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| Name: |
Christopher Draper |
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| Country: |
England |
| Rank: |
Major |
| Service: |
Royal Naval Air Service
Royal Air Force |
| Units: |
3W; 6N, 8N (RNAS)
208 (RAF) |
| Victories: |
9 |
| Born: |
15 April 1892 |
| Place of Birth: |
Bebington, Cheshire, England |
| Died: |
16 January 1979 |
| Place of Death: |
London, England |
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After obtaining an Aviator's Certificate in October 1913, Christopher Draper entered the Royal Naval Air Service in January 1914. Posted to 3 Naval Wing in 1916, he achieved his first four victories flying the Sopwith 1½ Strutter. Reassigned to 6 Naval Squadron, and then as commanding officer of 8 Naval Squadron (later 208 Squadron), Draper shot down five more enemy aircraft flying the Sopwith Camel. On 13 October 1918, he was wounded by anti-aircraft fire. In 1931, to promote a budding acting career as "George Mannering," Draper made headlines when he flew an airplane under the bridges of London. Dubbed "The Mad Major," he gave an encore performance in 1953, shortly before the publication of his autobiography.
1901 residence was Lower Bebington, Cheshire; birth registered in the 2nd quarter of 1892 at Wirral, Cheshire.
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Great Britain, Royal Aero Club Aviators’ Certificates, 1910-1950
Rockford Morning Star, Rockford, Illinois, Wednesday, 6 May 1953, page 1
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| Victories |
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Date |
Time |
Unit |
Aircraft |
Opponent |
Location |
| 1 |
10 Nov 1916 |
1210 |
3W |
Sopwith 1½ Strutter (9407) |
Fokker D (OOC) |
Landorf |
| 2 |
10 Nov 1916 |
1210 |
3W |
Sopwith 1½ Strutter (9407) |
C (OOC) |
Landorf |
| 3 |
23 Nov 1916 |
1400-1515 |
3W |
Sopwith 1½ Strutter (9722) |
EA (DES) |
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| 4 |
24 Nov 1916 |
1300 |
3W |
Sopwith 1½ Strutter (9407) |
EA (DES) |
NE of Deline |
| 5 |
06 Jun 1917 |
1200 |
6N |
Nieuport (N3101) |
Albatros D.V (DES) |
NW of Cambrai |
| 6 |
06 Jun 1917 |
1200 |
6N |
Nieuport (N3101) |
Albatros D.V (OOC) |
NW of Cambrai |
| 7 |
11 Sep 1917 |
1355 |
8N |
Sopwith Camel (B3922) |
Albatros D.V (OOC) |
E of Douai |
| 8 |
03 Oct 1917 |
Abt 2300 |
8N |
Sopwith Camel |
Balloon (DES) |
Near Douai |
| 9 |
08 May 1918 |
1945 |
208 |
Sopwith Camel (D1928) |
DFW C (OOC) |
Scarpe River |
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| Books |
- The Mad Major
- Christopher Draper / Hardcover / Los Angeles, CA: Aero
Publishers 1962
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