Toronto, Ontario
Birks joined 66Sqn in Italy in March 1918. Assigned to C Flight, he soon became a favorite wingman of Capt. William Barker, and the aggressive pair cut a wide swath, almost constantly flying air-air and air-ground sorties. On 24 May, in a large dogfight, Birks shot down the Berg flown by Josef Kiss, CO of Flik 55J. Birks, who genuinely mastered the Camel, also was credited with another Austro-Hungarian ace, Karl Patzelt, CO of Flik 68J. By late June Birks was credited with 12 confirmed victories (all destroyed or captured), with 10 positively identified and two more likely. Eight of his victories came in May alone.
Birks, Gerald Alfred (Lieutenant)
Survived 1918-March
Birth Date: 1894-October-30
Born: Montreal, Quebec
Parents: William Massey Birks & Miriam Gifford
Spouse: Margaret Ryrie, married August, 1924
Home: Toronto, Ontario
Enlistment: Montreal, Quebec: 73 Btn, CEF
Enlistment Date: 1915-August-31
Decorations: MC & Bar
Service
RAF
Unit
66 (F) Sqn- Squadron (RFC)
Base
Italy
Rank
Lieutenant
Position
pilot
Service Numbers
www.findagrave.comCrew or Other Personnel
Camel B8101
Camel serial: B8101
By unknown RAF photographer - gallery link image link, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8473883
The Sopwith Camel became the most successful British fighter of the First World War. The Sopwith F.1 and 2F.1 Camel first went into operations on the Western Front in 1917 and then served in virtually every theatre of Royal Flying Corps (RFC), Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) and Royal Air Force (RAF) service. Several Canadian aces used the Camel as their mount. The Camel was very manoeuvrable, and it could be tricky to fly in the hands of a novice pilot. For experienced pilots, however, the aircraft proved to be a superb fighter.
The Camel's machine-guns were mounted on the forward fuselage with their breeches enclosed in a faired metal cowling "hump" that gave the Camel its name. Several Camels were also shipped to Canada in the post-war period as part of an Imperial gift. Three registered Sopwith F.1 Camels entered service with the RCAF at Camp Borden in 1924. The following year, the RCAF purchased seven additional aircraft to provide further spares for the active aircraft. These latter aircraft were in fact 2F.1 models that had been "navalized" variants. Used primarily by wartime experienced fighter pilots for refresher training, the Camels lasted another five years before finally being scrapped. Wikipedia
Sopwith Camel
Wikipedia Sopwith Camel
Harold A Skaarup Web Page
Sopwith Camel - Kestrel Publications