Thomas Elliott

Second Lieutenant Thomas Elliott (17 March 1898 – unknown) was a First World War British flying ace credited with eleven aerial victories, all while flying as an observer in the Bristol F.2 Fighter. The observer ace of Royal Air Force No. 62 Squadron scored the majority of his victories with George Everard Gibbons as pilot. Elliott later served as an instructor at an air gunnery school.

Background

Thomas Elliott, son of Thomas Herbert Elliott and his wife Elizabeth, was born on 17 March 1898 in Gateshead in the north-east of England. At the time of the 1901 census, he resided at 9 Affleck Street in Gateshead with his parents, Elliott was one of two children, and the only one to survive childhood. Elliott was credited with eleven aerial victories while he was with No. 62 Squadron of the Royal Air Force, all of them from the Bristol F.2b Fighter, and nine of them with George Everard Gibbons as pilot. Gibbons was a 17-victory ace who was awarded the Military Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross, and French Legion of Honour. In September 1918, Elliott was transferred to No. 1 School of Air Gunnery, where he served as an instructor. He relinquished his commission on 21 February 1919.

List of aerial victories

Elliott's aerial victories were achieved while flying as an observer and are detailed below.

No.Date/timeAircraftFoeResultLocationPilot 1 22 May 1918 / 0800 Bristol F.2b (C4633) LVG C Destroyed Northwest of Merville William Swayze 2 1 August 1918 Bristol F.2b Enemy Aircraft Driven out of control West of Douai George Gibbons 3 3 August 1918 Bristol F.2b Pfalz D.III Driven out of control North of Merville George Gibbons 4 13 August 1918 / 1025 Bristol F.2b (E2457) Two-seater Destroyed Bullecourt George Gibbons 5 22 August 1918 / 0740 Bristol F.2b (E2457) Fokker D.VII Destroyed West of Pronville George Gibbons 6 22 August 1918 / 0741 Bristol F.2b (E2457) Fokker D.VII Destroyed in flames West of Pronville George Gibbons 7 1 September 1918 / 1330 Bristol F.2b (F2218) Fokker D.VII Destroyed in flames East of Cambrai C Allday 8 3 September 1918 / 1845 Bristol F.2b (E2457) Fokker D.VII Driven out of control North of Cambrai George Gibbons 9 3 September 1918 / 1845 Bristol F.2b (E2457) Fokker D.VII Driven out of control North of Cambrai George Gibbons 10 4 September 1918 / 0930 Bristol F.2b (E2457) Fokker D.VII Destroyed Abancourt-N of Cambrai George Gibbons 11 4 September 1918 / 0932 Bristol F.2b (E2457) Fokker D.VII Driven out of control North of Cambrai George Gibbons