Name Thomas Culling Unit No. 201 Squadron RAF Allegiance British Empire | Rank Flying officer | |
 | ||
Died June 8, 1917, Warneton, France Awards Distinguished Service Cross | ||
Service/branch Royal Naval Air Service | ||
Flight Sub-Lieutenant Thomas Grey Culling was New Zealand's first World War I flying ace, and was credited with six aerial victories.
Culling was assigned to fly Sopwith Triplane No. N5444 with 1 Naval Squadron after joining the Royal Naval Air Service in 1916. He began to score victories in Bloody April 1917, with his first three coming that month. The third one was significant; it was part of one of the war's epic dogfights. On 23 April, Culling was the wingman of the great Australian ace, "Stan" Dallas. The two ANZAC pilots took on a formation of fourteen German planes; using impeccable air tactics suiting the Triplane's technological advantages, the two Naval aces thwarted the pending air offensive in a 45-minute debacle for the Germans that resulted in three losses.
Culling went to three more wins in May. He was killed in action on 8 June 1917 by Vizeflugmeister Hans Bottler of the Imperial German Navy.