Alfred Edwin McKay

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Alfred Edwin McKay
McKay in 1915
Nickname(s)Eddie
Born27 December 1892
Brussels, Ontario, Canada
Died28 December 1917 (aged 25)
AllegianceCanada / United Kingdom
Service/branchRoyal Flying Corps
Years of service1916–1917
RankCaptain
Unit24 Squadron
23 Squadron
AwardsMilitary Cross

Captain Alfred Edwin "Eddie" McKay

First World War
.

Civilian life

The son of William and Mary McKay, he was born on 27 December 1892 in Brussels, Ontario, Canada. He later moved to London, Ontario to enroll in a Faculty of Arts program at the University of Western Ontario. Once there, McKay excelled in varsity athletics. In particular, his speed was often cited by a student newspaper – The Western University Gazette – as a reason for the success of Western's 1915 Canadian Junior Championship rugby team.

Involvement in the First World War

McKay in Royal Flying Corps uniform, December 1917

Around March 1916, McKay completed his training at the

Erwin Bohme's attack on Alfred Gerald Knight.[1] McKay and Knight confirmed that Boelcke collided with Bohme during the assault. On 28 December 1917, McKay was shot down over Belgium. Jasta 2's Leutnant Carl Menckhoff was credited with the victory, although a German 2-seater also claimed a SPAD at this time and place. In Above the Trenches, Christopher Shores suggests that McKay became a prisoner of war after being shot down,[2] but Veteran Affairs Canada lists the 28th as the day he was killed in action.[3]

Eddie McKay in public memory

McKay has been commemorated on page 579 of the First World War Book of Remembrance and on the

King's University College placed a commemorative marker in McKay's memory on the University of Western Ontario
campus.

Eddie McKay commemorative marker at the University of Western Ontario

See also

  • World War I Flying Aces
  • List of World War I flying aces by nationality

References

  1. ^ Pusher Aces of World War 1. p. 45.
  2. ^ Shores, Christopher et al. Above the Trenches: a complete record of the fighter aces and units of the British Empire air forces, 1915–1920. (Stoney Creek, Ontario): Fortress Publications, 1990.
  3. ^ "Search Details – Veterans Affairs Canada". Archived from the original on 8 December 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2020.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alfred Edwin McKay.
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