BUILT

Capt. Henry R. Clay Jr, 41st Aero Squadron USAAS, Colombey-les-Belles, France, October 1918

Henry Robinson Clay was an American ace with eight victories, and a member of the first contingent of American pilots sent to gain experience

in RFC service. He was assigned to No. 43 Sqn and claimed his first victory in its ranks, but it remained unconfirmed. He was then transferred

to the 148th Aero Squadron and in the period from August 16 to September 27, 1918, achieved all of his eight victories, this time confirmed. On

six occasions his victim was a dangerous opponent, a Fokker D.VII. At the very end of the war, Clay was appointed commander of the 41st Aero

Squadron, where he flew this Camel of unknown serial number. The unit's emblem was a camel passing through a letter V. Upper and side

surfaces were PC10. Before he could lead his unit into combat for the first time, the war was over. But Clay never returned home to the United

States. He died in Coblenz, Germany, on February 17, 1919, during the third wave of the Spanish flu.

INFO Eduard - November 2021

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