A Memorial Plaque to Ace Harry Mackay No.18 Squadron; Royal Flying Corps

 

Footnote: Harry William Mackintosh Mackay was born in 1898 (according to the 1901 census) in Holborn, Aberdeen, Woodside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, the son of William Mackay (Editor of the "North British Agriculturist") and Mrs. Janet Mackay, (both later of Edinburgh). Harry Mackay was a member of the Aberdeen Grammar School Company of the Territorial Gordons before the war. He signed his Territorial Force Attestation Paper as a Private (1644) with the 4th Battalion, Gordon Highlanders, enlisting for four years' service in the United Kingdom, on March 20, 1914, in Aberdeen, at the age of 17 years, 5 months, stating that he had no previous military service, that he was not married and that he was employed as a Student. Upon the outbreak of the First World War, he re-enlisted with the Gordon Highlanders and was posted to the 6th Battalion, on August 5, 1914 and was officially struck off strength of the Territorial Force on October 23rd.

 

He was promoted to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant while with the 6th Battalion, Gordon Highlanders, effective November 22, 1915, the announcement appearing in the Supplement to the London Gazette 29382 of Friday, November 26, 1915, on Saturday, November 27, 1915, page 11886. 2nd Lieutenant Mackay was with the 6th Battalion, Gordon Highlanders, when he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant (next below Lieutenant H.S. Hunter), effective July 1, 1917, the announcement appearing in the Fifth Supplement to the London Gazette 30383 of Tuesday, November 13, 1917, on Friday, November 16, 1917, page 11834. That Fall, after have served on the Western Front, he was transferred to the Royal Flying Corps on October 25, 1917. Mackay was seconded to the Royal Flying Corps as a Flying Officer (Observer) and was posted to No. 18 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps, where he teamed up with a seasoned pilot, Lieutenant David Arthur Stewart (March 8, 1890 - December 24, 1924). Lieutenant Stewart (later Captain) started out as an Observer in No. 20 Squadron with the rank of 2nd Air Mechanic, downing two German scouts in August 1916, then became a Pilot flying D.H. 4s (de Havilland) with No. 18 Squadron in the autumn of 1917.

 

By June 17, 1918, Captain Stewart would claim sixteen victories and be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Military Cross and Bar, along with the Air Force Cross. Remarkably, they were all scored while he was flying bombers instead of fighters. The two airmen were flying a mission together on November 23, 1917 near Bapaume, when they were shot at by anti-aircraft fire. The clouds were becoming very low, so Stewart landed the plane, in order to examine the machine. The damage included: longerons on both sides, a badly strained fuselage, a smashed tail, a damaged right hand front strut and an undercarriage that was "completely wrecked", however, the engine was apparently undamaged. Both Stewart and Mackay were deemed to be "unhurt". Their first victory together occurred on January 6, 1918, while on a photographic reconnaissance mission over Valenciènnes in D.H. 4 (A7653). At 1205 hours, the two airmen encountered an Albatros D.V and subsequently dispatched it, sending it out of control (OOC). They were armed with one Vickers and one Lewis machine gun, Stewart filing his report and stating: "Whilst doing photography over VALENCIENNES I was attacked by five Albatross (sic) Scouts from above and below. I fired about 10 rounds with front gun at an E.A. (enemy aeroplane) who dived steeply out of control, alternately spinning and stalling. It was impossible to take note whether he crashed. My Observer drove down two E.A. who dived down on our tail. One E.A. attacking from attacking underneath shot our Machine about, and unfortunately smashed the camera and plates with bullets. This particular V Machine was very fast and well handled and held us at 120 mph."

 

Together, the two joined forces again, downing four fighters on March 6, 1916. They left the aerodrome at 0945 hours aboard a D.H. 4 (A7797), flying a mission between Lens and Pont-à-Vendin, the conditions described as "weather was fine, enabling much work to be done". They would be credited with downing two aeroplanes at 1115 hours (a Pfalz D.III ((OOC) = Out of Control) and a Pfalz D.III ((DES) = Destroyed), along with another two aeroplanes at 1120 hours (an Albatros D.V (OOC) and another Albatros D.V (OOC)). The actual unedited recommendation for Stewart's Military Cross from the Brigadier General Commanding the 1st Brigade, Royal Flying Corps, describes the four encounters that day: "On 6-3-18, when returning from bombing enemy dump near CARVIN, he (Stewart) was intercepted by 3 formations of enemy aircraft, numbering approximately 30 machines. He attacked the leader of the nearest formation (Pfalz Scouts) and after he had fired a burst of 20 rounds, the enemy machine went down out of control, after stalling and alternatively spinning. He was then attacked from all directions, principally from behind. His observer shot down another Pfaltz (sic) Scout at very close range. This E.A. tail-slid and side-slipped vertically for about 1000 feet completely out of control, and an object - apparently the Pilot - was seen to fall out of the machine. He then stalled under another E.A. resembling a large Albatross (sic) Scout and after he had fired a burst of about 10 rounds the E.A. dived vertically stalled and dived again obviously out of control. In the meantime his observer (Lieut. H.W.M. MACKAY) was engaged with 4 enemy machines on the tail of the D.H.4. 2/Lt. Stewart did a climbing turn to enable him to have unrestricted fire at each in turn. Two of the E.A. above shot Lieut. Mackay in the chest. He fell back, but regained his balance and continued firing at the E.A. who had come in very close. 2/Lt. Stewart distinctly saw the pilot of this machine hit - he immediately ceased firing and his machine fell out control. Lieut. Mackay fell back in the cockpit, and being attacked by about 10 more E.A., and having his aileron control, one side elevator control, and other control wires etc., shot away, 2/Lt. Stewart spun down 4000 feet and dived for our lines." As he was dying, the gallant Mackay managed to kill the man who eventually killed him. The controls of the D.H. 4 were shot out, forcing Lieutenant Stewart to land the D.H.4 at 1125, which he successfully did, however, 2nd Lieutenant Mackay died of his wounds on the way to hospital. The damage incurred was extensive: the struts, the undercarriage, the left side longeron, both sides of the fuslage, the tail plane elevator and rear portion of the fuselage, the petrol tanks and controls were shot through, along with the water pipe shot through in the engine.However, the Lewis and Vickers guns were undamaged.

 

Combining the two missions on January 6 and March 6, 1918, Mackay teamed up with Stewart to score five victories as an Observer with No. 18 Squadron. Stewart was immediately recommended for a Military Cross for his actions, but Mackay was un-awarded for his efforts that day. Lieutenant Harry William Mackintosh Mackay, No. 18 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps, attached from the 6th Battalion, Gordon Highlanders, died from his wounds, on March 6, 1918, at the age of 20. He is buried in Aire Communal Cemetery, Aire-sur-la-Lys, Departement du Pas-de-Calais, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France, Grave: II. A. 3. For his First World War service, he was posthumously awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. His Pilot, Lieutenant David Arthur Stewart would later become a Captain and survive the war, but would tragically die on December 24, 1924, piloting a civilian aircraft for Imperial Airways, at the age of 34.