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Person
Authorized form of name
Beauchamp-Proctor, Andrew Frederick Weatherby
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Dates of existence
1894-1921
History
Beauchamp-Proctor was born 4 September 1894 in Mossel Bay, Cape Province. He was studying engineering at University of Cape Town when the European war broke out. He took leave from his studies to join the Duke of Edinburgh's Own Rifles. He served as a signalman in the German South-West Africa campaign. In August 1915, he was demobilised with an honorable discharge but re-enlisted, this time with the Royal Flying Corps (RFC), in March 1917. He was accepted as an Air Mechanic Third Class. From there, he passed on to pilot training at the School of Military Aeronautics at Oxford in England, where he was also commissioned. He was passed on to a bomber squadron, Number 84. When he joined 84 Squadron in July 1917, it was re-forming as a fighter squadron. He served valiantly throughout 1917-1918. His victory total was 54; two (and one shared) captured enemy aircraft, 13 (and three shared) balloons destroyed, 15 (and one shared) aircraft destroyed, and 15 (and one shared) aircraft 'out of control'. His 16 balloons downed made him the leading British Empire balloon buster. On 2 November, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order, followed by the Victoria Cross on 30 November. He died in a flying accident in 1921.
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Authority record identifier
BC1414