Commissioned early in the war, Bowman transferred to the RFC in March 1916. He joined 29 Squadron in July, flying DH2s. His first victory was over a Roland with which he collided; the second was a run-away German balloon, which he shot down whilst it was drifting over the lines, but he crashed while trying to land alongside the wreckage. In May 1917 he was posted to 56 Squadron as 'C' Flight commander, flying SE5s. His score rose throughout the summer and autumn. In February 1918 he was posted to command 41 Squadron. His score at the end of the war was at least 32, and he received the MC and Bar, DSO and DFC, together with the Belgian Croix de Guerre.
'Harry' Cobby joined the Australian Flying Corps at the end of 1916 and went to England as part of the AFC contingent, training for service in France. Finally posted to 4 AFC, Cobby was a founder member of the squadron when it arrived in France in December. Cobby's first confirmed victory came on 21 March when he destroyed one Albatros DV and sent another down out of control. During the spring and summer of 1918, Cobby scored regularly, mostly against enemy scouts, gaining multiple kills on several occasions. He became an excellent flight leader, achieving the remarkable record of never having lost a flight member to enemy action on any patrol he led. On September 4, he was posted back to England as an instructor.
Joe Fall joined the RNAS in 1915. After pilot training he was sent to 3 Naval Squadron during the latter part of 1916, flying Sopwith Pups. In July 1917 he became a Flight Lieutenant; in May he received a DSC for action on 11 April when he claimed 3 enemy scouts shot down. On 30 August he was promoted to Flight Commander and posted to 9 Naval Squadron, having at this time claimed 13 victories, eight of which had officially been confirmed as destroyed. With 9 Naval he became a most competent flight commander, always encouraging his young pilots to join him in attacking enemy machines. By the end of the year when he returned to England he had brought his score to 36. For his work he received two Bars to his DFC.
Hawker joined the RFC before the outbreak of war. In 1914, flying with No. 6 Squadron, he received the DSO. On 25 July 1915, using a Lewis gun mount of his own design, he claimed two enemy aircraft; for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross. Hawker was posted to England in late 1915. With seven victories he was the first British ace and quite famous. In February 1916 he led No 24 Squadron to France. Flying the new DH2 pusher, the unit soon made a name for itself, but as the year wore on the DH2s superiority was lost. On 23 November 1916, Hawker became involved in a dogfight with an Albatros DII flown by Manfred von Richthofen. After one of the longest combats on record, Hawker was shot down and killed, making him Richthofen's 11th victim.
From County Galway, Ireland, Tom Hazell joined the army on the outbreak of war. He became a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers in October 1914. He served in France until June 1916, when he transferred to the RFC. Surviving a bad crash during training in Kent on 30 June, he eventually joined 1 Squadron in France later that year. Serving with this unit, he became a flight commander and received the MC, claiming 20 enemy aircraft. Returning home in August 1917, he served as an instructor until he took command of 'A' Flight of 24 Squadron in June 1918, adding a further 23 victories to his score. In October 1918 he took command of 203 Squadron and served with this unit until the Armistice. He was awarded the DSO, DFC and Bar.
Born on 3 December 1895 in South Africa, Jordan joined the RNAS as an air mechanic, subsequently flying as an air gunner. He later received pilot training and was posted to 8 (N) Squadron to fly Sopwith Triplanes. In the summer of 1917 the unit received Camels to replace the former aircraft, and it was in one of these that he claimed his first victory on 13 July. By the end of February 1918 he had claimed 18 victories, and received a DSC, gazetted on 22 February, and a Bar awarded later the same month. In mid April he was promoted to Captain, and during the early summer of 1918 made many more claims. He was awarded a DFC after his 25th, and by mid August when he was rested from operations, his score had reached 39; 20 of these were shared victories.
In February 1917 McElroy transferred from the Royal Irish Regiment to the RFC and was posted to 40 Squadron flying Nieuport Scouts. After the squadron received SE5as his score rose rapidly and he was soon posted to 24 Squadron as a flight commander. After recovering from a crash in April, he rejoined 40 Squadron and once again showed his virtuosity; three victories in the last days of June were followed by 17 more during July. On 20 July, he and his friend 'Mick' Mannock both admonished each other for going too low in pursuit of enemy aircraft. Six days later, Mannock was to die doing just that, while on 31 July, McElroy was to be lost in the same way. The Germans later dropped a message to the RAF stating that his aircraft had been hit by anti-aircraft fire.
Commissioned in the Lincolnshire Regiment in August 1914, Woollett transferred to the RFC in 1916 and gained his wings after only three and a half hours of dual instruction. In November he was posted to 24 Squadron, flying DH2s, and later, DH5s. In August 1917, after becoming a flight commander, he returned to England and became an instructor. In March 1918 he joined 43 Squadron in France. While there, he decorated his Sopwith Camel with a special spinner painted to represent the face of a Red Indian, while personally sporting a leopardskin flying helmet and gauntlets, which created quite a stir. At the end of the war, his score stood at 35, and he had received a DSO and an MC and Bar, together with the French Legion d'Honneur and Croix de Guerre.