Arthur Thomas Drinkwater

Captain Arthur Thomas Drinkwater was an Australian-born World War I flying ace. He was credited with nine aerial victories; six of those victories were scored when Drinkwater was a bomber pilot, making him one of the rare bomber pilot aces.

Early life
Arthur Thomas Drinkwater (3/02/1894 - 2/07/ 1970) was born in Queenscliff, Victoria, Australia. His father's name was Alfred. When he enlisted on 16 October 1915, he declared he was a natural-born British subject, and that he was a professional soldier. Despite being not quite 22 years old, he claimed two years prior service in a Field Troop and almost four years experience in the Royal Australian Engineers. He was assigned Regimental Number 2842 and posted initially to the 7th Field Company Engineers, seemingly marked for cadre duty.

World War I
By mid-1917, while in England, he had transferred to aviation service. On 20 June 1917 second lieutenant Drinkwater was appointed a Flying Officer in the Royal Flying Corps.

Within two months, he began his victory string while flying bombing missions in an Airco D.H. 4 light bomber with 57 Squadron. Teamed with Frank Menendez as his backseater, he scored six victories over the next three months before being withdrawn from combat.

He would return to battle the following year, as a Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a fighter pilot in 40 Squadron. He would score three more wins while with them. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

List of aerial victories
See also Aerial victory standards of World War I

Post World War I
His Distinguished Flying Cross was awarded on 3 June 1919. A month later, on 3 July 1919, he departed England for Australia on the Prinz Hubertus; he was expressly manifested as not part of the Australian Imperial Force. While he was at sea, on 15 July 1919, he was transferred to the unemployed list of the Royal Air Force.

Although Australian newspapers of the postwar era carry a few notices of a pastorialist named A. T. Drinkwater, it cannot be confirmed if this was the ace. A. T. Drinkwater died in 1970 in Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia. After the first world war he held a farm in Annuello, north of Manangatang in the mallee, as part of the soldier settlement scheme for returned vets. Arthur T. Drinkwater settled in the early 1920s on Geera block number 13, country karkarooc. He also appears on Annuello Block 25, county Annuello. Arthur Drinkwater was made honorary secretary of the Green Mallee Council, a group of settlers who lobbied the Closer Settlement Board with the aim of gaining compensation for those settlers who were forced off their blocks through drought and of blocks which were re-allocated due to the original allocations being to small being marginal land. Arthur T. Drinkwater was also involved with the local community in establishing the Annuello Hall. The Hall was the venue for the towns first school as well as church services, public meetings of the various local organisations (including the RAOB) and the popular Saturday night Dances where he sang with such talent to be regular and well received performer. This is at a time when long time resident, Jim Taggert, reported that on Saturday's, up to a hundred and fifty people could be seen in the main street.