PENTLAND, Alexander Augustus Norman Dudley
| Service Numbers: | 674, 271547 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 5 March 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Squadron Leader |
| Last Unit: | Royal Australian Air Force |
| Born: | Maitland, New South Wales, Australia, 5 August 1895 |
| Home Town: | Terrigal, Gosford Shire, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Selector |
| Died: | 1983, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 5 Mar 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 674, 12th Light Horse Regiment | |
|---|---|---|
| 13 Jun 1915: | Involvement Private, 674, 12th Light Horse Regiment, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '3' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Suevic embarkation_ship_number: A29 public_note: '' | |
| 13 Jun 1915: | Embarked Private, 674, 12th Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Suevic, Sydney | |
| 21 Feb 1916: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 674, 1st Light Horse Regiment, Discharged to Royal Flying Corps with rank of 2nd Lieutenant | |
| 22 Feb 1916: | Involvement Royal Flying Corps |
World War 2 Service
| 2 Nov 1945: | Discharged Royal Air Force , Squadron Leader, 271547, Royal Australian Air Force |
|---|
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Alexander Augustus Norman Dudley Pentland, known as Gerry, was born on 5 August 1894. At age 20 he enlisted in the AIF as a trooper with the 12th Light Horse Regiment in March 1915 and was assigned the service number 674. In August he was deployed to Gallipoli where he served with the 1st Light Horse Regiment as a machine gunner. After contracting enteric fever in September, he was evacuated to England for treatment. Upon recovering, Pentland was appointed to a commission in the British Royal Flying Corps in February 1916.
He served with 16, 19, 29 and 87 Squadrons flying SPADs and Sopwith Dolphins. His service included both operational tours and instructor duties. By the end of the war Pentland had been awarded the Military Cross and Distinguished Flying Cross and was one of Australia's most successful flying aces, scoring 23 victories. The citation for his Distinguished Flying Cross awarded in August 1918 reads 'A gallant flight commander, who in the last three months has destroyed two enemy machines and driven down four out of control. Recently, whilst on special patrol, he, single-handed, attacked four enemy aeroplanes; having driven down one out of control, he engaged the leader, damaged his engine, and compelled him to glide to his lines. One of the remaining machines followed the leader, but he attacked the other and drove it down in a steep dive.'
Pentland returned to Australia after the war and served briefly with the newly formed Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) before moving to England and joining the Royal Air Force as a machine gun and fighting instructor. Pentland returned to Australia in 1926 and became a civilian pilot, flying in Australia and New Guinea. He rejoined the RAAF during the Second World War, initially instructing at elementary flying schools before commanding an air-sea rescue and communication unit in the Pacific for which he was awarded the Air Force Cross. He was discharged from the RAAF with the rank of squadron leader on 2 November 1945.
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