Posthumous award of 2nd/Lt Oscar Lennox McMacking - Oct. 2018 - Brazilian Air Force

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Dear all,

Last 19th October, the great-nephew of 2nd/Lt. Oscar Lennox McMacking received, posthumously, on the name of his relative, the Ordem do Mérito Aeronáutico (Order of Aeronautical Merit or O.M.A.).

Our humble petition to Honour both 2nd/Lt McMacking and the late Wing Commander Cosme Lockwood Gomm, DSO, DFC was submitted in early February 2018 to the Brazilian Air Force, and humbly accepted.

The Brazilian Air Force, on the name of its Commanding Officer (Tenente-Brigadeiro do Ar, Nivaldo L. ROSSATO) is paying homage to two of our greatest Air Heroes, our First Brazilian Ace ever (2nd/Lt McMacking) and the first Brazilian born to be awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) in WW2.

WE DO NOT FORGET THE BRAZILIANS WHO SERVED, FLEW AND DIED WITH THE RAF, RCAF, SAAF AND USAAF IN WW2; neither the first ones, who flew with the RFC, RNAS and RAF in WW1.

Adriano S. Baumgartner, ASV 00.344

[VtwinVince]

Hi Adriano,

While I am not a fan of retroactive awards, I do encourage the study of less well-known aspects of the air war.

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Hello Vince,

I do understand you about retroactive awards...I guess this is not a similar case as the Bomber Command Commemorative Medal, given to the very few airmen alive of Bomber Command who did a lot in WW2. For instance, I was in touch with a former Brazilian born pilot who flew 44 missions on heavies in WW2...He said he only would receive his Bomber Command Commemorative Medal AFTER all those who were killed received theirs...

On our case, most of the Brazilian Volunteers who flew in WW1 and WW2 did have a double citizenship, being born in Brazil to English mother or father (or both). Some, like Cosme Lockwood Gomm joined the RAF before WW2...and kept flying and fighting. Due to his Brazilian citizenship, he could have declined to fight, but kept flying.

What we are doing here is to remove de "dust" from the Forgotten Heroes that Our Nation, for a lack of knowledge DID NOT Honour properly in the due time (when the veterans were alive, or just after they died).

Once abroad, I guess that very few representatives did have information about those Brazilian born who enlisted in France, in England, in Germany and Áustria (some 600 of them sailed from Santos-SP to enlist in August 1914, most of them members of the Germania Club at São Paulo-SP)...

My own and humble guess is that, we still do not have a full Picture of those lists and the fates of those Brazilian Born volunteers (for both sides).

The Medal that 2nd/Lt. Oscar Lennox McMacking received, was instituted in 1943 and is the highest medal a Foreigner (from other Military forces) can receive on behalf of the Brazilian Air Force.

This is NOT a retroactive award, be sure of that...this is the REMEMBRANCE of the deeds of someone who could have stayed away from the war, due to his double citizenship, but choose personally to fight for a better world and cause. On this case, our First Ace ever paid the ultimate price, his own life. He does not have even a personal grave, being listed on the Arras Memorial, so, definetely NO, not a retroactive award, but an humble act of REMEMBRANCE by the Brazilian Air Force, who keep preserving the Memory and Deeds of Brazilian Heroes, no matter in which Air Force they served.

I do remain, must humbly yours, as a former Civilian Aviator,
Adriano Silva Baumgartner, ASV 00.344

[VtwinVince]

Hi Adriano,

Many thanks for the detailed clarification, obviously this is one aspect of the last war that is not well publicised. I know many countries, in particular the USA and France, have this habit of granting awards for actions which took place decades earlier. In my view this detracts from the value of these awards.