Euan Dickson

Euan Dickson, (31 March 1892 – 10 March 1980) was a British-born New Zealander bomber pilot and flying ace in the First World War. Serving with the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) and subsequently the Royal Air Force (RAF), he flew over 150 missions flying the D.H.4 aircraft. As well as flying so many bombing missions he, and his observer, was also credited with shooting down 14 enemy aircraft. After the war he returned to New Zealand and was the first person to fly across the Cook Strait. Early life Dickson was born in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England where his family lived at 12 Harland Road (off Ecclesall Road) on 31 March 1882 and emigrated to New Zealand about 1912, taking a job with an engineering firm in Thames on the North Island. First World War In 1916 Dickson decided to return to Britain to enlist for the war. Joining the Royal Navy he was commissioned as a flight sub-lieutenant in July 1916 and was awarded his pilot's licence, number 3966, on 12 December 1916 by the Royal Aero Club. Dickson was posted to 10 Squadron RNAS in March 1917 but in April was transferred to No. 5 Squadron RNAS. This squadron was a bomber squadron flying the Airco D.H. 4 two-seater biplane aircraft and it was in this type that Dickson flew all his combat missions. On 18 December 1917 Dickson was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) for his part in a bombing mission. The citation for his award reads: