orders, decorations, campaign medals and militaria - Spink

November 22, 2012 - LoNdoN
crash to earth. He is a patrol leader of great dash and vigour.’
The Recommendation states: ‘For conspicuous courage and
devotion to duty with which he has carried out low flying harassing
and bombing patrols on Third and Fifth Army fronts. He has
inflicted severe casualties to enemy troops with machine gun fire,
and brought back most valuable information regarding movements
of enemy troops etc.
On 25.3.1918, when on low flying and bombing patrol over the
Bapaume - Flers Road, 4 Pfalz Scouts were engaged. He fired a
burst at one of these enemy machines, and it fell out of control and
crashed in flames near Luisenhof Farm. Later, on the same patrol, 4
Albatros two-seaters attacked. He engaged one and shot it down
out of control.
On 26.3.1918 when returning from low bombing reconnaissance
over Bihucourt, his machine was attacked from behind by 12
Albatros Scouts. He fired a long burst into one of the E.A. which
went down and was seen to crash. The remaining E.A. followed but
could not catch up the D.H.4
Captain John Miller Brisbane, M.C., born Edinburgh, 1897;
educated at George Watson’s College, Edinburgh, and served with
the O.T.C. there; enlisted as Private, Lovat’s Scouts, 3.4.1915;
commissioned Second Lieutenant, 2/4th Royal Scots, 15.10.1915;
transferred to Royal Flying Corps, July 1917; qualified as Flying
Officer (Observer), 19.10.1917, and posted to 18 Squadron
(D.H.4’s), Auchel, France; initially crewed with Captain J.L. Head
as his Pilot he spent October carrying out day bombing and photoreconnaissance
operations; these including 11.10.1917, ‘8 20lb
bombs dropped on Haubourdin’ and 16.10.1917, ‘1 112lb bomb
dropped on H.Q. in Cuincy. One bomb failed to release’ (Squadron
Record Book, refers); he continued to mainly fly with Head into the
new year, including 25.1.1918, whilst on a photo-reconnaissance
mission ‘Height 17,000’ Visibility fair. AA fire active. 36 plates
exposed. Driven off twice by formations of 5 and 6 E.A. Formation
of E.A. seen over Lille at 20,000’; Brisbane was involved in a crash,
6.3.1918, whilst flying over the 1st Army front with Second
Lieutenant W. Rochelle, ‘left aerodrome 9.40am... crashed at
11.40am. Cause - Engine was shot thro’ cylinders during combat
with E.A. and lost all water. Pilot landed at 2 Sqdn but misjudged
aerodrome and ran into ditch’; whilst flying with Captain A.G.
Waller (an 11 Victory Bomber Pilot Ace), Brisbane claimed a shared
forced down out of control, over Avelin, 15.3.1918, and another
between Wavrin and Fromelles the following day; in late March the
squadron was heavily involved in countering the German Spring
Offensive, and on the 25th-26th Brisbane accounted for another 3
aircraft (see M.C. citation); on both days he was to fly with another
two notable pilots - firstly A.R. Atkey, who with 38 victories was the
highest scoring British two-seater ace of the war, and secondly with
R.G. Gould, a veteran pilot, and subsequent Commanding Officer
of 98 and 42 Squadrons; two days after his ‘purple patch’ Brisbane
was involved in another accident, this time when his aircraft
overturned on running into a shell hole; fortunately both pilot and
observer were emerged unscathed; Lieutenant, Royal Air Force,
1.4.1918; returned to the Home Establishment, 4.5.1918; Brisbane
was seriously injured in an aeroplane accident whilst stationed at
191 Night Training Squadron, Upwood, 6.9.1918; the resultant
injuries effectively ended his operational career and he was
discharged 9.5.1919.
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