Andrew Frederick Weatherby Beauchamp Proctor

The son of a school teacher, Andrew Frederick Weatherby Beauchamp-Proctor was South Africa's highest scoring ace during World War I.

When the war began, he was a student of engineering at the University of Cape Town but abandoned his studies to join the army. He served as a signaller in the Duke of Edinburgh's Own Rifles and saw action in German South-West Africa before his discharge from the army in August 1915.

After completing his education, Beauchamp-Proctor joined the Royal Flying Corps in March 1917 and was commissioned upon his arrival in England. Having successfully completed pilot training, he was posted to 84 Squadron in late July and accompanied this unit to France in September 1917.

An S.E.5a pilot, Beauchamp-Proctor was just five feet two inches tall. His height made it necessary to raise the seat and modify the controls of the aircraft he flew. Despite these difficulties and a crash on 11 March 1918, Beauchamp-Proctor claimed 54 victories that year and became the British Empire's highest scoring balloon-buster.

Beauchamp-Proctor was killed in a flying accident at Central Flying School, Upavon on 21 June 1921.

The Aerodrome

Capt A W Beauchamp-Proctor was the first South African pilot to be awarded a Victoria Cross. He shot down 38 enemy aircraft and 16 balloons. Other "Miller's Boys" also performed well. For example Capt S M Kinkead who shot down 30 enemy aircraft, Boetie Venter (22 aircraft) Douglas John Bell (20 aircraft) and Sir Hugh W. Saunders (19 aircraft). Capt Kinkead, Lt Col K R van der Spuy and Lt Col Pierre van Ryneveld also served in Russia. van der Spuy was taken prisoner and only released in 1920.

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