Frank Johnson

Who is Frank Johnson?

Sergeant Frank Johnson DCM & Bar was a World War I flying ace credited with 16 aerial victories. He flew as an observer/gunner and a pilot, and is the only enlisted man to receive a second award of the Distinguished Conduct Medal.

Johnson scored his first four victories between 24 September 1916 and 4 February 1917 while assigned to No. 22 Squadron. He flew in the back seat of four different F.E.2bs with four different pilots to do it. Johnson was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal on 26 April 1917. He then retrained as a pilot, and returned to action as a member of No. 20 Squadron, which operated Bristol F.2 Fighters. He then scored nine more victories between 11 October 1917 and 17 February 1918, using four different gunners in the rear seat of the two-seated fighter.

He then transferred to No. 62 Squadron to score his last three victories, one on 27 March 1918, and the other two on 12 April. Once again, he was piloting Bristols, and he used two different gunners to score this last trio of triumphs. He was awarded a Bar to his DCM in lieu of a second award on 3 September 1918.

His final tally showed six enemy airplanes destroyed and twelve driven down out of control.