Ronald Malcolm Fletcher DFM (22 February 1899 – 20 January 1952) was an English World War I observer/gunner ace in two-seater fighters who, in conjunction with his pilot, Lt. S.F.H. Thompson, gained 26 confirmed victories (16 destroyed, 10 'out of control'). He was notable for the fact that all but one of these victories were over enemy fighter planes.
Attached to the Royal Flying Corps from the 30th Training Reserve Battalion in November 1917, F...
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Ronald Malcolm Fletcher DFM (22 February 1899 – 20 January 1952) was an English World War I observer/gunner ace in two-seater fighters who, in conjunction with his pilot, Lt. S.F.H. Thompson, gained 26 confirmed victories (16 destroyed, 10 'out of control'). He was notable for the fact that all but one of these victories were over enemy fighter planes.
Attached to the Royal Flying Corps from the 30th Training Reserve Battalion in November 1917, Fletcher was teamed with pilot Samuel Frederick Henry Thompson in May 1918. Thompson already had scored three victories. The team of Sergeant Fletcher and Lieutenant Thompson was to become a deadly one; Fletcher scored all but one of his 26 victories flying in the rear seat of Bristol F.2bs flown by Thompson. In turn, Thompson would become the leading ace of 22 Squadron with 30 victories.
The new team got off to immediate success; on 16 May 1918, they destroyed three German Pfalz D.III fighters in ten minutes. Five days later, they destroyed...
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