9/9/21, 2:42 PM George McCubbin - Wikipedia

George McCubbin
George Reynolds McCubbin DSO (18 January 1898 – 9 May
1944) was a Royal Flying Corps (RFC) pilot who shot down the George McCubbin
German ace Max Immelmann. Born in South Africa, McCubbin
joined the British Empire forces in the East African campaign
after the outbreak of the First World War. He later joined the RFC
as a mechanic, before being selected for pilot training. He
received his aviator's certificate in March 1916 and shot down
Immelmann in a dogfight on 18 June. For this, and an earlier
occasion when his aircraft shot down a German plane, McCubbin
was awarded the Distinguished Service Order. He later served as
a staff officer, reaching the rank of captain. After the war
McCubbin returned to South Africa where he played two games of
first-class cricket for Transvaal against Rhodesia in 1923.
McCubbin set a national record for a ninth-wicket stand that
stood until at least 1999. McCubbin served in the South African
Air Force during the Second World War before ill health forced
his retirement.
McCubbin pictured in 1917 as a
lieutenant
Contents Born 18 January 1898

Cape Town, Cape

Early life
Colony
Military career
Died 9 May 1944 (aged
Later life and first-class cricket
46)

References Johannesburg,
Transvaal, Union of
South Africa
Early life Allegiance  United
Kingdom
George McCubbin was born on 19 January 1898 at Cape Town in
the Cape Colony. His parents were Lucy and David Aitken Service/ Royal Flying Corps
McCubbin, who was the Livepool-born chief architect for South branch
African Railways. McCubbin was educated at King Edward VII Years of 1916–1919
School in Johannesburg. He was captain of the school's football
service
first XI and vice-captain of the cricket team.[1]
Rank Captain

Military career Battles/wars World War I

World War II
During the First World War McCubbin joined British forces Awards Distinguished
[1]
fighting in the East African campaign. He joined the Royal Service Order
Flying Corps (RFC) as a mechanic before joining their pilot
training, despite having not set foot in an aircraft before 1915.[2][3] On 28 February 1916 he was
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appointed a probationary second lieutenant.[4] McCubbin

received his aviator's certificate in March, at the age of 18, and
was appointed a flying officer on 16 May.[1][5]

McCubbin was commended for his actions in two aerial dogfights

and received the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) on 27 July
1916 for his role in these.[6] On the first occasion he witnessed a
British aircraft in combat with two German Fokker aircraft.
McCubbin entered the action and his observer-gunner shot down
an enemy plane.[7]

On the second occasion McCubbin's aircraft shot down the famed

German ace Max Immelmann.[8] At around 9pm on 18 June
Immelmann, in company with two other German aircraft, had
engaged part of McCubbin's No. 25 Squadron and shot down one
British aircraft, his 17th victory.[8][7] McCubbin, returning from a
George McCubbin recovering in
bombing raid in a Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2, spotted the
hospital
engagement and recrossed into German-held territory to join the
fight.[7] Immelmann attempted to close with McCubbin's aircraft
using an Immelmann turn while McCubbin dived on the German
from higher altitude.[8] The two aircraft passed very close to one another and McCubbin's plane was
shot numerous times. McCubbin was badly wounded in the arm (the bullet entering his shoulder and
travelling down his forearm) but his gunner-observer, Corporal James Henry Waller, opened fire at
close range.[9][7][10] Immelmann's aircraft then went into a steep dive from around 2,000 metres
(6,600 ft) altitude, during which it broke up, and crashed into the ground.[8]

Despite his wound McCubbin was able to land safely behind British lines.[7] In addition to
McCubbin's DSO, Waller was rewarded with the Distinguished Conduct Medal and promotion to
sergeant. The Germans regarded it as embarrassing that Immelmann was shot down by a British
aircraft and so stated that he had been killed by friendly anti-aircraft fire. It is also sometimes stated
that he was downed by a failure of his aircraft's synchronisation gear, causing him to shoot off the tips
of his own propellor.[8] This incident actually occurred during a dogfight of 31 May after which
Immelmann had successfully carried out an emergency glide landing.[8] A number of British pilots
claimed the victory but RFC officer commanding, Hugh Trenchard reviewed the eyewitness testimony
and told Director of Air Organisation Sefton Brancker that he thought the victory belonged to
McCubbin and Waller and an order was issued to that effect.[11]

McCubbin afterwards recovered in hospital and was wounded a second time before he received his
DSO.[12][13] In initial reporting, McCubbin's name was censored by the British Government and he
and Waller were referred to as "Lieutenant McC." and "Corporal W.".[7][14] This was in line with an
early war convention that RFC officers would not be mentioned by name in news reports. McCubbin's
name was revealed in the House of Commons using parliamentary privilege by Sir Arthur Markham,
1st Baronet on 11 July 1916.[14]

On 1 September 1917, McCubbin received promotion to lieutenant.[15] He was promoted to the

temporary rank of captain and appointed a 3rd class staff officer on 11 April 1918.[16] McCubbin was
transferred to the unemployed list on 10 October 1919.[17]

Later life and first-class cricket

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After the war McCubbin returned to the Union of South Africa. He made two appearances in first-
class cricket for Transvaal against Rhodesia in March 1923, with the matches played at Salisbury and
Bulawayo.[18] In the second match at Bulawayo he met with some success, scoring 97 runs batting at
number 10 in a 221-run stand for the ninth wicket with Neville Lindsay, which at the time was a
record in first-class cricket in South Africa.[19] The ninth-wicket stand record was not broken until at
least 1999.[20]

By 1935 McCubbin was living in Cape Town.[12] He joined the South African Air Force during the
Second World War, but was forced to retire owing to poor health. He died in Johannesburg on 9 May
1944.[21]

References
1. Bowman, Martin W. (30 August 2017). Escaping Soldiers and Airmen of World War I (https://www.
google.co.uk/books/edition/Escaping_Soldiers_and_Airmen_of_World_Wa/LYQwDwAAQBAJ).
Casemate Publishers. p. 142. ISBN 978-1-4738-6324-8.
2. The Illustrated War News (https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Illustrated_War_News/Uy
UIAAAAIAAJ). Illustrated London News and Sketch. 1916. p. 17.
3. Foley, Michael (16 July 2013). Pioneers of Aerial Combat: Air Battles of the First World War (http
s://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Pioneers_of_Aerial_Combat/jpTwAwAAQBAJ). Pen and
Sword. p. 129. ISBN 978-1-78159-272-4.
4. "No. 29496" (https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/29496/page/2354). The London Gazette.
3 March 1916. p. 2354.
5. "No. 29620" (https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/29620/supplement/5815). The London
Gazette (Supplement). 9 June 1916. p. 5815.
6. "No. 29684" (https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/29684/supplement/7428). The London
Gazette (Supplement). 25 July 1916. p. 7428.
7. Turner, Charles Cyril (1919). The struggle in the air, 1914–1918 (https://archive.org/details/struggl
einair19100turnuoft/page/66/mode/2up). London : E. Arnold. pp. 66–67.
8. Wynn, Stephen; Wynn, Tanya (30 April 2020). Fighter Aces of the Great War (https://www.google.
co.uk/books/edition/Fighter_Aces_of_the_Great_War/1qUvEAAAQBAJ). Pen and Sword Aviation.
p. 56. ISBN 978-1-4738-6544-0.
9. Baker, C. Alma (1921). 94 Gift Battleplanes which Fought in the Great War (https://www.google.c
o.uk/books/edition/94_Gift_Battleplanes_which_Fought_in_the/D0Q0AQAAMAAJ). Printed at the
Field Press. p. 74.
10. "Pilot of the Battle Plane Which Brought Down Immelmann" (https://archive.org/details/nsillustrate
dwar01londuoft/page/254/mode/2up). Illustrated War News. 26 July 1916. p. 17.
11. Bowman, Martin W. (30 August 2017). Escaping Soldiers and Airmen of World War I (https://www.
google.co.uk/books/edition/Escaping_Soldiers_and_Airmen_of_World_Wa/LYQwDwAAQBAJ).
Casemate Publishers. p. 143. ISBN 978-1-4738-6324-8.
12. Popular Flying (https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Popular_Flying/4nIXAQAAMAAJ). 1935.
p. 619.
13. "Immelmann's Conqueror" (https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.56192/page/n305/mode/2u
p). Journal Of The Royal Institute Of British Architects. 23 (9): 293. 1916.
14. "Aviation in Parliament" (https://archive.org/details/sim_flight-international_1916-07-20_8_29/pag
e/608/mode/2up). Flight. 20 July 1916. p. 609.
15. "No. 30337" (https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/30337/supplement/10661). The London
Gazette (Supplement). 16 October 1917. p. 10661.

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16. "No. 30668" (https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/30668/page/5365). The London Gazette.

3 May 1918. p. 5365.
17. "No. 31761" (https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/31761/page/1267). The London Gazette.
30 January 1920. p. 1267.
18. "First-Class Matches played by George McCubbin" (https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/3/3
089/First-Class_Matches.html). CricketArchive. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
19. "Wisden – Obituaries, 1944" (https://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/22819
9.html). ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
20. Schulze, Heinrich (1999). South Africa's Cricketing Lawyers (https://www.google.co.uk/books/editi
on/South_Africa_s_Cricketing_Lawyers/UZxFAQAAIAAJ). Halfway House. p. 104. ISBN 978-0-
620-25049-8.
21. "Wisden Obituaries, 1944" (https://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/228199.h
tml). ESPN Cricinfo. 2 December 2005. Retrieved 6 August 2021.

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