Selden Long Major Selden Herbert Long ( 6 October 1895 - 12 December 1952 ) , was an English flying ace during the First World War . He was credited with nine confirmed aerial victories . He was also noted for the audacity of his trench strafing missions – an early form of close air support . Early service and award of the Military Cross . Long was the son of Major General Sidney Selden Long . He was educated at the United Services College at Windsor . He served originally in the Durham Light Infantry before transferring to the Royal Flying Corps in 1914 . Before ever scoring an aerial victory , he won the Military Cross ( gazetted on 29 October 1915 ) . The citation to the MC tells the tale : " For conspicuous gallantry on several occasions , notably the following : — " On 10 September 1915 , he went out to attack an observation balloon shed with a 100 - lb . bomb , but , being heavily fired at by an anti - aircraft battery , he silenced the guns with this bomb and returned for another one , with which he attacked the balloon . He only narrowly missed it as it was being deflated beside the shed . " On 23 September he made two determined attacks on trains from 500 feet , breaking the rails in two places . On the first occasion he returned to the attack three times , and finally climbed to 1 , 000 feet in order to make better use of his bomb sight ; on the second occasion he made most of his return journey at 1 , 000 feet in order better to examine villages , roads , etc . " On 25 September he attacked a train at 500 feet under heavy rifle fire , and damaged the line . Late in the afternoon of 25 September he heard that trains were moving at 25 miles distance , and , in spite of darkness and bad weather , he volunteered to attack them . Heavy rain prevented his reaching them , so he turned to attack Peronne station , descending to 500 feet and coming under heavy anti - aircraft gun fire . This fire prevented his reaching the station , but he climbed to 1 , 500 feet and attacked a " Rocket " battery , silencing one of its guns . " Aerial victories . It would be almost another year before Selden Long scored his first aerial win , using one of 29 Squadron ' s DH . 2 s to drive a Fokker Eindekker down out of control . Three months later , on 16 November , flying a DH . 2 for 24 Squadron , he captured a Roland C . II at Beaulencourt . There followed a string of four victories in December ; on the 11th , teamed with Eric Pashley , Chester Stairs Duffus and another pilot , he destroyed an Albatros D . I ; on the 20th , he and Kelvin Crawford set an Albatros D . II aflame ; the 26th and 27th saw " out of control " victories . On 25 January 1917 , Captain Long torched an LVG two - seater from FA ( A ) 216 ; its crew , Leutnants Gunter Kallenbach and Ernst Erdmann , leaped to their deaths . Two days later , the two - seater falling before Long ' s guns belonged to FA ( A ) 233 , and the men killed were Vizefeldwebel Willy Lang and Leutnant Kurt Brandt . Long would score once more , on 6 March 1917 . Six days later , Selden Herbert Long was awarded the Distinguished Service Order . He had been mentioned in dispatches five times . Post World War I . After war ' s end , Long stayed in to fly Sopwith Pup s in 46 Squadron . He then moved on to command 111 Squadron in the Middle East . His book of memoirs , " In the Blue " , came out in 1920 . Long left the Royal Air Force with the rank of major . Selden Herbert Long died on 12 December 1952 .