Leslie Powell

Who was Leslie Powell?

Lieutenant Leslie Archibald Powell was a World War I flying ace credited with 19 aerial victories.

Powell was a journalist before the war, working for the Western Daily Press. He flew as an observer/gunner on Bristol F2B Fighters. All but one of his victories came while he was teamed with Andrew McKeever. The two of them were a formidable team that scored multiple daily victories more often than not. Powell's victory roll began with triple victories on both 7 July 1917 and 5 August. He would score another triple triumph on 31 October, and double victories on 23 September and 16 October 1917. He closed out his list with four victories scored in a running dogfight between his plane and seven German fighters. Powell's Lewis machine gun jammed while they were being attacked by another German fighter. McKeever rolled the Bristol into what seemed a death dive, and the German sheered off. McKeever recovered at 20 feet altitude before managing to escape the surviving Germans.

On 25 January 1918, Powell and McKeever were withdrawn from combat duty and assigned to Home Establishment back in Britain.