Major Roy C. Phillipps, DFC, MC & bar

Name Roy Cecil Phillipps Date of Birth 1st March 1892 Place of Birth Sydney, New South Wales Occupation Accountant Date of Enlistment - Place of Enlistment Perth, Western Australia Flying Unit 2 Sqn AFC Previous Unit 28th Battalion AIF Service Australian Flying Corps Theatres France AIF Rank Major Awards DFC, MC Victories 15 aircraft Nickname - AIF Fate Returned To Australia Date of AIF Fate 6th May 1919 Final Rank Wing Commander, RAAF Date of Death May 1940 Place of Death Archerfield Cause of Death Killed in Flying Accident Notes Commanded 6 Squadron Australian Flying Corps.

Roy Cecil Phillipps was born on the 11th of March in North Sydney but was working as a practising accountant in Perth when hostilities broke out in 1914. Phillipps enlisted in the Australian Infantry and served in the 28th Battalion, who along with the 26th Battalion formed the the famed " Black ANZAC's ". A name given to those two Battalions of the Australian Imperial Force who performed the first trench raids in France.

Phillipps quickly rose to the rank of Captain and received an MC for valour. He was wounded though and his leg was partially paralysed. A wound such as this would normally mean invaliding , but Phillipps eager to continue in the war transferred to the Australian Flying Corps as an adjutant in the now forming 2 Sqn AFC.

Phillipps was accepted for flight training on the 24th of May and after qualifying was attached to 32 Sqn RFC to gain combat experience in France. Four Australian pilots including Lieutenant G.C. Mathews , Lieutenant G.C. Wilson and Lieutenant H.G. Forrest were attached to 32 Sqn RFC , while Lieutenant V.A Norvill was attached to 29 Sqn RFC. 32 Sqn RFC was home to another Australian ace by the name of Arthur Conningham who then went by the nickname " Maori " though this was later shortened into "Mary ".

From the 3rd of August 1917 until September , Phillipps flew DH.5's in regular combat patrols , including one on the 6th when he was hit by AA and was forced to land his plane near Ypres due to damage. Phillipps was unhurt however. Before Phillipps left 32 Sqn RFC , he was leading patrols which is no small achievement for a pilot with only a few weeks aerial combat experience.

In September Phillipps rejoined 2 Sqn AFC and helped in setting up the squadron at it's new aerodrome of Worloy. The squadron after several unsuccessful scouting patrols were changed int heir tactical role to a ground attack and Army co-op squadron which more suited their DH.5 mchines. Subsequently 2 Sqn found itself flying at 30 feet above the ground through the mists of November strafing German ground positions during the the Battle of Cambrai.

On the 22nd of November 1917 , Phillipps had been bombing and strafing enemy posts near Bourlon Wood when he was attacked by a DFW, Phillipps at such low altitude quickly turned in under the DFW, zoomed above and then dove onto the two seater firng 150 shots into the enemy plane. The German fell to the ground and landed, being captured by Allied forces. It was Phillipps first victory.

On the 27th of March 1918 Phillipps was leading a flight of four SE5.a aircraft over the front lines in heavy mist despite it being midday. The flight was at 2000 feet above Albert when Phillipps spotted eight Fokker triplanes above them. Phillipps promptly fired a warning light and zoomed up into the mist, emerging in clear air over Pozieres and on the tail of a triplane. Phillipps chased it southwards towards Suzanne where he put 50 rounds into the enemy scout at close range and the triplane fell to the earth in flames.

Phillipps most successful day however was the 12th of June when he downed four aircraft in the one patrol. Including a Fokker from Jasta 26 which was forced to land behind allied lines. The pilot of the Jasta 26 Fokker DVII was Oblt Fritz Loerzer who was the younger brother of the well known German ace Bruno Loerzer. Fritz was himself and 11 victory ace but after his engagement with Phillipps, Loerzer was captured.

Phillipps was promoted to Major and took over command of 6 Sqn Training AFC in England and didn't return to the front before the Armistice. He was awarded the DFC and a bar to his MC he received while with 28th Battalion. Phillipps finished the war with 15 victories which was the second highest total for 2 Sqn. After the war he farmed in NSW and Queensland before joining the RAAF as a Wing Commander in WW2 , taking command of No2 Elementary Flying Training School at Archerfield. Unfortunately he was to die in a flying accident in May of 1940.

Victory information taken from "Above The Trenches : A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces 1915 - 1920", Christopher Shores, Norman Franks and Russell Guest, 1990. More detail of the AFC ace victories are contained in the volume.