Major Arthur Coningham

Arthur Coningham was born in Brisbane, Australia on 19 January 1895. Brought to New Zealand by his parents in 1901, he was educated at Wellington College and afterwards made a living working as a farmhand.

Following an early enlistment in the Army in 1914, Coningham was dogged with health problems; these became so bad that they forced his eventual discharge in April 1916 as unfit for further service. In spite of this he sailed almost at once for the United Kingdom, where his acceptance by the RFC appears to have presented him with no problems. Commissioned in August, he completed his flying training and departed for France in December; there he joined the DH2-equipped 32 Squadron. 
 
Coningham spent a little over seven months on operations with 32 Squadron, participating in many combats and being credited with at least ten victories. Eight of them were claimed in just three weeks during July 1917, after the obsolescent DH2s had been replaced with the more suitable DH5. This prolific spell (which included a treble on the 20th) brought him the Military Cross and Distinguished Service Order in rapid succession, the recommendation for the latter award having this to say about him: "His bravery has at all times been of the highest order, and his splendid example of the greatest value to the squadron." Wounded in the head during a combat on 30 July, Coningham (who had been promoted to Captain and Flight Commander on 10 May) was invalided back to England and some months passed before he was judged fit to resume flying. Early 1918 brought a spell of duty as an air fighting instructor; then he was promoted to Major in March and assumed command of the SE5A-equipped 92 Squadron, working up in England for an overseas posting. Finally in July he led this unit to France. 
 
The last few months of the war was a period in which 92 Squadron enjoyed much success under Coningham’s leadership. He himself was able to raise his victory score to at least fourteen (four shared), and earn further recognition by way of the Distinguished Flying Cross. A Combat Report of his, dated 5 September, tells the story of the demise of a Fokker Scout after a chase: "On my closing up EA commenced wriggling. Near Cambrai at 2,500 feet as I got in a close burst EA did a vertical zoom, hung by his arm and then dropped clear of the Machine. He hit the ground about one mile West of Cambrai." Nearly thirty more years of RAF service lay ahead for Coningham at the Armistice, and however great were his First World War accomplishments, they would be completely eclipsed by his outstanding performance as a senior officer in 1939-45. The enthusiastic advocate of Army-Air Force co-operation, he was able to put his ideas of close support to excellent use in North Africa with the Desert Air Force, and in Normandy commanding the Second Tactical Air Force. His knack of building friendly relations with his American Air Force counterparts would prove equally beneficial to the war effort in the long haul towards victory. 
 
Coningham (now Air Marshal Sir Arthur) retired from the RAF in August 1947. Sadly, there was to be no long and happy retirement for him. Early in 1948 he set out by air on a trip to Bermuda, but the aircraft in which he was a passenger disappeared without trace over the Atlantic on 30 January, leaving no clues as to the likely cause of the disaster. 
 

Further Reading

Biography: Conningham by Vincent Orange. Published by Methuen.