Henry Meintjes, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
TweetHenry Meintjes
World War I pilot
Date of Birth: 25-Dec-1892
Place of Birth: South Africa
Date of Death: 02-Jun-1949
Profession: flying ace
Nationality: South Africa
Zodiac Sign: Capricorn 
About Henry Meintjes
- Captain Henry Meintjes, (25 December 1892 – 2 June 1949) was a South African World War I flying ace credited with eight aerial victories.He attended St.
- Andrew's College in Grahamstown, and at the outbreak of World War I he joined the 14th Dismounted Rifles before going to England in 1915 and joining the Royal Flying Corps.
- After flight training he was posted to No.
- 60 Squadron RFC as one of the initial batch of flying officers.He deployed to France, flying the Morane-Saulnier Bullet and the Nieuport Scout, in which he scored four kills.
- By December 1916, he was made Flight Commander, with the rank of Temporary Captain.
- Meintjes was described as "...one of the best pilots, and almost the most popular officer, 60 ever had".On 22 February 1917, he was posted to the No.
- 1 School of Aerial Gunnery and the following month to No.
- 56 Squadron RFC.
- He scored another four kills with 56 Squadron.
- He participated in Albert Ball's final dogfight, during which he was wounded in the wrist.
- He received the Military Cross in June 1917.Thomas Marson remembers Meintjes as follows: A fine pilot, you cannot keep him out of the air, he came to us from No.
- 60 Squadron, and was a tower of strength.
- Nothing escaped him, and nothing worried him.
- Although hit in the wrist a long way over the lines, and despite the loss of much blood – the cockpit was like a shambles – he brought the machine back and made a perfect landing on our side of the lines [near Sains-en-Gohelle], and then fainted away.
- Trust Meintjes not to faint till his job was done. After a long stay in hospital, he was posted to Central Flying School on 25 July 1918 as an instructor, receiving the Air Force Cross for his work there.
- On 2 May 1919 he was appointed Officer in Charge at No.
- 1 Southern Aeroplane Repair Depot, at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough, and was transferred to the RAF unemployed list on 14 June 1919.
- He returned to South Africa and became Chief Pilot for Handley Page South African Transports, Ltd until 1921.
- He joined the South African Air Force in 1922.
- In 1931 he joined the South African Police.
Read more at Wikipedia