Roderic Dallas
Roderick S. Dallas (30 July 1891-1 June 1918) was a leading Australian fighter ace of the First World War.
A Queenslander, Dallas was an infantry officer before the war and applied to the Royal Flying Corps but was rejected. Undeterred, he transferred to the Royal Naval Air Service and began flying combat missions in France at the end of 1915. By the end of 1916 he was among the earliest RNAS aces with six victories.
A leading exponent of the Sopwith Triplane Dallas brought his score to 20 flying with No. 1 Naval Squadron by the following August. He commanded the unit from June 1917 to March 1918.
With amalgamation of the RFC and RNAS, the Royal Air Force was formed on 1 April 1918 and shortly Dallas assumed command of No. 40 Squadron flying the Royal Aircraft Factory SE-5. He scored nine more victories in March and April but disappeared on a solo mission on 1 June. Subsequently it was learned that he had been killed in action with Fokker Triplanes of Jagdstaffel 14. He was 26 years old.
Dallas' 32 victories were second only to Robert Little among Australian pilots. Of 32 victories, half were assessed "destroyed" and half "out of control".
Dallas' decorations included the Distinguished Service Order and the Distinguished Service Cross and bar. References
Christopher Shores et al (1990). "Above the Trenches: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces 1915-1920." Grub Street, London.
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