Arthur Rhys-Davids
A brilliant Cambridge scholar turned fighter pilot, his brief, dazzling career in the skies over France became a symbol of lost potential.
1897–1917 (age 20)·British World War I flying ace·Birthday: September 26·The Lost Generation
Biography
Arthur Rhys-Davids shot down and killed the German ace Werner Voss on September 23, 1917, after a lengthy dogfight. He was a classics scholar at Oxford in 1917 before joining the Royal Flying Corps. Flying the S.E.5a scout with No. 56 Squadron, he proved a natural marksman and tactically gifted leader. He achieved 25 aerial victories. He carried a copy of the 'Oxford Book of English Verse' in his cockpit and wrote poignant letters home. He failed to return from a patrol over Passchendaele weeks after his triumph over Voss, days before his 20th birthday. He was born in 1897.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Arthur was born in 1897, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Arthur Was Born
The biggest hits of 1897
Arthur's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1897Born
President: William McKinley
1902Started school
The eruption of Mount Pelee kills 30,000 in Martinique
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1910Became a teenager
Halley's Comet makes its closest approach
President: William Howard Taft
1913Could drive
The Federal Reserve is established
President: Woodrow Wilson
1915Could vote
The Lusitania is sunk by a German U-boat
President: Woodrow Wilson
1917Died at 20
Russian Revolution overthrows the tsar; US enters WWI
President: Woodrow Wilson
Key Achievements
- Achieved 25 confirmed aerial victories as a fighter pilot with the Royal Flying Corps in World War I.
- Was credited with shooting down the famous German ace Leutnant Werner Voss in a celebrated dogfight in September 1917.
- Awarded the Distinguished Service Order and the Military Cross for his gallantry and skill in aerial combat.
Did You Know?
He was a King's Scholar at Eton College and had won a scholarship to study at Balliol College, Oxford before volunteering for service.
His squadron, No. 56, was one of the first equipped with the advanced S.E.5a fighter.
He was known for being unusually young-looking, even among the young pilots of the RFC.
“The Hun is low, a hundred yards ahead. I'm going to have him.”
