Lt Ronald Baines Brookes, 55 Sqdn
Born at Ingleton, Yorkshire on 19 November 1896, Ronald had emigrated to Canada prior to the war where he was employed as a salesman in Toronto.
He enlisted into the Canadian Army Medical Corps at Toronto on 10 November 1914 and, as a Private soldier numbered 1572, served on the Western Front from mid 1915 with the 5th Canadian Field Ambulance.
Offered a commission in 1917, Ronald joined the RFC as a 2nd Lieutenant and served with 55 Squadron taking part in day-bombing sorties.
Returning from a mission on 13 March 1918, whilst being harassed by German fighters, Ronald's aircraft was seen to go down (under control) behind enemy lines.
Posted as missing, it was for hoped for some time that he might have been a prisoner of war due to the controlled way in which his plane was seen to go down, however, it would appear that Ronald had died upon the impact of his plane hitting the ground.
He is buried in Neuf-Brisach Communal Cemetery Extension, Haut-Rhin, France.
13 March 1918 killed in action
Research by David O'Mara