was while supporting General Denikin's Royalists that, on 12 October 1919, he won the Distinguished Service Order
for a crucial ground attack against a Bolshevik cavalry division near Kotluban, thus saving the city of Tsaritsyn from capture. He also shot down three Russian fighters during this campaign: on 30 September 1919, at Chernyi Yar; on 7 October, at Dubovka; and on 18 October at Peskovatka.
He was a member of the British 1927 Schneider Trophy
team, retiring in the Gloster IV
after five laps. His third lap speed of 277.18 mph was the fastest biplane seaplane flight ever recorded.
near Calshot
England
. The circumstances of his death have never been satisfactorily explained although a verdict of death by misadventure was passed at the inquest. The witnesses to the crash thought Kinkead was flying very low and very fast when his S.5 dived into moderately deep water near the Calshot Lightship. Although the RAF Duty Motorboat quickly buoyed the wreck site it took two days for the salvage vessel to find and retrieve the wreckage that had split into two parts. The remains were taken to Calshot and the controls were laid out on the slipway to check for any technical fault but the inspector could find nothing technically wrong with the machine. It was at first though Kinkead had been thrown clear of the machine during the crash but his body was found, minus half of its' head, compressed into the tail. The tail had to be cut open in order to retrieve the body. It was quite obvious that Sam Kinkead had died instantly.
Although neither the RAF inquiry nor the Coroner's Inquest were able to give a definitive cause for the accident D'Arcy Grieg, the pilot who took over from Kinkead, had his own theory as to what had happened. He ruled out mechanical failure of the aircraft because they were too well maintained but said Kinkead was killed by a combination of factors including recovering from a bout of Malaria that would have him feeling, ' a bit below par.' It was March and late in the afternoon. The sea was glass calm and therefor impossible to judge height accurately and there was a mist so he had no horizon when coming in. Grieg also thought the fumes from the engine and the heat from the oil coolers would have turned the cockpit into an extreamly hot Turkish Bath. The autopsy, however, had found no evidence for carbon monoxide poisoning. Flying at over 300 MPH and at no higher than 150 feet Kinkead was never more than half a heart beat from disaster.
Kinkead was buried at All Saints' Church, Fawley – the headstone on his grave reads:
In recognition of the conspicuous gallantry and skill displayed by him in the face of the enemy in aerial combats, notably on the following occasions:
On 24 October 1917, he brought down an enemy machine, and immediately afterwards encountered and drove off a group of seven hostile aeroplanes. On 4 December 1917, he brought down an enemy two-seater machine completely out of control. By his skill and determination in attacking enemy machines he has always shown a fine example to other pilots.
For the skill and courage displayed by him as a pilot. On 22 March 1918, he attacked and drove down out of control an Albatros scout which was attacking a French machine. He has brought down many other enemy machines. He is an exceptionally good pilot, and a clever and plucky fighter, and has performed very fine work, both on offensive patrols and on low flying missions.
A skilful and gallant leader, who has attacked enemy formations superior in numbers with marked success. In a recent engagement his patrol flew to the assistance of some of our machines which were greatly outnumbered by the enemy, and succeeded in accounting for three enemy machines and scattered the remainder.
On a recent date this officer engaged a large party of troops in a wood. The engagement lasted for an hour, but so persistent was his attack that the enemy finally broke and dispersed. During this attack he was harassed by six hostile scouts. Later on he shot down an enemy two-seater in our lines. A bold and daring airman.
On 12 October 1919, near Kotluban, this officer led a formation of Camel machines and attacked the Cavalry Division of Dumenko.
By skilful tactics in low flying he dispersed this force, which had turned the left flank of the Caucasian Army, and threatened to jeopardise the whole defence of Tzaritzin.
Flying Officer Kinkead has carried out similar attacks on enemy troops, batteries, camps and transport with great success at considerable personal risk.
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...
, 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...
& 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...
, 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...
& 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...
(25 February 1897 – 12 March 1928) was a South African fighter ace Captain
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
with 33 victories during World War I. He went on to serve in southern Russia and the Middle East postwar.
Early life
Kinkead was born in JohannesburgJohannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, to an Irish father and Scottish mother who had recently emigrated to South Africa. He was the second son, with an elder brother named Thompson Calder Kinkead, born circa 1893.
Samuel Kinkead 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...
in September, 1915. He took pilot training at Eastbourne in South Africa. He earned his wings by the end of 1915.
World War I Active Service
Samuel Kinkead served in 2 Wing RNAS during the Battle of GallipoliBattle of Gallipoli
The Gallipoli Campaign, also known as the Dardanelles Campaign or the Battle of Gallipoli, took place at the peninsula of Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire between 25 April 1915 and 9 January 1916, during the First World War...
. While flying a Bristol Scout
Bristol Scout
The Bristol Scout was a simple, single seat, rotary-engined biplane originally intended as a civilian racing aircraft. Like other similar fast, light aircraft of the period - it was acquired by the RNAS and the RFC as a "scout", or fast reconnaissance type...
, he shot down a Fokker on 11 August 1916. He also scored on 28 August 1916 while flying a Nieuport
Nieuport
Nieuport, later Nieuport-Delage, was a French aeroplane company that primarily built racing aircraft before World War I and fighter aircraft during World War I and between the wars.-Beginnings:...
, and was credited with a third victory while flying a Nieuport.
He fell ill with a serious case of malaria and was shipped home to convalesce. Upon recovery, he was forwarded to England, where his older brother Thompson was training as a pilot in 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...
. While on his second solo flight on 3 September 1917, Thompson died in a crash at Shoreham. Samuel signed for his deceased brother's personal effects.
Samuel Kinkead was assigned to 1 Naval Squadron to fly Nieuports on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
. Exactly two weeks after his brother's death, on 17 September 1917, he drove down a DFW C out of control. A month later, he repeated the feat to become an ace. He went on to claim three more triumphs in October.
In November and December 1917, he downed three planes each. In mid November, he switched 'birds' to fly a 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...
, the type of plane he would fly through war's end. Then, with his tally at 14, he went on hiatus for three months. During this time, on 22 February, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross
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...
.
In March, 1918, he started accumulating victories by ones and twos, finishing up May with his total at 26. Most of the time, he drove enemy craft out of the fight; he reported few destroyed. However, he received a Bar to his DSC on 26 April 1918. Then, on 30 May, he broke his string again, this time for two months.
He scored on each of the last three days of July, and four times in August, bringing his total to 33. He had become the leading ace out of the 18 in his squadron, now renumbered 201 Squadron when it was folded into the newly formed 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...
. On 3 August, he received the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
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...
. On 2 November, he was awarded a bar to his DFC.
Out of the victories whose details are recorded, Kinkead claimed 23 enemy planes 'out of control' including 3 shared. He destroyed 5, and shared in the destruction of 2 others. 1 aircraft was claimed captured.
Post World War I
Kinkead volunteered to serve with 47 Squadron after war's end, when they were sent into Russia to intercede in the Russian Civil WarRussian 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...
. He served as B Flight Commander under Raymond Collishaw
Raymond Collishaw
Air Vice Marshal Raymond Collishaw CB, DSO & Bar, OBE, DSC, DFC, RAF was a distinguished Canadian fighter pilot, squadron leader, and commanding officer who served in the Royal Naval Air Service and later the Royal Air Force. He was the highest scoring RNAS flying ace and the second highest...
. The squadron operated from an equipped train. It was while supporting General Denikin's Royalists that, on 12 October 1919, he won 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...
for a crucial ground attack against a Bolshevik cavalry division near Kotluban, thus saving the city of Tsaritsyn from capture. He also shot down three Russian fighters during this campaign: on 30 September 1919, at Chernyi Yar; on 7 October, at Dubovka; and on 18 October at Peskovatka.
He was a member of the British 1927 Schneider Trophy
Schneider Trophy
The Coupe d'Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider was a prize competition for seaplanes. Announced by Jacques Schneider, a financier, balloonist and aircraft enthusiast, in 1911, it offered a prize of roughly £1,000. The race was held eleven times between 1913 and 1931...
team, retiring in the Gloster IV
Gloster IV
|-References:*"". Flight, 6 October 1927. pp. 695—699.*"The “Gloster IV”". Flight, 1 March 1928. pp. 129—134.*James, Derek J. Gloster Aircraft since 1917. London:Putnam, 1971. ISBN 0 370 00084 6....
after five laps. His third lap speed of 277.18 mph was the fastest biplane seaplane flight ever recorded.
Death
In 1928, while in command of the RAF High Speed Flight, Kinkead was killed in a plane crash as he tried to become the first man to travel at more than five miles a minute in a Supermarine S.5Supermarine S.5
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Andrews, C.F. and E.B. Morgan. Supermarine Aircraft since 1914, 2nd edition. London: Putnam, 1987. ISBN 0-85177-800-3....
near Calshot
Calshot
Calshot is a coastal village in Hampshire, England at the west corner of Southampton_Water where it joins the Solent. A settlement at the site is believed to have existed since the fifth century AD...
England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The circumstances of his death have never been satisfactorily explained although a verdict of death by misadventure was passed at the inquest. The witnesses to the crash thought Kinkead was flying very low and very fast when his S.5 dived into moderately deep water near the Calshot Lightship. Although the RAF Duty Motorboat quickly buoyed the wreck site it took two days for the salvage vessel to find and retrieve the wreckage that had split into two parts. The remains were taken to Calshot and the controls were laid out on the slipway to check for any technical fault but the inspector could find nothing technically wrong with the machine. It was at first though Kinkead had been thrown clear of the machine during the crash but his body was found, minus half of its' head, compressed into the tail. The tail had to be cut open in order to retrieve the body. It was quite obvious that Sam Kinkead had died instantly.
Although neither the RAF inquiry nor the Coroner's Inquest were able to give a definitive cause for the accident D'Arcy Grieg, the pilot who took over from Kinkead, had his own theory as to what had happened. He ruled out mechanical failure of the aircraft because they were too well maintained but said Kinkead was killed by a combination of factors including recovering from a bout of Malaria that would have him feeling, ' a bit below par.' It was March and late in the afternoon. The sea was glass calm and therefor impossible to judge height accurately and there was a mist so he had no horizon when coming in. Grieg also thought the fumes from the engine and the heat from the oil coolers would have turned the cockpit into an extreamly hot Turkish Bath. The autopsy, however, had found no evidence for carbon monoxide poisoning. Flying at over 300 MPH and at no higher than 150 feet Kinkead was never more than half a heart beat from disaster.
Kinkead was buried at All Saints' Church, Fawley – the headstone on his grave reads:
In memory of Flight Lieutenant Samuel Marcus Kinkead DSO DSC DFC who, on the 12th March 1928 while flying at Calshot, gave his life in an attempt to break the world's speed record.
Distinguished Service Cross
Flt.-Lieut. Samuel Marcus Kinkead, R.N.A.S.In recognition of the conspicuous gallantry and skill displayed by him in the face of the enemy in aerial combats, notably on the following occasions:
On 24 October 1917, he brought down an enemy machine, and immediately afterwards encountered and drove off a group of seven hostile aeroplanes. On 4 December 1917, he brought down an enemy two-seater machine completely out of control. By his skill and determination in attacking enemy machines he has always shown a fine example to other pilots.
Distinguished Service Cross Bar
Flt. Lieut. Samuel Marcus Kinkead, D.S.C., R.N.A.S.For the skill and courage displayed by him as a pilot. On 22 March 1918, he attacked and drove down out of control an Albatros scout which was attacking a French machine. He has brought down many other enemy machines. He is an exceptionally good pilot, and a clever and plucky fighter, and has performed very fine work, both on offensive patrols and on low flying missions.
Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC)
Lt. (T./Capt.) Samuel Marcus Kinkead, D.S.C.A skilful and gallant leader, who has attacked enemy formations superior in numbers with marked success. In a recent engagement his patrol flew to the assistance of some of our machines which were greatly outnumbered by the enemy, and succeeded in accounting for three enemy machines and scattered the remainder.
Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) Bar
Lt. (T./Capt.) Samuel Marcus Kinkead, D.S.C., D.F.C.On a recent date this officer engaged a large party of troops in a wood. The engagement lasted for an hour, but so persistent was his attack that the enemy finally broke and dispersed. During this attack he was harassed by six hostile scouts. Later on he shot down an enemy two-seater in our lines. A bold and daring airman.
Distinguished Service Order (DSO)
Flying Officer Samuel Marcus Kinkead, D.S.C., D.F.C. (late H.L. Inf. and R.N.A.S.), " A " Detachment.On 12 October 1919, near Kotluban, this officer led a formation of Camel machines and attacked the Cavalry Division of Dumenko.
By skilful tactics in low flying he dispersed this force, which had turned the left flank of the Caucasian Army, and threatened to jeopardise the whole defence of Tzaritzin.
Flying Officer Kinkead has carried out similar attacks on enemy troops, batteries, camps and transport with great success at considerable personal risk.