Thomas Baker (aviator)
Thomas Charles Richmond Baker, DFC, MM & Bar, was an Australian soldier, aviator, and flying ace of the First World War. Born in Smithfield, South Australia, he was an active sportsman in his youth and developed a keen interest in aviation. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in July 1915, for service in World War I. He was shot down and killed on 4 November 1918, and was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in February 1919.
About Thomas Baker (aviator) in brief
Thomas Charles Richmond Baker, DFC, MM & Bar, was an Australian soldier, aviator, and flying ace of the First World War. Born in Smithfield, South Australia, he was an active sportsman in his youth and developed a keen interest in aviation. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in July 1915, for service in World War I. Posted to an artillery unit on the Western Front, Baker was awarded the Military Medal for carrying out numerous repairs on a communications line while subject to severe artillery fire. In September 1917, Baker applied to join the Australian Flying Corps, but was instead selected for flight training. He graduated as a pilot and was commissioned a second lieutenant in March 1918. Over the next four months, he rose to the rank of captain and was credited with bringing down 12 German aircraft. He was shot down and killed on 4 November 1918, and was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in February 1919. The announcement of the decorations was promogulated in a supplement to the London Gazette on 21 August 1917. Baker followed his ambition to become a Flying Corps pilot by joining No. 4 Squadron AFC in September 1917. He died in a crash in October 1918, at the age of 28. He is buried in the Adelaide suburb of St Peter’s, South Australian. He also served in the Royal Australian Engineers of the Citizens Military Force in the Second World War, where he was awarded a bar to his decoration for his part in quelling a fire in one of the artillery gun pits that was endangering approximately 300 rounds of shrapnel and high explosive.
In his youth, he acquired an avid interest in Aviation, and the construction of model aeroplanes became “his chief hobby”. After leaving school in 1914, he gained employment as a clerk with the Adelaide branch of the Bank of New South Wales, before moving to France for service on theWestern Front. On 1 July 1916, Baker took part in the Somme offensive. On 22 November 1917, he embarked from Melbourne aboard HMAT Persic on 22 November, bound for Egypt. On arrival he was posted to the 16th Battery. On 16 March, Baker suffered from an illness; he returned to his unit six days later. On 21 June 1917, the unit’s position was subject to a severe bombardment of artillery shelling, resulting in an order for all men to evacuate the gun pits and seek cover. As a consequence of the barrage, Baker’s three companions were recommended for the Military Medal, and Baker received a bar for his actions. In February 1918, Baker joined the ranks of No.4 Squadron AFC and became a captain. He served in No.5 Squadron AFC until his death in November 1918.
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