David Tidmarsh

Who was David Tidmarsh?

Squadron Leader David Mary Tidmarsh MC was an Irish-born World War I Royal Flying Corps flying ace credited with seven aerial victories.

Tidmarsh was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 4th Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment on 23 April 1915. He began flying training at Shoreham on 27 August 1915, and transferred into the Royal Flying Corps on 13 January 1916 when he was appointed a Flying Officer in 24 Squadron. He was piloting an Airco DH.2 on 2 April 1916 when he scored his—and his squadron's—first victory, destroying a German Albatros two-seater and killing its crew of Karl Oscar Breibisch-Guthmann and Paul Wein. On 21 April, a dud antiaircraft shell blew through the nacelle of his plane without harming him. On 25 April, Tidmarsh was flying Airco DH.2 No. 5965, escorting a mission of Royal Aircraft Factory FE.2s, when he dived on an approaching Fokker Eindekker fighter. It fled. He pursued. The German had a 500 yard lead on Tidmarsh, who was not close enough to fire, when the Fokker lost its wings at an altitude of 1,000 feet. A German report would later blame flying wires severed by bullets for breaking up the airplane. However, Tidmarsh received credit for the victory, his second. He would score once more while with 24 Squadron, when he set a two-seater on fire on 20 May 1916, killing Franz Patzig and Georg Loenholdt.