Canada’s Forgotten Airman - Cpt. Alfred Atkey

The beauty and the horror

By Mark Carmichael

It would have been a spectacle of the upmost beauty to behold. Something akin to watching a swarm of starlings perform their magnificent ballet in the sky above the moors in the south of England. For the men on watch far below in the trenches, the show would have started with the morning sun luminating the battlefield. Slowly masses of aircraft would begin to materialize on the stage from their bases in the west. Clusters of aircraft suddenly appearing from the clouds, disappearing then appearing again. Each combatant armed with the world’s newest most lethal weapons, their mounted Vickers MkII machine guns forming lances, each pilot a champion, a knight of the air valiantly crashing forth, undaunted and undeterred into battle. On their mark, from their bases situated in the East, the German machines would join in on the tournament.  Meanwhile, in the stands far below the audiences from both sides would be given an unparalleled view of the stage in the sky, cheering on their champion and from their seats they would watch the glorious display of coordinated chaos and carnage. The collection of upwards of 100 combatants would converge then dive together into the melee, twisting and turning, spinning and veering then climbing again, each move accentuated by an angry belch of fire aimed at their opponent. These ‘Acts’ would take place every day, weather permitting, ending with the audience sated yet left to pick up the mangled, charred pieces of the vanquished. The horror. And as the scene ended and the men in the mud returned to their morbid toils, the surviving participants of the contest would retreat back from the list to their bases…some proudly boasting of the victories they earned, others silently counting the number of landed to determine who didn’t. With a quick gas up, patches quickly applied over the newly created holes, a fresh crop of pups would be called up to replace the fallen and then…just like that…the next Act would begin anew.

This bill would promote some of the greatest legendary figures of the war: William “Billy” Bishop, the Canadian Ace of Aces and his mates, William Barker and Raymond Collishaw. Then there would be Edward Mannock, Britain’s finest, and the South African sniper, Andrew “Proccy” Beauchamp-Proctor. On the opposing side, the illustrious Red Baron, Manfred von Richtofen would be edged by his Jasta 11 Flying Circus troupe of Ernst Udet, Erich Lowenhardt and his younger brother Lothar von Richtofen. However, from this collection of giants there was another pilot whose name has since receded into the ether. He was Canada’s fifth highest scoring Ace…compiling 38 victories during his service in the air over France…and ranked as the 35th top Ace of the war. And in the month of May in 1918, in the heart of the German Spring Offensive, when the skies were filled with the greatest number of German and Allied airmen, one Canadian pilot, Captain Alfred Clayburn Atkey, emerged as the most efficient, deadliest pilot of the war. He is and remains till this day, one of our most unknown, forgotten heroes.

Who was Alfred Atkey? And what did he do in the war that truly merited recognition? Alfred was born in Toronto, Ontario on 16 August 1894. When Alfred was still young, his father decided to pack up the family and move to Saskatchewan. He wanted to try his hand at farming. However, Atkey found that the endless fields of waving wheat were not for him and once he reached adulthood moved back to Toronto. He decided to become a writer for the Toronto Evening Telegram. This was the perfect time for an ambitious young man to become a journalist. Working in the newspaper business gave the 22-year-old apprentice first-hand exposure to the monumental conflict raging overseas. The position would also entitle him to be one of the first ones to read the stories coming out of the war. Coincidentally, it can be suspected that this was also the time where he first learned about the new fantastical world of aviation as an innovative form of modern warfare being introduced above the trenches of France.

Atkey’s career as an airman began with the rank of a probationary Second Lieutenant in the No. 18 Squadron of Royal Flying Corps. As Canada did not have an air force of its own, he travelled to England and enlisted. Few details are available regarding the early stages of his service but in September 1917 he was assigned to a bomber squadron and began flying Airco DH4s. The DH4 was a two-seater biplane with a pilot and an observer. Most of the top pilots flew single seat aircrafts. However, with a dual-seat plane, Atkey piloted the craft armed with a single barrel Vickers machine gun while his mate in the back would either man the .303 Lewis gun or just lob bombs down upon on the unsuspecting Germans cowering in the trenches below. After the Battle of Passchendaele (Third Battle of Ypres) in December 1917, both sides saw a traditional winter lull in the fighting. During this rather slow period, Atkey recorded his first confirmed victories. He was able to score his first and second kills on 4 February 1918 while piloting his DH4. The win was achieved in the skies over Messines, Belgium just south of Ypres.

In the winter of 1918, two materially significant events were taking place simultaneously. On the Axis side, following the armistice that was signed with Russia, Germany was in the middle of transporting more than 50 Divisions of soldiers to the Western Front. This equated to more than 1 million men to bolster the capabilities of the German war machine in France and Belgium. On the Allied side, utilizing a maddingly slow deployment, the new entrant to the conflict, the Americans, were assembling a massive armed force consisting of upwards of 2.8 million men, all readying themselves for battle. When considering these two key circumstances, the German General Staff decided that now was the time to strike. They needed to make a move and try to win the war while they had the advantage of men and material. With that decision, on the 21 March 1918, Operation Michael kicked off.  The initial target of their Spring campaign aimed at the British sector of the line.

Operation Michael consisted of five separate and distinct hammer blows to the Allied lines. The first was the Somme Offensive. This was followed soon after by the Lys Offensive, the Ainse Offensive, the Noyon-Montdidier Offensive and finally the Champagne-Marne Offensive. Their first ferocious attack aimed at the region just south of Vimy pushed the British forces back almost 40 miles in only two weeks of fighting. For a war where victories were measured in hundreds of yards, such a long advance was significant. Meanwhile, in the skies above the battle, the air was thick with German and Allied planes. The Germans had deployed 820 aircraft against the British who could only respond with only 645 at the time. However, a week later the British created the Royal Air Force, formed through the consolidation of the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Navy Air Service. In short order, the British were able to gain a significant numerical advantage against the Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte. Of any other time in the war, this was the time to be a fighter pilot.

Historians tend to agree that the end of the ‘War to End all Wars’ began with the German Spring Offensive. Without this seminal battle, the German war machine would not have lost almost 700,000 casualties, would not have created weak spots in their defensive positions along the front and would not have wasted the much-needed men and materials required to solidify their position and sue for a more positive outcome at the negotiation table. Thus, with an analysis of the war in general and the critical role the war in the air played, an appreciation of the achievements of the airmen who participated in that battle should be recognized and noted. Through this analysis, it will, however, give us an opportunity to investigate and validate if one of the pilots active in the conflict, Canada’s forgotten Ace Captain Alfred Atkey, achievements have or have not been unjustifiably overlooked.

During the Spring Offensive (21 March to 18 July) virtually all the Top-10 Aces saw action. Historians have ranked the WW1 Aces by the number of claimed and/or verified victories. However, there are other factors that need to be considered for one to be included in this illustrious group. A pilot did not only have to have the stats, but they must have had to show evidence of gallantry and bravery in the field (or sky), leave behind legendary tales of the notable events and consistently show results over time. If we are to prove that Captain Alfred Atkey truly merits greater recognition and has been unfairly overlooked, we must first prove that his name deserves to be mentioned alongside the greats.

To begin, let’s start with a recognition of the Great War’s top recognized Aces. These are the individuals whose names have become legend and an appreciation of their individual achievements have stood the test of time. The Red Baron, Erich von Richtofen is known as the greatest Ace of the war. He achieved 80 victories before being killed on 21 April 1918 at Morlancourt Ridge. He was known as a feared and fearless warrior, gaining advantage, supremacy and longevity through the employment of new and innovative tactics while piloting his Albatross DIII and Fokker DRI. Richtofen introduced the concept of attacking in groups and once he got his team to work together as they prowled the sky, it was able to knock down the opposing planes consistently and with relative ease. On the Allied side, the French fighter pilot Rene Fonck owned the front above the Verdun sector for years and was able to score 75 wins. He was so consistent that he counted 10 victories in six separate months. He is an example of a pilot who made it through the entire war by being a patient and effective aerial marksman. The third greatest Ace was the Canadian William Avery “Billy” Bishop. Bishop counted 72 victories while stalking enemy scouts over the Somme sector of France and Belgium. Each of these men are considered as being the Best of the Best with their names and achievement still resonating more than a century after they took to the sky.

The first area of investigation will compare Atkey’s statistics with those of the top-20 scoring Aces. Atkey officially ranked among the Aces as 35th. However, those numbers don’t tell the whole story. Atkey shot down 38 enemy planes, making him the fifth top-scoring Canadian. It should be noted that Atkey flew a twin-seater Bristol F2B, the finest aircraft of its type to come out of the war. The F2B had a man in the front seat piloting the craft and a man seated behind him acting as both an observer and a gunner. Atkey was the top twin-seater pilot in the war, although Canadian Andrew Edward McKeever with 31 victories (see Fall 2020 issue of The Maple Leaf) often gets credit for that title. While the single-seat aircraft have traditionally received higher billing, the F2B was a match for them by this point in the war, allowing both men to achieve significant victories against superior odds.

As in sports like basketball or hockey, while the regular season is important, how you perform in the playoffs is what counts. From that perspective, we can analyze two statistics; most victories within a specified period of time (my analysis used most victories in a month) and the top scoring pilot during the Spring Offensive, one of the most consequential battles of the war. A detailed analysis was made using data on every victory claimed by the top 20 WW1 Aces. (http://www.theaerodrome.com) For each individual pilot, the top scoring month and number victories in that month was calculated. Data from this analysis demonstrates that Atkey was in a class by himself. His top scoring month was in May during the Spring Offensive of 1918 when he shot down a total of 26 enemy planes. The next top scoring pilot in a 30-day period was the British pilot Edward Bannock with 19 victories also in May 1918. This equates to a 27 per cent advantage for Atkey. German pilot Ernst Udet scored 17 in August 1918, his mate the Red Baron, scored 17 in “Bloody” April 1917 and British pilot George McElroy was able to down 17 planes in July of 1918. By extending the analysis from a month to any 30-day timespan, Atkey’s results only improve with him recording 28 planes in a 30-day time span.

As the German Spring Offensive represented one of the most consequential periods of both the greater war in general and the air war in particular, a review of Atkey’s stats also place him high up on the list of top Aces. Understanding that Richtofen was killed in April of 1918, leaving him out of the contest for the majority of that battle is couched by his ability to boast the most total career victories. His 80 wins, coupled with his leadership, fearlessness, ingenuity, and consistency place him at the top…regardless of him being able to compete alongside the other Aces in this critical time. The top Aces for the Spring Offensive, which included the highest number of enemy and allied planes in the air at the same time included: Edward Mannock (39), Canadian Donald MacLaren (35), followed by Alfred Atkey (33), German Erich Loewenhardt (25) and George McElroy (23).

While the concept of ‘gallantry and bravery in the field’ is always subjective, in the perspective of a war, bravery is often classified by any action worthy of a medal. The top medal one could earn as a British pilot was the Victoria Cross. The two Canadians who won the VC were Billy Bishop and William Barker. Edward Mannock, James McCudden, Andrew Beauchamp-Proctor and Albert Ball were all VC recipients. While Atley was never awarded the VC, he was awarded both a Military Cross and Bar. The citations for his two medals are as follows:

Military Cross

2nd Lt. Alfred Clayburn Atkey, R.F.C., Spec. Res.
For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. When engaged on reconnaissance and bombing work, he attacked four scouts, one of which he shot down in flames. Shortly afterwards he attacked four two-seater planes, one of which he brought down out of control. On two previous occasions his formation was attacked by superior numbers of the enemy, three of whom in all were shot down out of control. He has shown exceptional ability and initiative on all occasions.

London Gazette, 22 June 1918 (30761/7402)

Military Cross with Bar

Lt. (T./Capt.) Alfred Clayburn Atkey, M.C., R.A.F.
For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. During recent operations he destroyed seven enemy machines. When engaged with enemy aircraft, often far superior in numbers, he proved himself a brilliant fighting pilot, and displayed dash and gallantry of a high order.

London Gazette, 16 September 1918 (30901/10880)

Notable feats also tend to be subjective in nature. Firstly, they are called ‘notable’ because someone else had to take ‘note of them’ and consider them worthy of praise. One particular event that occurred in early May of 1918 which has resonated throughout the lore of Great War Air War history and was retold as the story of “The Two Against Twenty”.

Based upon accounts of the event, it proceeded this way…

On the evening of May 7th during the heart of the German Spring Offensive of 1918 Lieutenant Atkey and his observer Lieutenant George Gass were flying alongside their mates Lieutenant John Gurdon and 2nd Lieutenant Anthony Thornton. Both airmen were piloting Bristol F2Bs as they patrolled an area just north-east of Arras. It was during this time of the war where both the Brits and the German’s were battling it out for air superiority. Control of the skies allowed one side or the other the freedom to control and maintain the secrecy on their movement of supplies, armaments, and troops. Atkey and Gurdon were tasked with conducting a reconnaissance over German-held areas. It was just after 18:45 on this evening when the pair noticed a group of enemy aircraft. Not wanting to let an opportunity go to waste, Atkey and Gurdon dove to attack the group of German scouts. In this initial maneuver, both Atkey and Gurdon were able to claim one victory each. In many cases and for most pilots, this would be considered a full day’s work and they would have headed back home…however it was only seconds later when they would realize the mess they had got themselves into. They may have been able to down two planes, but they shook up a veritable hornets’ nest of German planes with about 20 machines scrambling to attack them. One can imagine the sight from the trenches as the men watched in amazement. A sky full of Germans against two British fighters, the twisting and turning, diving and evading the oncoming attackers. The battle went on for almost 30 minutes between the swarm and the two. However, the pair not only persevered, but both survived and managed to make their way back to base. The duo of Atkey and Gass boasted of downing five enemy craft with Gurdon and Thornton claimed three. The amazing and equally notable feat accomplished by Atkey and Gass was the fact that they were able to repeat it all again two days later knocking out another five German planes from the sky – 10 planes downed within a span of 72 hours…a truly noteworthy achievement indeed!  (http://www.militarian.com/threads/british-aces-of-ww1-alfred-atkey.7803/)

The final consideration whereby the ‘Best’ separate themselves from the rest is in the area of ‘consistency’. Success in ‘war’, notably the First World War, is more akin to a marathon than a sprint. Thus, a pilot needed to perform, adapt to the rapid changes in technology, respond to the enemy’s changing tactics and, most importantly, survive as long as possible. The top 10 Aces of the war all confirmed victories while serving more than 12 months in the sky. Manfred von Richtofen scored victories over 20 months. French Ace Rene Fonck ruled the air above for 28 months, Raymond Collishaw for 24 and both James McCudden and Erich Loewenhardt for 17 months. These timespans represent evidence of consistency, especially when the average lifespan of a great war pilot was 10 weeks. Alfred Atkey’s wins were achieved in a five-month time span. One of the caveats was that he did fly aircraft for a period of more than two years.

In summary, as we assess the ‘ranking’ of Aces who served in the Great War, evidence shows that there are several factors that need to be taken into consideration when evaluating a pilot. Statistics provide empirical objective evidence of a pilot’s achievements. Recognition is the second attribute with the best Aces being formally recognized by their superiors. The third component relates to the stories that they were able to leave behind. The fourth is the ability for a pilot to prove himself as a dependable, consistent and skilled fighter pilot. As demonstrated above, an objective analysis of Atkey’s qualifications prove that his results merit a reassessment of his achievement. With 26 victories in the month of May and 28 within a 30-day span, we can easily prove that Atkey was an effective and successful pilot. The fact that he flew a twin-seater and had a gunner with him, puts him in a different category than the men who piloted single-seat craft. Either way, a thorough review of Atkey’s record as an airman demonstrates that he has been overlooked and his achievements in France do merit greater recognition.

Post script

This story is brought to you in thanks to my daughter who joined me in searching for the final resting spot of Captain Alfred Clayburn Atkey. Directly after the war, Atkey got married and moved to California.  He returned to Canada around 1940, got remarried and raised a family.  Atkey died on Feb 10, 1971 and is buried in Spring Creek Cemetery in Mississauga. After my daughter and I spent more than an hour and half searching up and down row upon row of grave-markers and tombstones we finally found him.  The marker for Canada’s fifth highest scoring fighter pilot was hiding beneath the unkempt clumps of crabgrass.  We hope that this research along with the investigation, reassessment and story of the remarkable achievements of Alfred Atkey clear away some of the oversights of the past and provide Atkey with the recognition and collective appreciation that he so very well deserves.