Arch Whitehouse
Arthur George Joseph "Arch" Whitehouse | |
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Born | 11 December 1895 England |
Died | November 1979 United States |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Service/ | British Army Royal Flying Corps Royal Air Force |
Years of service | 1915-1919 |
Rank | 2nd Lt. |
Unit | No. 22 Squadron RAF |
Battles/wars | First World War |
Awards | Military Medal British War Medal British Victory Medal |
Other work | Author, writer, Historian, novelist |
Arthur George Joseph "Arch" Whitehouse , M.M. was a World War I veteran and author of First World War aviation books.
Biography
[edit]Arthur George J. Whitehouse was born in England, but lived in Montvale, New Jersey, U.S.A. At the outbreak of World War I, Whitehouse came to England and enlisted as a Private with the Northamptonshire Yeomanry # 1784. He then transferred to the Royal Flying Corps # 78563. He was with the Northamptonshire Yeomanry again # 145871, then transferred to the Royal Air Force # 401090 [1]
Service
[edit]He was a 1st Class Air mechanic and Observer with the No. 22 Squadron RAF. On 13 April 1917 Whitehouse and his pilot Bush were brought down by anti-aircraft fire; Whitehouse believed afterward that the Red Baron mistakenly listed Whitehouse/Bush among the Barons's "credits"-although this was not so.[2] For taking part in shooting down German aircraft and airplane raiding missions, he was awarded the Military Medal with the RFC in November 1917.[3] During the last part of World War I he was undergoing training in England as a pilot in Sopwith Camels. As of 28 September 1919 he was a 2nd lieutenant transferred to the Unemployed List.[4] A notation on his Medal card noted he was awarded the British War Medal and British Victory Medal.[5]
Contrary to reports that he brought down 16 enemy aircraft and 6 balloons,[6] Whitehouse was never an ace, although he took part in the shooting down of four enemy aircraft:[7]
- 12 August 1917 – an Albatross DV (burned), with pilot James Bush (RFC officer) M.C. {1/3 credit share in shootdown with two other pilots/observers}
- 12 August 1917 – an Albatross DV (out of control), with pilot James Bush (RFC officer) M.C. {1/2 credit in shootdown with another pilot/observer}
- 2 October 1917 – a "Two seater" (destroyed), with pilot James Bush (RFC officer) M.C.
- 10 October 1917 – a Albatross DV (destroyed over Moorslede, Belgium), with pilot William Meggitt, M.C.
Both Bush and Meggit were aces, with 6 credits.
Author
[edit]"Arch" Whitehouse was a writer postwar for magazines such as Flying Aces on First World War aviation, creating characters like The Griffon, Coffin Kirk, and others.
In the 1960s, he wrote a wide range of books, both fiction and non-fiction on aviation and similar military topics.
More recently, some of his pulp fiction have been reprinted by several publishers, including Altus Press.
Books
[edit]- The Adventures of Coffin Kirk (2013)
- Amphibious Operations (1963)
- Combat in the Sky
- The Complete Adventures of the Griffon (3 volumes so far, 2010-2016)
- Decisive Air Battles of the First World War
- Espionage and Counterespionage: Adventures in Military Intelligence (1964)
- Fighters in the Sky (1959)
- Fighting Wings: aerial combat in world war (1966)
- Fighting Ships
- Hero without Honor
- Heroes and Legends of World War I
- Heroes of the Sunlit Sky (1967)
- Hun Killer:Frank Luke, the Ace from Arizona (1966)
- Legion of the Lafayette (1962)
- Playboy Squadron {Fiction}
- Scarlett Streamers
- Squadron 44 (1965, fiction)
- Squadron Shilling (1968, fiction)
- Squadrons of the Sea: The History of Aircraft Carrier Operations (1962)
- Subs and Submariners
- Tank:The Story of Their Battles and the Men Who Drove Them from Their First Use (1960)
- The Casket Crew
- The Early Birds the Wonders and Heroics of the First Decades of Flight (1965)
- The Fledgling: An Autobiography (1964)
- The Military Airplane
- The Military Airplane Its History and Development
- The Real Book about Airplanes (1961)
- The Sky's the Limit: a History of US Airlines (1971)
- The Years of the Sky Kings (1964)
- The Zeppelin Fighters (1966)
- Wings for the Chariots
- Years of the Warbirds
References
[edit]- ^ "Whitehouse Medal Card 22 December 1922 Great War Forum". Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
- ^ The Aerodrome Forum
- ^ "Northampton Independent 17 November 1917; London Gazette 17 December 1917". Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
- ^ "London Gazette 28 October 1919". Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
- ^ "Whitehouse Medal Card 22 December 1922 Great War Forum". Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
- ^ Ocala Star Banner 17 August 1962
- ^ "The Aerodrome Forum". Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2019.