Gerald Alfred Birks was born on October 30, 1894, in Montreal, Canada. In March 1918, he was assigned to the 66th Squadron, having accumulated 138 flying hours. He served as Captain William Barker’s wingman and was distinguished by his aggressive style in aerial combat.
Distinguished Aerial Exploits
On May 24, in a major engagement, he shot down the commander of Flik 55J, the renowned Austrian ace Josef Kiss. After switching to a “Camel”, he managed to shoot down another enemy ace, Karl Patzelt, commander of Flik 68J.
By the end of June, Birks had achieved 12 confirmed victories, with all enemy pilots either killed or captured. In addition, 12 other victories were recognized as probable.
Life After Combat
He was soon withdrawn from the front lines to become an instructor. By the end of the war, he had logged a total of 311 hours in the air, a remarkable achievement for a World War I ace. He later became a well-known artist and passed away in Toronto in May 1991 at the age of 96.