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Roy Brown

Roy Brown (23 December 1893 – 9 March 1944) was a Canadian fighter ace of World War I who was credited with ten aerial victories, including Manfred von Richthofen, the famous "Red Baron".

Biography[]

Roy Brown was born in Carleton Place, Ontario, Canada in 1893, and he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1915 during World War I. He would serve alongside the Royal Flying Corps at the Second Battle of Arras in April 1917, and he achieved his first kill on 17 July. On 6 October, he received the Distinguished Service Cross, and he became a flight commander soon after. On 21 April 1918, he fought against the German fighter ace Manfred von Richthofen as Richthofen pursued fellow Canadian pilot Wilfrid May, and Australian machine gunners on the ground shot down and killed Richthofen, although Brown was credited with Richthofen's death. He left the Royal Air Force in 1919 and became an accountant, airline owner, and politician, losing an election to the Ontario legislature in 1943. He died in Stouffville, Ontario in 1944 at the age of 50.

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