Who Was McScotch?

[Pips]

Does anyone know the identity of 'McScotch'?

I'm reading a rather sensationalised book titled "Mannock, VC Ace With One Eye" by Frederick Oughton. McScotch is quoted numerous times in the book, as a fellow pilot with mannock whilst in 40 Squadron. Some of the stories are rather tall!

[fsbof]

In Mick, author James Dudgeon states that "McScotch" was the nickname that Mannock gave to Lt. William MacLanachan, who joined 40 Squadron in May 1917, and would become a close friend of Mannock's. Dudgeon notes that much of Mannock's character is revealed in McScotch's book Fighter Pilot.

[Vin]

Mick also dubbed George McElroy "McIrish". Lacking a bit of imagination when it came to nicknames ? Both became aces. McScotch 19, McIrish 47. I wonder if he called Taffy "McWelsh" in private ?

[Graeme]

MacLanachan did not become an ace with 19 victories - at best he achieved seven, six on Nieuports and one on the SE5. After returning to HE with Mannock, he resigned his commission on 17 April 1918 to resume his medical studies.

Because there are no indigenous Welsh names beginning with "Mac" or "Mc", Mannock would probably have called Taffy "Ianto".

Graeme

[Vin]

Originally Posted by Graeme

MacLanachan did not become an ace with 19 victories - at best he achieved seven...

The number attributed to him in the Aces secion. I looked up both blokes there before I posted so I don't know where 19 came from. I suppose after a few years looking at the claims by WW 1 pilots on this site, 7 turns into 19 pretty easily.

[Graeme]

Vin

I think 19 is the total of all of his combat claims, rather than those that received some form of official sanction; when looking into Mannock's record with No 40 Squadron I came across a similar situation, ie he was supposed to have received credit for 23 victories before his departure to HE in January 1918, but the best I came up with was 16 (all of them reported in the RFC Communiques). There were numerous other claims that were deemed "indecisive" plus a sideways reference to two more balloons, but I discounted these.

Only six of MacLanachan's claims appear in the Communiques and one of these falls into the category of "apparently out of control", hence my comment that he achieved at best seven victories; five is more likely. If 19 was the correct figure, it would have been strange for a pilot at that stage of the war to have scored so heavily yet receive no award - by comparison, Mannock with 16, had received the Military Cross and Bar.

"Fighter Pilot" originally appeared in the Air Stories magazine (Volume 5, number 1, July 1937 and Volume 5, number 2, August 1937).

Graeme

[Breguet]

What was MacLanachan's first name? The only MacLanachan I can find reference to in my Aces of the 14-18 War book is Capt W MacLanachan with 12 victories.

[Graeme]

The only MacLanachan who became an "ace" was No 40 Squadron's William; he is listed in Above The Trenches with seven victories.

Graeme

Just to throw fat on the fire - an article on No 40 Squadron appeared in Volume 4, Number 4 1973 and Volume 5, Number 1 1974 of the Cross and Cockade Great Britain Journal. There MacLanachan is listed with 21 victories - 14 destroyed and 7 out of control.

[normanf]

William Maclanachan only scored modestly as we show in Above the Trenches. I was told my Samson Wolff of 40, that the reason he did not receive any medal was because he and Tilney his CO, were always at loggerheads! There are no surviving file or record card at Kew, which is unfortunate, for I would dearly like to know his date and place of birth - and also his death date. I am assured he wrote aviation articles for a well known London newspaper but have failed to find which one or when. If he did, they may well have published an Obit. Normanf

[Breguet]

Was William a Capt? It is interesting in that usually Harleyford's "Air Aces of the 14 - 18 War" (the British Section being compiled by JM Bruce) isn't too bad in regard to the "official scores". Of course the research of ATT is much later, but I've always been of the opinion that, while an interesting exercise for the likes of us (and by all means let's keep going trying to find that undisputable perfectly cross referenced from every which way tally), the "official scores" should stay as such - otherwise we change everybody's score every five minutes! (and sometimes back again).