Ronald T. Mark

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Ronald Turnbull Mark
Born 1898
Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Died Unknown
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service/branch British Army
Royal Air Force
Years of service 1917–1919
1940–1945
Rank Wing Commander
Unit No. 24 Squadron RFC/No. 24 Squadron RAF
Battles/wars World War I
 • Western Front
World War II
Awards Military Cross & Bar
Order of the British Empire

Wing Commander Ronald Turnbull Mark MC* OBE (born 1898, date of death unknown) was a British World War I flying ace credited with 14 aerial victories.[1][2]

World War I service

Mark joined the Royal Flying Corps as a temporary second lieutenant (on probation), and was confirmed in his rank on 20 October 1917.[3] In January 1918 he was posted to No. 24 Squadron on the Western Front to fly the SE.5a single-seat fighter.

His first aerial victory came at 0830 hours on 18 February 1918, when Mark, Horace Barton and Andrew Cowper drove a German DFW two-seater reconnaissance aircraft down out of control. He scored his second win later that same day, driving a Pfalz D.III fighter down out of control. The next morning, ten minutes combat saw Mark help Cowper, Reuben Hammersley, and Peter MacDougall burn another DFW reconnaissance aircraft and destroy a Rumpler two-seater. On the 26th, Mark shared with Ian Donald Roy McDonald, Herbert Richardson, and four other British pilots in the destruction of a new Fokker Dr.I triplane fighter. Mark was now an ace.[1] By checking internal evidence to Mark's victory list, these seem to have been the days described in the citation for his first Military Cross:

Temporary Second Lieutenant Ronald Turnbull Mark, General List and RFC.
"For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He showed great determination and resource during operations in attacking enemy troops and transport with machine gun fire. Observing some enemy transport in a village, he attacked it repeatedly and caused it to stampede. While on an offensive patrol he attacked and destroyed an enemy two-seater machine. He has destroyed one other enemy machine and driven down others out of control."[4]

On 11 March, Mark, Herbert Richardson, Alfred John Brown, and two other pilots drove down a two-seater. Two days later, Mark repeated the feat, but single-handed. Two days after that, he teamed with Richardson and Cowper to destroy an observation aircraft. By 3 May, he had run his string to 14, sharing a victory each with Conway Farrell and Cyril Lowe. On 21 May, he took off on the sortie described in his citation for a second award of the Military Cross:[1]

Temporary Second Lieutenant Ronald Turnbull Mark, General List and RFC.
"For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. This officer and another pilot were escorting a formation of machines engaged on bombing a village, when seven enemy scouts attacked the bombers. They both attacked these scouts, but at the outset the other pilot's machine was set on fire, and 2nd Lt. Mark's right-hand top plane broke. During the fight that ensued each came to the rescue of the other. 2nd Lt. Mark first caused the other pilot's pursuer to break off his attack, and then the other pilot shot down the scout attacking 2nd Lt. Mark. The action of both these officers, in practically immanoeuvrable machines, in coming to the rescue of each other in turn showed courage and self-sacrifice of a very high order."[5]

Unmentioned is the finale; Mark's crash landing of his damaged aircraft set it afire. Somehow he survived unscathed.[1] Mark was appointed a temporary captain on 1 September 1918,[6] and eventually left the RAF, relinquishing his commission on 9 April 1919.[7]

World War II service and beyond

On 2 April 1940, Ronald Turnbull Mark was granted a commission in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve as a pilot officer on probation "for the duration of hostilities".[8] Exactly one year later, he was confirmed in his rank.[9] On 9 February 1941 he was granted the war substantive rank of flying officer,[10] and was promoted to squadron leader in the Administrative and Special Duties Branch on 1 October 1943.[11] By 1 January 1945, when Mark received a mentioned in despatches[12] and was made an Officer of the Military Division of the Order of the British Empire[13] he held the acting rank of wing commander.

Post-war Mark pursued a career as in business. On 28 May 1948 Ronald Turnbull Mark, Mrs. Elsie Brooks and William Stanley Rainbow bought William Bell Rope and Twine Merchants in Edinburgh,[14] and Mark was the chairman of the Forster Tobacco Company Ltd. of Newcastle upon Tyne, when it was sold in February 1956.[15]

References

Citations
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Shores et.al. (1990), p.260.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 30382. p. 11793. 13 November 1917.
  4. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 30761. p. 7418. 22 June 1918.
  5. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 30901. p. 10897. 16 September 1918.
  6. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 30918. p. 11347. 24 September 1918. Note: This usually meant an appointment as a flight commander.
  7. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 31308. p. 5204. 25 April 1919.
  8. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 34838. pp. 2478–2479. 26 April 1940.
  9. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 35171. pp. 2952–2953. 23 May 1941.
  10. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 35127. p. 1966. 4 April 1941.
  11. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 36271. p. 5290. 30 November 1943.
  12. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 36866. p. 63. 29 December 1944.
  13. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 37407. p. 37. 28 December 1945.
  14. ↑ The Edinburgh Gazette: no. 16549. pp. 263–264. 8 June 1948.
  15. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 40733. p. 1604. 16 March 1956.
Bibliography
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