Allegiance United Kingdom Years of service 1916–1919 | Name John L. | |
Birth name John Ellis Langford Hunter Born 31 January 1897Hackney, London, England ( 1897-01-31 ) Service/branch Royal NavyRoyal Air Force | ||
Captain John Ellis Langford Hunter (31 January 1897 – 18 June 1971) was a British World War I flying ace credited with 12 confirmed aerial victories.
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Biography
Hunter was born in Hackney, London, the only son of Ellis Hunter, and was educated at Bedford Modern School.
He entered the Royal Naval Air Service as a probationary flight officer (temporary), appointed to HMS President, on 1 October 1916, and after completing his training was commissioned as a flight sub-lieutenant on 13 June 1917.
Hunter joined No. 4 Squadron, flying a Sopwith Camel, in July. On 3 September, he and Flight Sub-Lieutenant K. V. Turney drove down a German observation plane out of control. On the 22nd, he shared one of his two victories with Turney when they shot down two seaplanes northeast of Ostend, for which he was subsequently awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
Hunter was promoted to flight lieutenant on 31 December 1917. His next victory came on 21 March 1918 when he destroyed a Pfalz D.III off Middelkerke, and he destroyed another on the 26th. Soon after, on 1 April, the Army's Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) were merged to form the Royal Air Force, and No. 4 Naval Squadron was renamed No. 204 Squadron RAF.
On 16 July 1918 Hunter was appointed a temporary captain while serving as a flight commander. He continued to score sporadically until 12 August, when he flamed one Fokker D.VII, destroyed another, and drove a third down out of control, to bring his total to 12. He suffered a leg wound in the process, but the action won him the Distinguished Flying Cross. His final tally was eight destroyed, four brought down out of control.
Hunter was confirmed in the rank of captain on 21 January 1919, but left the RAF six months later, being transferred to the unemployed list, on 2 July.
Ellis died in South Africa in 1971, and is buried in the cemetery at Somerset West, Western Cape.