Thomas Rose (RAF officer)
Thomas Rose | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | "Tommy" |
| Born | 27 January 1895 Flight Lieutenant |
| Unit | No. 64 Squadron RFC No. 43 Squadron RAF |
| Battles/wars | World War I • Western Front |
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross |
| Other work | Test pilot |
Thomas Rose DFC (27 January 1895 – 20 June 1968) was a British flying ace in World War I, credited with 11 victories.[1] Better known as "Tommy" Rose, he also won the King's Cup Air Race in 1935 and from 1939 to 1945 was Chief Test Pilot with Phillips & Powis Aircraft Ltd. – renamed Miles Aircraft Ltd. in 1943.
World War I
Rose joined the Royal Flying Corps in 1917 and was posted to No. 64 Squadron later that year, flying DH.5s. The squadron was involved in the Battle of Cambrai in a ground-strafing role. It subsequently re-equipped with SE5as, which led to greater involvement in aerial combat. He was awarded the DFC in November 1918, having become a deputy flight commander.[2]
Later military service
Following the end of the war, Rose became a flight commander with No. 43 Squadron, RAF, serving from 1925 to 1927.
Civil aviation career
After leaving the RAF with the rank of flight lieutenant, Rose worked in aviation first taking a job at
Initially joining Phillips & Powis Aircraft Ltd (later
Later life
Thomas Rose lived (for a time in retirement) in a house on Alderney, Channel Islands. The house, in Les Venelles, carries a blue plaque on the wall.[4]
References
- Notes
- ^ "Thomas Rose". The Aerodrome. 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
- ^ Shores, Franks & Guest (1990), p. 325.
- ^ Jones, D. The Time Shrinkers: the Development of Civil Aviation between Britain and Africa Rendel 1971 pp175-8
- ^ "Blue plaque No. 31589". Open Plaques.org. 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
- Bibliography
- Gardner, Charles (1956). Fifty Years of Brooklands. Heinemann.
- Shores, Christopher F.; ISBN 978-0-948817-19-9.
- Chambers, Sarah (2023) Flight Lieutenant Thomas 'Tommy' Rose DFC: WW1 Fighter Ace, Record Breaker, Chief Test Pilot - His Remarkable Life in the Air (Air World).