Nickname(s) "Old Naps" Allegiance United Kingdom | Years of service 1914–1919 Name Ian Napier | |
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Born 24 June 1895
Milton, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland ( 1895-06-24 ) Died 9 May 1977(1977-05-09) (aged 81)
Kensington, London, England Buried at Dumbarton Cemetery, Dumbarton, Scotland (55°57′05″N 4°32′58″W / 55.95139°N 4.54944°W / 55.95139; -4.54944Coordinates: 55°57′05″N 4°32′58″W / 55.95139°N 4.54944°W / 55.95139; -4.54944) Service/branch British Army
Royal Air Force | ||
Captain Ian Patrick Robert Napier (24 June 1895–9 May 1977) was a Scottish World War I flying ace credited with twelve aerial victories.
Contents
Biography
Ian Napier was born in Milton, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, one of three children born to Henry Melville Napier (1854–1940), engineer, shipbuilder, and founder of Napier & Miller Co. Ltd.
On 2 September 1914, Napier was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 9th (The Dumbartonshire) Battalion, Princess Louise's (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders). On 8 July 1915, he was appointed an aide-de-camp, finally returning to his regiment on 8 February 1916, and being promoted to lieutenant the next day.
Napier was awarded Royal Aero Club Aviator's Certificate No. 3269 after soloing a B.E.2c biplane at the Military School, Hounslow Heath, on 18 July. On 4 August, he was seconded to the Royal Flying Corps and appointed a flying officer.
Napier was assigned to No. 40 Squadron RFC as a Nieuport pilot. He scored his first victory on 14 April 1917, by destroying an Albatros D.III. His second win came ten days later, when he helped Robert A. Little capture a DFW C.V. On 22 May 1917, Napier was promoted to captain in his regiment with seniority from 1 June 1916, but this did not apply to the RFC, and he remained a lieutenant until 5 June 1917, when he was appointed a flight commander with the temporary rank of captain.
Napier resumed his victory list after upgrading to a Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a. On 6 March 1918, he destroyed an Albatros D.V. A month later, he scored again. He then accumulated victories until 4 July 1918, when he scored his twelfth. His final tally was seven German planes destroyed (including two shared wins), three driven down out of control (one of which was shared), and two shared captures of DFW D.Vs.
Napier then served as a liaison officer with the French Army, until on 18 April 1919, he was transferred to the unemployed list of the RAF. On 7 December 1920 he relinquished his RAF commission to return to the Territorial Force (probably the Highlanders). Eventually, he went into the family shipbuilding business.
Awards and citations
Personal life
In 1927 Napier married Frieda Lewis, the daughter of Frederick Lewis, 1st Baron Essendon and Daisy Ellen Harrison, and they had one child Major Andrew Patrick Forbes Napier.