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William Otway Boger

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For the SS officer, see Wilhelm Boger.

William Otway Boger
Born(1895-06-19)19 June 1895
Brandon, Manitoba, Canada
Died10 August 1918(1918-08-10) (aged 23) †
near Montdidier, France
Commemorated at
Arras Flying Services Memorial, Pas de Calais, France
AllegianceCanada
United Kingdom[fn 1]
Service / branchCanadian Expeditionary Force
British Army
Royal Flying Corps
RankCaptain
UnitLord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians)
No. 11 Squadron RFC
No. 92 Squadron RAF
No. 93 Squadron RAF
No. 56 Squadron RAF
Battles / wars
AwardsDistinguished Flying Cross

Captain William Otway Boger DFC (19 June 1895 – 10 August 1918) was a Canadian World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.[2]

Early life and background

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Boger was the son of Henry Western Otway Boger and his wife Sarah Elizabeth, of Winnipeg,[3] and attended the Royal Military College of Canada at Kingston, from August 1913 to November 1914.[2]

Military service

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In February 1916 Boger reported for duty at Fort Osborne, Winnipeg, where in July 1916, the first draft of reinforcements to serve in the Canadian Expeditionary Force overseas were called for. Boger volunteered, and was selected.[3] He attested at Canterbury on 26 July 1915,[4] and was sent to France to serve as a lieutenant in Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians), part of the Canadian Cavalry Brigade.[3]

Boger was seconded the Royal Flying Corps on 15 November 1916,[5] to serve as a flying officer (observer), with seniority from 18 September 1916,[6] in No. 11 Squadron RFC, flying in a F.E.2b.[2][7]

He was wounded on 20 December 1916 and was back in England by the end of the year. After recovering he trained as a pilot,[8][9] and was appointed a flying officer on 20 September 1917.[10] He served for a time as an instructor in Scotland,[11] before being posted to No. 92 Squadron RAF on 25 April 1918. On 10 May he was posted to No. 93 Squadron RAF,[8] with promotion to the temporary rank of captain to serve as a flight commander.[12]

Boger joined No. 56 Squadron RAF on 24 May.[8] to fly the S.E.5a single-seat fighter. He scored his first victory on 13 June, driving a Fokker Dr.I down out on control over Le Sars. His second come on 30 June, destroying an LVG two-seater east of Legast Wood. On 24 July he accounted for two Pfalz D.III fighters in 20 minutes, and gained his fifth and final victory on 8 August, driving down a Fokker D.VII north-east of Chaulnes.[2][7]

On 10 August 1918 Boger was leading a patrol of three aircraft over Montdidier when they observed a lone enemy two-seater about 2,000 to 3,000 feet below. Only when Boger led his aircraft down to attack did he realize that it was a decoy for a swarm of Fokker aircraft above him. In the ensuing dogfight Boger and H. Allen, an American, were shot down.[3] Initially listed as missing, he was later confirmed to have been killed in action.[13] German ace Josef Veltjens claimed a kill on a S.E.5a that same day,[14] and is usually considered the victor over Boger.[7]

As a Commonwealth airman with no known grave Boger is commemorated on the Arras Flying Services Memorial at Arras, Pas de Calais, France, and also on Page 370 of the First World War Book of Remembrance.[3]

Boger's award of the Distinguished Flying Cross was gazetted posthumously on 2 November 1918. His citation read:

Lieutenant (Temporary Captain) William Otway Boger (Strathcona's Horse).
"This officer has taken part in twenty-eight offensive patrols and twelve combats, accounting for four enemy aeroplanes—two destroyed in flames and two driven down out of control. As a leader he shows marked coolness and bravery, notably on a recent patrol when, as he was leading his four machines, he saw nine Pfalz scouts. Unable to rise to their height he led his patrol just beneath them in order to tempt them to attack. As the enemy did not respond he repeated the manoeuvre; the scouts then came down, and in the engagement one was shot down out of control. Reforming his patrol he met two more scouts, one of which, he destroyed in flames."[15]

List of aerial victories

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Combat record[2]
No. Date/Time Aircraft/
Serial No. 		Opponent Result Location
1 13 June 1918
@ 1115		 S.E.5a
(C9567)		 Fokker Dr.I Out of control Le Sars
2 30 June 1918
@ 1045		 S.E.5a
(C9567)		 LVG C Destroyed East of Legast Wood
3 24 July 1918
@ 2020–2050		 S.E.5a
(D6096)		 Pfalz D.III Out of control Méricourt
4 Pfalz D.III Destroyed in flames Cappy
5 8 August 1918
@ 1905		 S.E.5a
(D6096)		 Fokker D.VII Out of control North-east of Chaulnes

Footnotes

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  1. ^ Canadian airmen were required to complete an Attestation Paper in which they declared an oath of allegiance to King George V and agreed to serve in any arm of the service for the duration of the war between Great Britain and Germany.[1]

References

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Notes
  1. ^ "Attestation". The Aerodrome. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e "William Boger". The Aerodrome. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Captain William Otway Boger". eVeritas. Royal Military Colleges Club. 28 October 2008. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  4. ^ "William Boger's attestation paper". The Aerodrome. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  5. ^ "No. 30366". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 November 1917. p. 11426.
  6. ^ "No. 29976". The London Gazette. 9 March 1917. pp. 2379–2381.
  7. ^ a b c Shores, Franks & Guest (1990), p. 80.
  8. ^ a b c Halliday, H. A. (1997). "First World War Honours and Awards to Canadians in British Flying Services". Royal Canadian Air Force Association. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  9. ^ "The Roll of Honour: Wounded". Flight. IX (419): 22. 4 January 1917. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  10. ^ "No. 30327". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 October 1917. p. 10383.
  11. ^ "Air pilot, transferred from cavlary, missing". Canadian Virtual War Memorial. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  12. ^ "No. 30727". The London Gazette. 4 June 1918. p. 6590.
  13. ^ "The Roll of Honour: Previously Missing now reported Killed". Flight. XI (535): 77. 16 January 1919. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  14. ^ "Joseph Veltjens". The Aerodrome. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  15. ^ "No. 30989". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 November 1918. p. 12962.
Bibliography
  • Shores, Christopher F.; Franks, Norman & Guest, Russell F. (1990). Above the Trenches: a Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces 1915–1920. London, UK: Grub Street. ISBN 978-0-948817-19-9.
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