Orders, Decorations and Medals

A Great War Sopwith Camel ‘Ace’s’ D.F.C. group of three awarded to Captain Robert McLaughlin, Royal Naval Air Service and Royal Air Force

Distinguished Flying Cross, G.V.R., in case of issue; British War and Victory Medals (Capt., R.A.F.) very fine (3) £1500-1800

D.F.C. London Gazette 2 November 1918: ‘On the morning of 8th August this officer successfully bombed enemy transport and engaged three machine-gun sections, killing and scattering these detachments. Later on, while bombing a dump, he was attacked by eight Fokkers who shot him down in flames. Except for slight burns he escaped injury, and returning to his squadron, he was once more flying in the afternoon, having specially requested to be allowed to do so. A splendid example of courage and determination.’

Captain Robert McLaughlin, of Belfast, was born in 1896, and was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant, General List, in 1917. He was appointed Flying Officer in November 1917 and was posted to No. 1 Naval Squadron on 27 March 1918, which unit on 1 April following became No. 201 Squadron, R.A.F. Flying Sopwith Camels from Noeux, McLaughlin opened his tally in May destroying Albatros DV’s on the 9th and 15th, sharing the latter with victory with several pilots of his squadron. On 30 May he drove down Albatros out of control at Aichiet le Grand, and on 19 June was employed in a ground attack role: - ‘A raid was carried out on Bancourt aerodrome by a patrol of 201 Sqn., consisting of Lts. Brading, Gates, Bright, Riddell and McLaughlin, protected by two flights of 60 Sqn. Twenty-four 25-lb bombs were dropped from 500 feet, bursts being observed among the hangars, after which the machines descended lower and over 3,000 rounds were fired into the hangars and huts believed to be officers’ quarters. A Hannoveraner two-seater which was on the aerodrome was set on fire. All the machines returned, though most of them were hit.’ It is recorded that on the same day Camel D9587 flown by Lt. R. Mclaughlin force landed and was wrecked at Acheux.

His outstanding D.F.C. exploit took place at the start of the Battle of Amiens on 8 August 1918, during a low level sortie in support of the start of the Fourth Army’s big push. 201 Squadron’s war diary records: - ‘Lieutenant McLaughlin, after bombing a dump near Herleville, was attacked by eight Fokker biplanes. He evaded them for five minutes but they eventually drove him down to within fifty feet of the ground. The controls of the machine were shot away, when a bullet pierced the petrol tank and the machine burst into flames and went down out of control at Harbonnieres just in front of our advancing tanks. The pilot, who had escaped injury, jumped out and made his way back to the aerodrome.’ On 12 August with Captain de Wilde and Lieutenant Sykes, he destroyed a brace of Fokker DVII’s at St Christ. His sixth and final victory, a Fokker DVII driven down out of control south east of Cambrai, occurred on 16 September. Discharged in March 1919, McLaughlin, sometime of Shanghai, was admitted to the Reserve of Officers in 1925 and served as a member of 502 (Ulster) Squadron until relinquishing his commission on 6 April 1932.