Howard Saint

Captain Howard John Thomas Saint (20 January 1893 – September 1976) was a Welsh First World War flying ace credited with seven aerial victories. He became the chief test pilot for the Gloster Aircraft Company in the 1930s.

Early life Saint was born in Ruabon, Denbighshire, on 20 January 1893, the son of Thomas and Margaret Saint, his father was a mining engineer and surveyor, and later a Colliery Manager. In the 1911 census Saint is described as a "Colliery Manager's Apprentice".

World War I service Saint was a student at Manchester University at the outbreak of the war, but gave up his studies to join the Royal Navy, serving with the Royal Naval Air Service's Armoured Car Division in France with the rank of chief petty officer. On 27 July 1915 he was granted a temporary commission in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve with the rank of sub-lieutenant. After completing his basic flight training, on 9 December he was granted Royal Aero Club Aviators' Certificate No. 2139 after soloing a Grahame-White biplane at the Grahame-White School at Hendon Aerodrome.

Saint was posted to No. 8 Flight, "B" Squadron, No. 5 Wing RNAS (later No. 205 Squadron RAF), in September 1916, flying Sopwith 1½ Strutters, engaged in bombing enemy-held ports. On 31 December his unit was redesignated No. 5 (Naval) Squadron RNAS. and on 26 July transferred to No. 10 (Naval) Squadron RNAS, where between 9 August and 20 October he claimed seven enemy aircraft shot down, while flying the Sopwith Triplane and Sopwith Camel single-seat fighters.

Shortly before, on 26 October, he was posted to the Aeroplane Experimental Unit (later the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment) at Martlesham Heath, serving there as a test pilot until the end of the war.

List of aerial victories +Combat record

Saint returned to the Royal Air Force on 13 March 1922, when granted a short service commission at the rank of flying officer, and served as a test pilot at the Royal Aircraft Factory. and was then appointed chief test pilot of the Gloster Aircraft Company. Gloster was bought by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. in 1934, and after Saint was replaced as chief test pilot by P. E. G. Sayer, he quit Gloster and worked for George Parnall and Company Ltd. After a year Parnall was bought out by Nash & Thompson, and moved away from aircraft production to concentrate on manufacturing gun turrets. Saint then worked as a Flying Control Officer at the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough until his retirement.

Saint retired to Hove, Sussex, and lived there until his death in September 1976 (although the Probate Records state that he died on 10 Aug 1976 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire).