Leonard Allan Payne | |
---|---|
Born | Swaziland | 15 July 1894
Died | 18 February 1919 Cologne, Germany | (aged 24)
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/ | British Army Royal Air Force |
Years of service | 1917–1919 |
Rank | Captain |
Unit | No. 48 Squadron RFC/RAF |
Awards | Military Cross |
Captain Leonard Allan Payne MC (15 July 1894 – 18 February 1919) was a British First World War flying ace born in Swaziland. He was credited with 11 confirmed aerial victories while piloting a Bristol F.2 Fighter.[1]
On 1 February 1917, Payne enlisted in the Royal Flying Corps while living in his native Swaziland.[2] Payne was commissioned from cadet to temporary second lieutenant (on probation) on 21 June 1917,[3] and confirmed in his rank and appointed a flying officer on 24 August.[4]
Payne was posted No. 69 Squadron in England, flying a Bristol F.2 Fighter. He scored his first aerial victory on 29 October 1917,[5] but would not win another triumph until 3 January 1918. His third win followed on 26 February 1918, when he set a German LVG aflame in midair. He drove down two Albatros D.V fighters out of control over Mont-d'Origny on 8 March, and was an ace. Four days later, he sent down a Fokker Triplane.[2][6]
Payne was appointed a flight commander, with the temporary rank of captain, on 25 April 1918.[7] He scored three victories in May, though it is unknown if he was leading the flight for any or all of them. However, on 30 May 1918, he destroyed a Fokker D.V to become a double ace.[2][6]
However, when he won the Military Cross for his valour, the emphasis was not on his air-to-air victories. When the award citation was gazetted on 26 July 1918, it read:
On 4 November 1918, Payne scored his 11th victory; it was one of his squadron's final three wins of the war.[5] Payne's personal tally came to three solo destructions of enemy aircraft, one shared destruction, and seven German aircraft sent down out of control.[2]
Leonard Allan Payne was killed in a flying accident[9] on 18 February 1919 while serving with the Army of Occupation in Germany. He was buried in Cologne Southern Cemetery, Cologne, Germany.[10]