The Black Swallow of Death.

[Bob Coulson]

Fascinating letter in today's Daily Mail regarding Eugene Bullard the first black american fighter ace during WW1.

Must admit I had not heard of the man, not really being into the flying side of things so did a quick Google on him and was amazed at his story.

If anyone like me was unaware of this story it's well worth looking into.

Bob.

[Dolphin]

Bullard is a fascinating person, isn't he? The US aviation/history writer Herbert Malloy Mason, Jr. tried to make his story better known shortly after his death in 1961 by including him in "High Flew the Falcons" a book on the French Air Service.

Clearly, the attempt failed.

[Bob Coulson]

Yes after reading about him he was a remarkable man and I would have thought he deserved wider recognition.

It appears that the French people held him in higher esteem than his countrymen.

Bob.

[Dolphin]

Something that I didn't have time to include yesterday was the [to me, at least] interesting point that Eugene Bullard wasn't the first person of African negro origin to claim to have shot down an enemy aircraft. That distinction goes to Feldwebel Marcel Pliat of the Imperial Russian Air Service, who flew as a gunner on Il'ya Muromets multi-engined bombers on the Eastern Front in 1916.

Pliat, of French and African parentage, was credited with one confirmed, and two probable, victories before disappearing in the Revolution and Civil War.