Career Summary
OVERVIEW OF SERVICE 1916-1918 CAPT ARTHUR TRELOAR WHEALY DSC and Bar, DFC
| 1916 | Feb. | Curtiss Flying School, Leaside and Texas. Earned wings and issued International certificate no.409 |
| 1916 | June | Arrived in England as a Flight Sub Lieut, RNAS Posted to No.3 Naval Wing, a strategic bombing force. Flew 2 or more Bombing raids into Germany from Ostende area. |
| 1917 | April | Posted to No.3(N) Sqdn, C Flight. Shot down 3 enemy (Sopwith Pup) |
| May | Posted to No.9(N) Sqdn. Shot down 4 enemy. (Sopwith Triplane) |
|
| Nov. | Posted back to No.3(N) Sqdn. Promoted to Captain and Flight Cmdr. |
|
| 1918 | Feb.17 | No.3(N) became No.203 Sqdn(RFC) |
| Apr.18 | No.203 Sqdn(RFC) became 203 Sqdn(RAF). Shot down 20 enemy. Then taken off flying duties with the second longest flying hours (521 in the air). (Sopwith Camels) |
|
| Sept.24 | Posted to Home Establishment. |
Capt. Whealy was among several long serving flyers taken off fighting duty, as there were so few remaining alive. Served 36 months overseas in all and logged a total of 611 hours 10 minutes flying time. Capt. Whealy was one of only 2 survivors of the original compliment of No.3(N) Sqdn. The other was Capt. Edmund "Pecker" Pierce. Both served together throughout the war and became close friends then and until they lost touch in 1940. In 1928 Pierce moved to the Serengeti in Kenya to take up farming. By 1940 mail ceased to be dependable and they lost contact. Whealy died on December 23rd, 1945 in St Marguerite, Quebec whilst visiting his brother Fred. Pierce was still alive at 93 in 1990. Pierce lost a daughter Rosemary in 1932 in an epidemic. In 1935, Whealy named his second daughter and last child Rosemary in respect of his close friend "Pecker's" loss.
Flying Hours
Capt. A.T. Whealy, DSC & bar, DFC
| LOG BOOK DATE |
INFO | FLYING HOURS |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Feb 1916 | "Took ticket" at Curtiss School, Newport News, Va., USA | 7.12 |
| 9 Feb | Issued Flyers Certificate
no.409 by Aero Club America (Federation Aeronautique Internationale), at age 20 yrs 3 months. Shipped to R.N. Air Station, Chingford, England |
7.12 |
| 2 Jun | First logged flight in England | 7.12 |
| 30 Jul-10 Aug | Moved to Eastchurch Gunnery School | 39.46 |
| 21-31 Aug | Moved to No. 3 Wing at Manstone, England | 42.41 |
| 18-29 Sept | Moved to Villa Coublay, Paris, France | 47.30 |
| 3 Oct | Moved to Luxeuil, Normandy | 48.10 |
| 31 Jan 1917 | Transfered from no.3 Wing to no.3 Sqdn(N) at Vertgaland | 60.59 |
| 2-4 Mar | Moved to Bertangles | 69.54 |
| 27 Mar | Marieux, (visited French aerodrome) | |
| 4 May | Attached to no.9 Sqdn(N) at Dunkirk | |
| 14 May | Moved to Furness (Sopwith Triplanes) | |
| 4 Jul | Moved to Izef-lez-Hameau (Sopwith Camels) | |
| 10 Jul | Moved to Frontier Aerodrome | |
| 25 Jul | Moved to Leffrinckhoucke | |
| 11 Sept | Moved to Aircraft Depot, Dunkirk | 282.15 |
| 15 Oct | Moved to Dover aerodrome | 287.05 |
| Xmas '17 | Home leave to Toronto, Canada | |
| 30 Jan '18 | Middle Aerodrome, Belgian coast | |
| 27 Feb-5 Mar | Moved to Mt. St. Eloi | 319.05 |
| 28 Mar | Moved to Aire | |
| 10 Apr | Moved to Liettres | 391.20 |
| 16 May-4 Jun | Moved to Izel-lez-Hameau | 450.00 |
| 14 Aug | Moved to Allonville | 530.35 |
| 5 Sept | Moved to Izel-lez-Hameau | 577.35 |
| 24 Sept | Posted to Home Establishment at Isle-of-Sheppey, England (end of combat) | 610.10 |
| 16 Jan '19 | Weston-on-the-Green, (last logged flight). | 611.10 |
Ace Rankings
RANKING of FLYING ACES OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE (all countries) Taken from "Above The Trenches", Shores, Franks & Guest, 1990
| Rank | Kills | Name & Last Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 72 | Bishop, W A, Lt.Col. VC, CB, DSO & bar, MC, DFC |
| 2 | 61 | Mannock, E. Major VC, DSO, MC |
| 3 | 60 | Collishaw, Raymond, Lt.Col. CB, OBE, DSO & bar, DSC |
| 4 | 57 | McCudden, JTB, Major VC, DSO & bar, MC & bar, |
| 5 | 54 | Beauchamp-Procter, A F W, Capt.VC, DSO, MC & bar, DFC |
| 54 | MacLaren, D R, Major DSO, MC & bar, DFC | |
| 6 | 50 | Barker, Wm, Major VC, DSO & bar, MC & 2 bars |
| 7 | 47 | Little, R A, Capt. DSO & bar, DSC & bar |
| 8 | 46 | McElroy, G E H, Capt. DSO & bar, MC & 2 bars |
| 9 | 44 | Ball, Albert, Capt.VC, DSO & 2 bars, MC |
| 10 | 43 | Hazell, T F, Major DSO, MC, DFC & bar |
| 11 | 40 | Fullard, P F, Capt. DSO, MC & bar |
| 12 | 39 | Gilmour, J I, Major DSO, MC & 2 Bars |
| 39 | Jordan, W L, Capt. DSC & bar, DFC | |
| 13 | 38 | Atkey, Alfred, Capt. MC & bar |
| 14 | 37 | Claxton, W G, Capt. DSO, DFC & bar |
| 37 | Jones, J I T, Capt. DSO, MC, DFC & bar | |
| 15 | 36 | Fall, J S T, Flt.Cdr. DSC & 2 bars, AFC |
| 16 | 35 | Kinkead, S M, Capt. DSC & bar, DFC & bar |
| 35 | McCall, F R G, Capt. DSO, MC & bar, DFC | |
| 35 | Woollett, H W, Capt. DSO, MC & bar, Ld�H, Cr.d G. | |
| 17 | 33 | Quigley, F G, Capt. DSO, MC & bar |
| 18 | 32 | Bowman, G H, Major DSO, MC & bar, DFC, B.C.d�G |
| 32 | Dallas, R S, Major DSC & bar | |
| 19 | 31 | McKeever, A E, Lt.Col. DSO, MC & bar |
| 20 | 30 | Thompson, S F H, Capt. MC, DFC |
| 21 | 29 | Booker, C W, Major DSC |
| 29 | Carter, A D, Major MBE,DSC | |
| 29 | Clayson, P J, Capt. MC, DFC | |
| 29 | Cobby, A H, Capt. DSO, DFC & 2 bars | |
| 29 | Rochford, L H, Capt. DSC & bar, DFC | |
| 22 | 28 | Gurdon, J E, Capt. DFC & bar |
| 28 | Hoidge, R T C, Capt. MC & bar | |
| 28 | Latimer, D, Capt. MC, DFC | |
| 23 | 27 | McEwan, C M, Lieut. CB, MC, DFC & bar |
| 27 | Middleton, T P, Capt. DFC | |
| 27 | Soden, F O, Capt. DFC & bar | |
| 27 | Whealy, A T, Capt. DSC & bar, DFC |
It is quite likely that Raymond Collishaw (ranked third) shot down many more planes than is reflected in the official total shown above. This is due to his well known habit of helping a new pilot "bag one". This amounted to him shooting down the E.A. and then giving full credit to the young flyer. The exact number of kills given to young flyers by Collishaw is unknown, but is certainly more than 1.
203 Sqn (RAF) 1918
Back row: Centre - Nelson Middle row: 2nd left - Whealy, Rochford, Collishaw. 2nd right - Hayne Front row: 2nd right - Wallace
Mention In Despatches
Signed by Winston Churchill
King's Inspection July 1918
