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Name: Richard Alexander "Alex" Hewat
Richard Alexander Hewat
Country: USA
Rank: Lieutenant
Service: Royal Flying Corps
Royal Air Force
Units: 19, 87
Victories: 6
Born: 03 May 1896
Place of Birth: Lawrence, Massachusetts, USA
Died: 14 August 1918 Killed In Action
Place of Death: Near Bailleul, France
Memorial: Arras Flying Services Memorial, Pas de Calais, France
 
 
The son of R. A. J. and Jessie Bell Hewat, Richard Alexander Hewat's father was co-founder of Strong, Hewat and Company. "Alex" Hewat was one of five brothers from Briggsville, Massachusetts who fought in the Great War. He was a "crack end" on Tad Jones' undefeated football team at Exeter Academy in 1915. He joined the Royal Flying Corps in June 1917 and was posted to 19 Squadron in September. Scoring his third victory on 26 October 1917, his SPAD VII was hit by ground fire and Hewat received a head wound. When he recovered, he was reassigned to 87 Squadron and returned to France in April 1918. Flying the Sopwith Dolphin, Hewat scored three more victories before he was killed in action, probably shot down by Hermann Leptien.
 
Victories
Date Time Unit Aircraft Opponent Location
1 30 Sep 1917 0900 19 SPAD VII (A6662) C (OOC) 1 Gheluwe
2 09 Oct 1917 1040 19 SPAD VII (A6662) Albatros C (OOC) 2 Moorslede
3 26 Oct 1917 1020 19 SPAD VII (A6662) C (OOC) N of Gheluwe
4 19 Jul 1918 0930 87 Sopwith Dolphin (E4434) Albatros D.V (OOC) SE of Arras
5 20 Jul 1918 1015 87 Sopwith Dolphin (E4434) DFW C (DES) Tortequesne
6 09 Aug 1918 1800 87 Sopwith Dolphin (C4155) Fokker D.VII (DES) Foucaucourt

1 Shared with Capt Frederick Sowrey, Lt Delamere (B3489), Lt RM Strang (B1697), Lt John Candy
2 Shared with Lt John Candy, Capt Frederick Sowrey
 
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