James Thomas Byford McCudden, was a British flying ace of the First World War and among the most highly decorated airmen in British military history. Born in 1895 to a middle class family with military traditions, McCudden joined the Royal Engineers in 1910. Having an interest in mechanics he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) in 1913 at which time he first came into regular contact with aircraft. At the outbreak of war in 1914 he flew as an observer before training as a fighter pilot in 1916.
James McCudden c.1918
McCudden indulging in his other engineering interest: motorcycles. Pictured here on a Moto Reve model, 1913 at the RFC manoeuvres.
Manfred von Richthofen. Possibly McCudden's opponent on 27 December 1916.
52 of McCudden's 57 victims fell while he was flying the S.E.5.
The Military Medal (MM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other arms of the armed forces, and to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land. The award was established in 1916, with retrospective application to 1914, and was awarded to other ranks for "acts of gallantry and devotion to duty under fire". The award was discontinued in 1993, when it was replaced by the Military Cross, which was extended to all ranks, while other Commonwealth nations instituted their own award systems in the post war period.
Obverse and reverse of medal
Image: Military Medal, George V version (Obverse)
George V (1st type) in Field Marshal's uniform (1916–1930)
George V (2nd type) in crown and robes (1930–1937)