George Ranald Macfarlane Reid
Lieutenant George Ranald Macfarlane Reid of 25 Squadron shot down his second enemy plane in four days today. He encountered a Fokker Monoplane whilst on patrol near Mericourt in his FE2b (6330) with his pilot Lieutenant James Anderton Mann. They closed in to 50 yards and Reid opened fire. The aircraft flipped over and crashed into the ground.
The same combination had also shot down an enemy Aviatik near Souchez on 16 May. They opened fire at around 100 yards and drove the enemy down into a forced landing in a field. It appeared to land safely then veered off into a ditch.
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Two days later they shot down another enemy aircraft.
Shortly afterwards they were both awarded the Military Cross. The citation read:
“For consistent gallantry and skill. In the course of seven days, 2nd Lts. Mann as pilot and Reid as observer, attacked no less than eight enemy aeroplanes. They drove down four, three of which were seriously damaged. The remainder were driven off, one escaping by getting into a cloud.”
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