Basil Deacon Hobbs
{{Short description|Canadian aviator (1894–1965)}}
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{{Infobox person
| image = Basil_Deacon_Hobbs_LAC.jpg
| alt = Photograph of a young man, his hair slicked and parted to the left, in a formal suit.
| caption = Photographed in 1920.
| name =Basil Deacon Hobbs
| birth_date ={{birth date|1894|12|20|df=y}}
| birth_place =Arlington, Berkshire, England
| death_date ={{death date|1965|11|28|df=y}}
| death_place =Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| occupation =Aviator
| spouse =
| parents =
| children =
}}
Basil Deacon Hobbs, DSO, OBE, DSC (20 December 1894 – 28 November 1965) was a British and Canadian aviator. He is the second most highly decorated pilot in Canada.Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon, reference family records.
Early years
Hobbs moved to Canada with his family at age in 1900 at age 15.1901 Census of Canada https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?app=Census1901&op=&img&id=z000120344{{Dead link|date=September 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} In 1915, he went to take flight training at the Wright Flying School in Dayton, Ohio.
First World War service
In 1915, Hobbs Joined the Royal Naval Air Service as a flight lieutenant. During the war he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (1917), the Distinguished Service Order, and a Bar to the Distinguished Service Cross that same year. While flying a Curtiss H-12 Large America flying boat, he was one of the few Canadian pilots to score a victory over a German Zeppelin L.43.Naval Staff Monographs (Historical), Volume XIX: Home Waters - Part IX, covering the period 1 May to 31 July 1917 (Directorate of History and Heritage, Canada, Reference D.581 G72); Public Record Office Air 1/637/17/122/156, copy in National Library and Archive MG 30 D ADM, Box 12 (Reference 1000303852)
Interwar flying
In 1919, Hobbs was among six pilots hired by Hubert Scott-Paine to fly commercial flights for his company Supermarine.{{cite book|last=Pegram| first=Ralph| year=2016| title=Beyond the Spitfire: The Unseen Designs of R.J. Mitchell|publisher=The History Press| place=Brimscombe|page=21}} In 1920, Hobbs joined the Royal Canadian Air Force. He resigned his commission in 1927 holding the rank of major. During this time, he was employed by the Canadian Air Board as a "certificate examiner".
Second World War service
Death
Hobbs died on 28 November 1965 in Montreal.Lethbridge Herald, 30 November 1965, Page 2; Winnipeg Free Press, 30 November 1965, Page 9
Awards and honours
- Distinguished Service Cross 1917London Gazette 22 June 1917
- Distinguished Service Order 1917London Gazette 20 July 1917
- Bar to Distinguished Service Cross 1917London Gazette 30 November 1917
- Mentioned in Despatches 1917London Gazette 19 December 1917
- Officer of the Order of the British EmpireLondon Gazette 14 June 1945
- Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame 1987
- Yukon Territory Order of Polaris
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/eppp-archive/100/200/301/ic/can_digital_collections/aviation/m116.htm
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Category:Aviation history of Canada
Category:Canadian World War I pilots
Category:Canadian World War II pilots
Category:Royal Canadian Air Force officers
Category:Wright Flying School alumni
Category:Canadian Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
Category:Canadian Officers of the Order of the British Empire
Category:Canadian recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
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