John E. L. Hunter

Captain John Ellis Langford Hunter DFC, DSC (31 January 1897 – 18 June 1971) was a British World War I flying ace credited with 13 confirmed aerial victories.

John E. L. Hunter
Birth nameJohn Ellis Langford Hunter
Born(1897-01-31)31 January 1897
Hackney, London, England
Died18 June 1971(1971-06-18) (aged 74)
South Africa
Buried
Somerset West, Western Cape, South Africa
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service/branch Royal Navy
 Royal Air Force
Years of service1916—1919
RankCaptain
UnitNo. 4 Squadron RNAS/No. 204 Squadron RAF
AwardsDistinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross

Biography

Early life

Hunter was born in Hackney, London, the only son of Ellis Hunter,[1] and was educated at Bedford Modern School.[2]

Aerial service

He entered the Royal Naval Air Service as a probationary flight officer (temporary), appointed to HMS President, on 1 October 1916,[3] and after completing his training was commissioned as a flight sub-lieutenant on 13 June 1917.[4]

Hunter joined No. 4 Squadron, flying a Sopwith Camel, in July. On 3 September, he and Flight Sub-Lieutenant K. V. Turney drove down a German observation plane out of control. On the 22nd, he shared one of his two victories with Turney when they shot down two seaplanes northeast of Ostend,[5] for which he was subsequently awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.[6]

Hunter was promoted to flight lieutenant on 31 December 1917.[7] His next victory came on 21 March 1918 when he destroyed a Pfalz D.III off Middelkerke, and he destroyed another on the 26th.[5] Soon after, on 1 April, the Army's Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) were merged to form the Royal Air Force, and No. 4 Naval Squadron was renamed No. 204 Squadron RAF.[6]

On 16 July 1918 Hunter was appointed a temporary captain while serving as a flight commander.[8] He continued to score sporadically until 12 August, when he flamed one Fokker D.VII, destroyed another, and drove a third down out of control, to bring his total to 13. He suffered a leg wound in the process, but the action won him the Distinguished Flying Cross.[5][6]

Aerial victory list
See also: Aerial victory standards of World War I
No. Date/time Aircraft Foe Result Location Notes
1 3 September 1917 @ 1650 hours Sopwith Camel serial no. B3879 Reconnaissance craft Driven down out of control 1 mile southwest of Gistel, Belgium Victory shared with another RNAS pilot
2 22 September 1917 @ 0815 hours Sopwith Camel s/n B3879 Seaplane Destroyed 22 miles northeast of Ostend, Belgium Victory shared with two other RNAS pilots
3 22 September 1917 @ 0815 hours Sopwith Camel s/n B3879 Seaplane Destroyed 22 miles northeast of Ostend, Belgium
4 21 March 1918 @ 0825 hours Sopwith Camel s/n B3879 Pfalz D.III fighter Destroyed 5 miles off Middelkerke, Belgium
5 26 March 1918 @ 1700 hours Sopwith Camel s/n B3879 Pfalz D.III fighter Destroyed 1 1/2 miles northeast of Dixmude, Belgium
6 2 May 1918 @ 1815 hours Sopwith Camel s/n B3879 Rumpler reconnaissance craft Driven down out of control South of Dixmude, Belgium
7 20 May 1918 @ 1020 hours Sopwith Camel s/n B3879 Seaplane Forced to land; destroyed Northeast of Ostend, Belgium
8 30 June 1918 @ 1445 hours Sopwith Camel s/n B3895 Fokker D.VII fighter Driven down out of control Blankenberge, Belgium Not listed in Shores, et al.
9 31 July 1918 @ 1930 hours Sopwith Camel s/n B3894 Fokker D.VII fighter Destroyed Roulers, Belgium
10 31 July 1918 @ 1930 hours Sopwith Camel s/n B3894 Fokker D.VII fighter Destroyed Roulers, Belgium
11 12 August 1918 @ 1055 hours Sopwith Camel s/n B3894 Fokker D.VII fighter Destroyed by fire Blankenberge, Belgium
12 12 August 1918 @ 1055 hours Sopwith Camel s/n B3894 Fokker D.VII fighter Destroyed Blankenberge, Belgium
13 12 August 1918 @ 1055 hours Sopwith Camel s/n B3894 Fokker D.VII fighter Driven down out of control Blankenberge, Belgium[6][5]

Postwar career

Hunter was confirmed in the rank of captain on 21 January 1919,[9] but left the RAF six months later, being transferred to the unemployed list, on 2 July.[10]

Ellis died in South Africa in 1971, and is buried in the cemetery at Somerset West, Western Cape.[11]

Awards and citations
Distinguished Service Cross
Flight Sub-Lieutenant John Ellis Langford Hunter, R.N.A.S.
"In recognition of his services with a Wing of the R.N.A.S. at Dunkirk between July and September, 1917, during which time he has carried out continuous work on offensive patrols. On 22 September 1917, he destroyed two enemy aircraft which were attempting to interfere with our spotting machines."[12]
Distinguished Flying Cross
Lieutenant (Temporary Captain) John Ellis Langford Hunter, D.S.C. (Sea Patrol).
"A fine fighting pilot and flight leader. On 12 September, whilst leading his formation on escort duty, he engaged nine Fokker biplanes. He destroyed two and drove a third down out of control. In this combat he was severely wounded in the leg."[13]

References
Citations
  1. "To be Married". Flight. X (510): 1123. 3 October 1918. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  2. Bedford Modern School (1931). War Honours Won by Old Boys. Bedford: H.W. Robinson.
  3. "Royal Naval Air Service". Flight. VIII (406): 850. 5 October 1916. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  4. "No. 30168". The London Gazette. 6 July 1917. p. 6709.
  5. "John Ellis Langford Hunter". The Aerodrome. 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  6. Shores et.al. (1990)
  7. "No. 30451". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 December 1917. p. 89.
  8. "No. 30825". The London Gazette. 2 August 1918. p. 9117.
  9. "No. 31136". The London Gazette. 21 January 1919. p. 1079.
  10. "No. 31478". The London Gazette. 29 July 1919. p. 9591.
  11. Griffiths, Alta (2007). "Hunter, John Ellis Langford 1897-1971 & Gwendolen Mary Cleaton -1974". Genealogical Society of South Africa. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  12. "No. 30408". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 November 1917. pp. 12548–12549.
  13. "No. 30989". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 November 1918. p. 12967.
Bibliography
  • Shores, Christopher F.; Franks, Norman & Guest, Russell F. (1990). Above the Trenches: a Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces 1915–1920. London, UK: Grub Street. ISBN 978-0-948817-19-9.
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