Fred Everest Banbury
Fred Everest Banbury was a Canadian fighter pilot in World War I. Born on 27 October 1893 in Wolseley, Saskatchewan, he was the son of Robert Samuel Banbury and Susannah Beatrice March. He studied in Wolseley and Regina and attended Victoria College and University College. He worked as a teacher and studied law in Regina.
In March 1916 he went to Newport News, Virginia, to learn to fly at the Curtiss Flying School. He earned the highest marks ever at the school and received Aero Club of America pilot’s license No. 507 on 5 June after soloing a Curtiss biplane.
Banbury then went to England to join the Royal Naval Air Service. He was commissioned on 28 June 1916 and was later posted to France in March 1917 with No. 9 (Naval) Squadron, flying Sopwith Pup and later Sopwith Camel.
During his service he was credited with 11 aerial victories on the Western Front. His first victory came on 31 May 1917 (shared), and he added several more in 1917 and 1918, including victories over Albatros reconnaissance aircraft and Albatros D.V fighters. He was promoted to flight lieutenant on 1 October 1917 and acted as flight commander from 9 November.
On 26 March 1918 he scored his eleventh victory. On 1 April 1918 the Royal Naval Air Service merged with the Royal Flying Corps to form the Royal Air Force. Banbury became Captain Banbury of No. 209 Squadron RAF. That day he took off in a Camel aircraft for a training flight and died of a heart attack in flight, crashing near Denain, France.
He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross posthumously for his services at Dunkirk (gazetted 23 April 1918). He is buried in Hazebrouck Communal Cemetery, Hazebrouck, France, and is memorialized in Regina, Saskatchewan.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 14:13 (CET).