Home | Soldiers | Captain Gordon Budd Irving DFC in the Great War
The only son of William Henry and Mary Irving of Toronto, Ontario. Captain Gordon Budd Irving educated at Huron Street Public and the University Schools. An employee of the National Trust Company, he joined the Royal Flying Corps in May 1917.
Photo of Gordon Irving – Captain Gordon Budd Irving was a member of the Trinity Methodist Church, Bloor Street West, Toronto, Ontario. His photograph and story appeared in the Trinity War Book in 1921.
After training at Camp Borden and in England, posted to No 19 Squadron in France. Flying the Sopwith Dolphin he scored 12 victories before killed in action near Albert 11 August 1918 during the Battle of Amiens.
No 19 Squadron Royal Air Force
Formed on 1 September 1915 from members of No 5 Squadron at Castle Bromwich as a Royal Flying Corps squadron. Training on a variety of aircraft before being deployed to France in July 1916. Flying Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.12 and later re-equipping with the more suitable French-built SPAD S.VIIs.
An original SPAD S.VII at the Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace, once flown by Georges Guynemer
From November 1917, the squadron started to receive Sopwith Dolphins to replace its Spads. Fully equipped with the Dolphin during January 1918.
On 1 April 1918, the RFC and the Royal Navy Air Squadron (RNAS) amalgamated to form a new service, the Royal Air Force (RAF), under the control of the new Air Ministry.
Group portrait of No. 19 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps, with Sir Charles Kingsford Smith seated in second row, second from right
Charles ‘Smithy’ Kingsford Smith renowned as Australia’s boldest pilot, pioneering routes that include the first trans-Australian, trans-Tasman and trans-Pacific flights. As well as completing other record flights, he helped usher commercial aviation into Australia.
Sopwith 5F.1 Dolphin
The Sopwith 5F.1 Dolphin a British fighter aircraft manufactured by the Sopwith Aviation Company. Used by the Royal Flying Corps and its successor, the Royal Air Force, during the Great War. Entered service on the Western Front in early 1918 and proved to be a formidable fighter.
Sopwith Dolphin aircrafts. MIKAN No. 3726516
Nigel Cartwright on MIKAN No. 3726516: “Andrew McKeever’s Dolphin’s of No.1 Squadron, Canadian Air Force”.
Major Andrew E. McKeever, the “King of the two-seaters”
R to L: Capt. Donald Roderick MacLaren, Maj. Andrew Edward McKeever, O.C. No. 1 Squadron, unidentified officer possibly named “Verner”, C.F. Falkenberg. MIKAN No. 3523022
Major Andrew E. McKeever, the “King of the two-seaters” sits at 10th in the ranking of Canadian aces of the Great War with 31 aerial victories. Captain Gordon Budd Irving just outside the top 50, at the 52nd ranking. Major Donald Roderick MacLaren DSO, MC & Bar, DFC, Croix du Guerre, Légion d’honneur ranked 3 with 54 victories.
Airman with RK DVII MIKAN No. 3726510
The airman photographed here – the great Canadian two-seater ace Andrew Edward McKeever DSO MC DFC. The Bristol F2 Fighter ‘ace of aces’ with the aid of his observers he claimed 31 victories whilst serving with No.11 Squadron RFC. His last 4 victories came on the 30th November 1917 whilst piloting Bristol F2b A7288. With his observer 2/Lt Leslie Archibald Powell they claimed 4 Albatros D.V shot down south of Cambrai.
During late January 1918 McKeever taken out of service and sent home to help form the Canadian Air Force, he would see no further combat. Andrew McKeever would help organise No.1 Squadron CAF (originally No.81 Squadron RAF) and command it. The war came to an end before the squadron could be deployed to the Western Front. The low positions of the LMG 08’s in the cockpit gives away that this D.VII powered by a Mercedes D.IIIa motor and not the brilliant BMW IIIa ‘altitude’ engine.
Nigel Cartwright
Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC)
The Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) established on 3 June 1918, the birthday of King George V. Awarded to Officers and Warrant officers for “an act or acts of valour and courage or devotion to duty performed whilst flying in active operations against the enemy“.
Captain Gordon Budd Irving DFC Citation
Lt. (T./Capt.) Gordon Irving:
“He has carried out numerous offensive patrols, and under his able leadership many enemy formations have been successfully engaged. He has personally accounted for six enemy aircraft, and by his consistent keenness and fearlessness he sets a fine example to the pilots in his squadron.”
Supplement to the London Gazette, No 30827, 3 August 1918.
The Prince of Wales posthumously awarded the DFC to Irving’s sister, Mrs. Kathleen Purves.
In the Great War, 193 DFC’s awarded to Canadians in the Royal Air Force (RAF), plus nine first bars.
First Victory
Irving’s first victory came on 24 March 1918 sharing credit with Major Albert Desbrisay Carter. He describes the engagement in a letter home from No 15 Casualty Clearing Station.
My dear Dad:
I suppose that by this time you will have received a cable from Metcalf saying that I have been slightly hurt. We went out on a show this morning. I got a two seater with Carter and then we ran into eleven huns in a bunch and put them down to the ground and I believe we got two or three of them. Then we came home. I started to glide in and saw I was short but the engine had conked and I ran into a ditch instead and went over on back and cut my cheek on one of the guns. The orderly at the aerodrome fixed me up but thought I might need a stitch or so and so I came up to the hospital. Then when I got there they wouldn’t let me go again and put a stitch in my cheek.
Arriving at Casualty Clearing Station from the Front. October 1916. MIKAN No. 3395813
You will probably be notified that I have been wounded as this is called. That is why I wrote to Metcalf asking him to cable you the extent of the damage. My beauty will be spoilt for life I’m afraid. I am perfectly O.K. although I will probably be kept here until they take out the stitch (singular) which the orderly tells me will be probably eight days.
Don’t think I have any more news for you. Take care of yourself & Fern & Grannie and don’t worry about me as although I may go under occasionally I usually look up again.
Love to all Gord
Lt Gordon Budd Irving
Victories
All of Gordon’s victories occurred in 1918. During five of these victories, he had teamed with other aces, including Cecil Gardner, Finlay McQuistan, John Aldridge, James Hardman, and fellow Canadian Albert Desbrisay Carter.
On 11 August 1918, Captain Irving killed in action. In a dogfight during a patrol, he drove down a Pfalz D.III fighter for his twelfth and final victory. Irving later reported as missing in action, as three Dolphins went down that day, one of them on fire. His body never recovered.
Most likely claimants for victory over Irving either Leutnant Justus Grassmann (12) or Alois Heldmann (15), both with Jasta 10.
Family Notified
Dear Mr. Irving,
We this morning received further cable from you reading: – “Gordon reported missing please get information”
We received a similar cable from you on the 18th inst. and one also from Mr. G. T. Irving and we replied to the I.U. Co. as follows immediately: – “No information Gordon yet too soon immediately “we hear will cable and we hoped the cable would have been passed on to you – we hope it was received at Toronto all right.
Those two cables on the 18th inst. were the first intimation we had of Gordon missing and we are very very sorry indeed and can only hope the worst may turn out to be he is a prisoner. As soon as I received the cables I at once went up to Cox & Co. – they knew about it and are trying all means to trace him – they are one of the first here to get to know the whereabouts of prisoners taken – they traced another Canadian friend of ours, also an airman and we were the first to cable his father the news of his being a prisoner but it was nearly 3 months before he heard so it is a little soon yet to get news – I have been to Cox again and shall from time to time to keep the matter before them and you can rest assured I am doing all possible to get you news of Gordon.
I have cabled to Grimsby “Doing all possible no news yet” and hope same reaches you all right, we thought it best to send it direct to Grimsby. I know what an anxious time it is for you and sympathise sincerely with you and hope it may soon be my privilege to cable you some news. You can rest assured no effort will be spared and immediately we get to know anything we will cable you.
Kind regards and best wishes,
Yours sincerely,
OC Notifies Family
“He is a great loss to my squadron as he was loved by all the officers and men, besides being a very gallant gentleman and always ready to do his best.”
Squadron Leader Geoffrey Stephenson (third from right) pictured at Duxford with RAF and French Air Force personnel in early 1940. Image source: Dilip Sarkar Archive.
Pilots of No 19 Squadron led by Squadron Leader Geoffrey Stephenson would come to fame when Spitfires took on Ju 87s and enemy fighters at Dunkirk in May, 1940.
ARRAS FLYING SERVICES MEMORIAL
The Arras Flying Services Memorial found in Faubourg-d’Amiens Cemetery, located in the Boulevard du General de Gaulle in the western part of the town of Arras. The cemetery near the Citadel, approximately 2 Kms due west of the railway station.
Captain Gordon Budd Irving DFC Arras Flying Memorial
ARRAS FLYING SERVICES MEMORIAL commemorates almost 1,000 airmen of the Royal Naval Air Service, the Royal Flying Corps, the Australian Flying Corps and the Royal Air Force, either by attachment from other arms of the forces of the Commonwealth or by original enlistment, killed on the whole Western Front and have no known grave.
Faubourg d’Amiens Cemetery and Arras Flying Services Memorial
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