Personal info
- Name: Alan Arnett McLEOD
- D.O.B: 20th Apr, 1899
- D.O.A: 27th Mar, 1918
- D.O.D: 6th Nov, 1918
- Award: Victoria Cross
- Occupation at time of action: Second Lieutenant, No 2 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps
Over Albert, France 27 March 1918
27 March 1918
The First World War 1918
On 26 March 1918 Second Lieutenant A A McLeod and his observer, Lieutenant A W Hammond, were on a mission in an Armstrong Whitworth FK 8, with six other planes, to bomb German forces at Bray-sur-Somme, south-east of Albert. Flying conditions were poor, visibility being restricted by low cloud, and they became separated from their companions. After landing at Avesnes-le-Comte, west of Arras, they decided to proceed alone and flew south to Bray. They were just about to attack a German battery when they themselves were attacked by eight German planes. After a ferocious aerial engagement they crashed in no man’s land, McLeod dragging Hammond toward the British trenches before collapsing seriously wounded. Hammond was awarded a Bar to the Military Cross for his part in the action.
Citation
Whilst flying with his observer (Lt. A W. Hammond, M C.), attacking hostile formations by bombs and machine-gun fire, he was assailed at a height of 5,000 feet by eight enemy triplanes, which dived at him from all directions, firing from their front guns By skilful manoeuvring he enabled his observer to fire bursts at each machine in turn, shooting three of them down out of control By this time Lt McLeod had received five wounds, and whilst continuing the engagement a bullet penetrated his petrol tank and set the machine on fire He then climbed out on to the left bottom plane, controlling his machine from the side of the fuselage, and by side-slipping steeply kept the flames to one side, thus enabling the observer to continue firing until the ground was reached The observer had been wounded six times when the machine crashed in “No Man’s Land,” and 2nd Lt McLeod, notwithstanding his own wounds, dragged him away from the burning wreckage at great personal risk from heavy machine-gun fire from the enemy’s lines This very gallant pilot was again wounded by a bomb whilst engaged in this act of rescue, but he persevered until he had placed Lt Hammond in comparative safety, before falling himself from exhaustion and loss of blood