Leonard Coombes Hammond

Name:

Country:

United States

Rank:

Captain

Service:

United States Air Service

Units:

91^st Observation

Victories:

Born:

11 November 1884

Place of Birth:

Missoula, Montana, USA

Died:

20 December 1945

Place of Death:

San Francisco, California, USA

Cemetery:

Cypress Lawn Memorial Park, Colma, California, USA

The son of millionaire Andrew B. Hammond of San Francisco, California, socialite Leonard Coombes Hammond attended Harvard in 1901 and 1902. From November 1915 until November 1916 he was a driver in the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Corps on the Western Front. Upon his return to San Francisco, he entered officer's training at the Presidio in May 1917 and was commissioned 1st Lieutenant on 15 August 1917. Hammond was assigned to the 1st Observation Group on 1 October 1917 and embarked for France on 17 December 1917. He joined the 91^st Aero Squadron on 14 June 1918 and scored 6 victories flying the Salmson 2A2 as an observer. Hammond returned to the United States on 14 January 1919 and was discharged from the army 18 February 1919.

S. F. Society Man to Join Belgian Corps
Oakland Tribune - Sunday, October 31, 1915

The Oregonian, Portland, Oregon, Saturday, 22 December 1945, page 7

California, San Francisco Area Funeral Home Records, 1895-1985

Distinguished Service Cross (DSC)

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Leonard Coombes Hammond, First Lieutenant (Air Service), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action in the region of Metz, France, September 15, 1918. While on a photographic mission Lieutenant Hammond's formation was attacked by a superior number of enemy pursuit planes. Notwithstanding that the enemy planes succeeded in driving off the protecting planes, Lieutenant Hammond and his pilot, Lieutenant Dickens, continued on alone. Continually harassed by enemy aircraft, they completed their photographs, and on the return fought their way through an enemy patrol and destroyed on of the machines.

General Orders No. 138, W.D., 1918

Victories

	Date	Time	Unit	Aircraft	Opponent	Location
1	27 Sep 1918	1600	91^st	Salmson 2A2 ¹	Fokker D.VII	Crepion
2	10 Oct 1918	1400	91^st	Salmson 2A2 ²	Fokker D.VII	Brieulles
3	23 Oct 1918	1120	91^st	Salmson 2A2 ³	Fokker D.VII	Andevanne
4	23 Oct 1918	1120	91^st	Salmson 2A2 ³	Fokker D.VII	Andevanne
5	29 Oct 1918	1305	91^st	Salmson 2A2 ²	Fokker D.VII	Grand Pre
6	31 Oct 1918	1435	91^st	Salmson 2A2 ³	Fokker D.VII	Damvillers

1	Pilot Lt J W Van Heuvel
2	Pilot Maj J M Reynolds
3	Pilot Lt K Douglas

Books

American Aces of World War 1: by Norman Franks, Harry Dempsey (Illustrator) / Paperback / Osprey Publishing (September 25, 2001)
Over the Front: by Norman L. R. Franks, Frank W. Bailey / Hardcover / Grub Street the Basement (May 1992)