Henry Coyle Rath

Lieutenant Henry Coyle Rath was a World War I flying ace credited with twelve aerial victories.^[1]

Rath joined the Royal Flying Corps in September 1917.^[2] He was assigned to 29 Squadron on 5 June 1918 as a Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a pilot.^[3]

He scored his first victory on 28 July, helping fellow ace Robert Holme drive down a German two-seater reconnaissance plane out of control. Three days later, they again cooperated, destroying a similar plane; Rath also drove down a third recon plane in the same dogfight. After driving down a fourth recce craft on 1 August, Rath became an ace on 8 August. In conjunction with fellow aces Claude Melnot Wilson, Arthur Reed, and a couple of other pilots, Rath destroyed a Hannover reconnaissance craft.^[4]

During the remainder of August, he destroyed three more enemy airplanes and drove two down out of control. On 14 October 1918, apparently in the same combat that resulted in Wilson's death, Rath destroyed two Fokker D.VIIs, bringing his tally to seven enemy planes destroyed and five driven down out of battle. On 26 October, Rath collided with Roderic MacLean^[5] while they were flying at 12,000 feet over Tournai.^[6] Both pilots died, though MacLean lingered for a day before succumbing to injuries.^[7] Rath was buried in Grave VC.8 in the Tournai cemetery.^[8]

Honors and awards

Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC)

Lieut. Henry Coyle Rath. (FRANCE)

A bold and resolute fighter in the air who has six enemy aeroplanes to his credit. On 14 October he, with three other machines, engaged a large number of enemy scouts; five were shot down, Lieut. Rath destroying two.^[9]

Sources of information

References

• SE 5/5a Aces of World War I. Norman Franks. Osprey Publishing, 2007. ISBN 1-84603-180-X, 9781846031809.