Andrew Beauchamp - Proctor Captain Andrew ( Anthony ) Frederick Weatherby Beauchamp - Proctor , VC , DSO , MC and bar , DFC ( 4 September 1894 – 21 June 1921 ) was a South African recipient of the Victoria Cross , the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces . He was South Africa ' s leading ace for World War I ; he was credited with 54 aerial victories . Early life . Beauchamp - Proctor was born 4 September 1894 in Mossel Bay , Cape Province , the second son of a school teacher and attended the oldest school in the country , South African College Schools , Cape Town , where he was a resident of the oldest residence in the Country , College House Residence ( where his father was warden ) . He was studying engineering at University of Cape Town when the European war broke out . He took leave from his studies to join the Duke of Edinburgh ' s Own Rifles . He served as a signalman in the German South - West Africa campaign . In August 1915 he was demobilised with an honorable discharge . He promptly went to work with the South African Field Telegraph and re - enrolled in university . He managed to complete his third year of college before re - enlisting , this time into the Royal Flying Corps ( RFC ) , in March 1917 . He was accepted as an Air Mechanic Third Class . From there he passed on to pilot training at the School of Military Aeronautics at Oxford in England , where he was also commissioned . He managed to learn to fly despite his wiry stature of five feet two inches ( 1 . 57 m ) . His aircraft seating was altered to accommodate him ; his seat was raised so he had a better view from the cockpit and so he could reach controls . Blocks of wood were also fastened on his rudder bar so he could reach it . On 10 June 1917 , he soloed , when he had just over five hours flying time . He crashed upon landing , wiping out the landing gear . Nevertheless , he continued to fly solo . He was passed on to a bomber squadron , Number 84 , with a little under ten hours flying experience . When he joined 84 Squadron in July 1917 , it was re - forming as a fighter squadron . France 1917 - 18 . On 23 September 1917 , the unit went to France flying SE5 s . Under the command of Major William Sholto Douglas the unit became one of the most effective scout squadrons in the RFC / RAF during 1918 . The squadron would be credited with a victory total of 323 , and would produce 25 aces . However , Beauchamp - Proctor would be pre - eminent , with almost triple the number of successes of the second leading ace . He was not particularly esteemed as a flier , but was a deadly shot . Beauchamp - Proctor ' s piloting skills can be judged by the fact he had three landing accidents before he ever shot down an enemy plane . Beauchamp - Proctor continued to fly the SE5 with modifications to the aircraft ' s seat and controls , something his Philadelphia - born American squadron mate , Joseph " Child Yank " Boudwin , who stood only two inches taller , also had to use . The alterations to relatively primitive controls could have contributed to Beauchamp - Proctor ' s poor airmanship . His initial confirmed victory did not come until the turn of the year . On 3 January 1918 , he sent a German two - seater ' down out of control ' . He then claimed victories 4 more times in February , becoming an ace on its final day . Only one of his first 5 victories resulted in the destruction of an enemy ; the other 4 were planes sent down as ' out of control ' . March brought him 4 more victories ; 3 of them were scored within five minutes on the 17th . He tallied one kill in April . Among his 11 victories for the month of May were 5 on 19 May . On that morning , he knocked an enemy observation plane out of the battle ; fifteen minutes later , he destroyed an Albatros D . V scout . That evening , at about 6 : 35 PM , he downed 3 more Albatros D . Vs . By the 31st , his roll had climbed to 21 victims — 16 fighters and 5 observation aircraft . The next day marked a change of focus for him ; he shot down an observation balloon . For the remainder of his career , he would choose to blind the enemy , choosing to concentrate on shooting down kite balloons and observation aircraft . Also notable is the drop in his " out of control " victories ; from here on out , the record shows destruction after destruction of the enemy . His June string would only run to the 13th , but in that time , he would destroy 4 balloons , an observation two - seater and a fighter . Only one fighter went down out of control . On the 22nd , he was awarded the Military Cross . July would pass without incident . On 3 August , he was granted one of the first ever Distinguished Flying Crosses . The break in his victory string lasted almost a month , as he went on home leave and helped a recruitment drive for the RAF . On 8 August , he returned and resumed with tally number 29 , another balloon . On 9 August Beauchamp - Proctor was leading No . 84 Squadron on a patrol over their base at Bertangles , with Boudwin and six - foot - four tall Hugh Saunders as wingmen . The threesome got involved in a heated engagement at 2 : 00 pm , that involved them in combat against Fokker D . VII fighters of JG I , led that day by the future Nazi " Reichsmarschall " Hermann Göring . Beauchamp - Proctor would claim an additional 14 aircraft , and end the month with his claims list extended to 43 . One memorable day was the 22nd ; he attacked a line of 6 enemy balloon over the British 3rd Corps front . He set the first one afire with his machine guns and forced the other 5 to the ground , the observers taking to their parachutes . His 15 ' kills ' for August would include 5 balloons , all destroyed , and 2 more two - seater planes . He was now up to 43 victories . September claims would be all balloons - 4 of them . In the first few days of October , he would destroy 3 more balloons and 3 Fokker D . VII fighters , one of which burned . Another D . VII spun down out of control . On 8 October he was hit by ground fire and wounded in the arm , ending his front line service . Up until the end of May , he destroyed six enemy planes single - handed , and shared the destruction of two others . He drove ten down out of control , and shared in another ' out of control ' victory . Two of his victims were captured . Certainly a creditable record , and like many other aces , with no conquests over balloons . Balloons , with all the anti - aircraft artillery guarding them , and patrolling fighter airplanes ready to intercede for them , were very dangerous targets . Commonly they were hunted by co - ordinated packs of attacking fighters . Beauchamp - Proctor ' s victory list ran to a total of 54 ; 2 ( and 1 shared ) captured enemy aircraft , 13 ( and 3 shared ) balloons destroyed , 15 ( and 1 shared ) aircraft destroyed , and 15 ( and 1 shared ) aircraft ' out of control ' . His 16 balloons downed made him the leading British Empire balloon buster . On 2 November , he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order , crowned by the Victoria Cross later in the month , on the 30th . Post war . He was discharged from hospital in March 1919 and embarked on a four month long lecture tour of the USA , before returning to England and qualifying as a seaplane pilot with a permanent commission as a Flight Lieutenant in the RAF . After his VC investiture at Buckingham Palace in November 1919 he was awarded a year ’ s leave , and this enabled him finish his BSc degree in Engineering . Death . Beauchamp - Proctor was killed on 21 June 1921 in a training accident flying a Sopwith Snipe , in preparation for an air show at the RAF Hendon . His aircraft went into a vicious spin after performing a slow loop , and he was killed in the ensuing crash . At least one observer remarked that the loss of control and subsequent crash of the aircraft could have been linked to Proctor ' s diminutive size . He was originally buried at Upavon , Wiltshire , but in August 1921 his body was returned to South Africa where he was given a state funeral . There still exists confusion over Beauchamp - Proctor ' s given name . For decades he was listed as " Anthony " but more recent scholarship indicates " Andrew " , which apparently is the name on his tombstone . Citations . Military Cross . " For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty . While on offensive patrol he observed an enemy two - seater plane attempting to cross our lines . He engaged it and opened fire , with the result that it fell over on its side and crashed to earth . On a later occasion , when on patrol , he observed three enemy scouts attacking one of our bombing machines . He attacked one of these , and after firing 100 rounds in it , it fell over on its back and was seen to descend in that position from 5 , 000 feet . He then attacked another group of hostile scouts , one of which he shot down completely out of control , and another crumpled up and crashed to earth . In addition to these , he has destroyed another hostile machine , and shot down three completely out of control . He has at all times displayed the utmost dash and initiative , and is a patrol leader of great merit and resource . " MC citation , Supplement to the London Gazette , 22 June 1918 Distinguished Flying Cross . " Lt . ( T . / Capt . ) Andrew Weatherby Beauchamp - Proctor , M . C . A brilliant and fearless leader of our offensive patrols . His formation has destroyed thirteen enemy machines and brought down thirteen more out of control in a period of a few months . On a recent morning his patrol of five aeroplanes attacked an enemy formation of thirty machines and was successful in destroying two of them . In the evening he again attacked an enemy formation with great dash , destroying one machine and forcing two others to collide , resulting in their destruction . " DFC citation , Supplement to the London Gazette , 3 August 1918 Distinguished Service Order . " A fighting pilot of great skill , and a splendid leader . He rendered brilliant service on 22 August , when his Flight was detailed to neutralise hostile balloons . Having shot down one balloon in flames , he attacked the occupants of five others in succession with machine - gun fire , compelling the occupants in each case to take to parachutes . He then drove down another balloon to within fifty feet of the ground , when it burst into flames . In all he has accounted for thirty - three enemy machines and seven balloons . " DSO citation , Supplement to the London Gazette , 2 November 1918 Victoria Cross . " Between 8 August 1918 , and 8 October 1918 , this officer proved himself victor in twenty - six decisive combats , destroying twelve enemy kite balloons , ten enemy aircraft , and driving down four other enemy aircraft completely out of control . Between 1 October 1918 , and 5 October 1918 , he destroyed two enemy scouts , burnt three enemy kite balloons , and drove down one enemy scout completely out of control . On 1 October 1918 , in a general engagement with about twenty - eight machines , he crashed one Fokker biplane near Fontaine and a second near Ramicourt ; on 2 October he burnt a hostile balloon near Selvjgny ; on 3 October he drove down , completely out of control , an enemy scout near Mont d ' Origny , and burnt a hostile balloon ; on 5 October , the third hostile balloon near Bohain . On 8 October 1918 , while flying home at a low altitude , after destroying an enemy two - seater near Maretz , he was painfully wounded in the arm by machine - gun fire , but , continuing , he landed safely at his - aerodrome , and after making his report was admitted to hospital . In all he has proved himself conqueror over fifty - four foes , destroying twenty - two enemy machines , sixteen enemy kite balloons , and driving down sixteen enemy aircraft completely out of control . Captain Beauchamp - Proctor ' s work in attacking enemy troops on the ground and in reconnaissance during the withdrawal following on the Battle of St . Quentin from 21 March 1918 , and during the victorious advance of our Armies commencing on 8 August , has been almost unsurpassed in its Brilliancy , and . as such has made an impression on those serving in his squadron and those around him that will not be easily forgotten . Capt . Beauchamp - Proctor was awarded Military Cross on 22 June 1918 ; D . F . Cross on 2 July 1918 ; Bar to M . C . on 16 September 1918 ; and Distinguished Service Order on 2 November 1918 . " VC citation , Supplement to the London Gazette , 30 November 1918