A Victory Medal to Second Lieutenant Douglas Victor Gillespie, 70 Squadron, Royal Air Force; a Sopwith Camel pilot who was killed in action on 6th April, 1918 - likely the victim of the Ltn H. J. Wolff of Jasta 11.
Victory Medal (2 LIEUT. D. V. GILLESPIE. R.A.F.)
Condition. Nearly Extremely Fine.
He was 20 years old and is interred in the Villers-Bretonneux Cemetery, France.
Douglas Victor Gillespie, SecondLieutenant, Royal Air Force, was the fifth and youngest son of Mr G. Gillespie, Burton Lodge, Lygon Road, Edinburgh, and Fairliehope, Carlops. He attended Watson's College from 1908 to 1915. He was studying for the veterinary profession, and joined the Army Veterinary Corps at Stirling, July 1916. Transferring to the Royal Air Force in June 1917, he completed his course of training and was attached to the 70th Squadron, and was sent abroad early in 1918. The squadron had been formed at Farnborough on 22 April 1916, it was equipped with Sopwith 1½ Strutters intended for the fighter role. The unit moved to France in Flights with 'A' Flight going in May, 'B' Flight in June and 'C' in July. It used its aircraft in the fighter role as this type was the first to be fitted with a synchronised machine gun firing through the propeller arc, but it undertook reconnaissance and bombing sorties as well. Sopwith Camels arrived in July 1917, thereby becoming the first RFC unit to re-equip with this type. It continued to operate in the fighter and later ground attack roles until the end of the war and remained on the continent until February 1919. He saw much active fighting, and on the 6th of April was reported missing while escorting a low level patrol. Two months thereafter he was reported killed.
The official report says: —"He was shot down in a combat with a superior number of hostile aircraft, and his death was instantaneous. A party of infantry buried him and erected a cross over his grave. He was a most keen flyer, and having shewn good ability he was appointed to a crack squadron on the military wing, which had done very good work in the low flying operations over the enemy lines. His school chums write that he was one of the best and nicest of companions, and was loved by all who knew him”.
Douglas was aged 20 when he died and likely fell to the guns of Ltn H. J. Wolff of Jasta 11, who claimed a “Camel” shot down in combat east of Lamotte at 3.55pm that day.. He had other three brothers serving—Captain John M. Gillespie, Military Cross, Royal Army Medical Corps; Captain Samuel P. Gillespie, Military Cross, Gordon Highlanders; and Lieutenant George A. Gillespie, Military Cross, North Hants Yeomanry.
