François de Rochechouart

Sous-Lieutenant François Marie Joseph Laurent Victurnien de Rochechouart de Mortemart, (22 March 1881 - 16 March 1918), Marquis of Mortemart, Prince of Tonnay-Charente, was a French World War I flying ace credited with seven aerial victories.[2]

François Marie Joseph Laurent Victurnien de Rochechouart de Mortemart
Born	(1881-03-22)March 22, 1881 Paris, France
Died	March 16, 1918(1918-03-16) (aged 36) Consenvoye, France
Buried	La Croix de l'Aviateur, Liny-devant-Dun, France[1]
Allegiance	France
Service/branch	Aviation
Years of service	1902–1918
Rank	Sous-Lieutenant
Unit	Escadrille 23
Awards	Legion of Honour, Croix de guerre
Relations	Arthur Casimir Victurnien de Rochechouart de Mortemart Hélène Géraldine Sophie Marie d'Hunolstein Marguerite Françoise Marie de La Rochefoucauld

Biography

François Marie Joseph Laurent Victurnien de Rochechouart de Mortemart was born on 22 March 1881 in Paris, France. When World War I began, he was serving in the cavalry. He switched to aviation service, and graduated pilot training with his Military Pilot's Brevet on 29 May 1917. Assigned to Escadrille 23, he shot down seven German airplanes between 16 June 1917 and 19 February 1918. He was killed in action on 16 March 1918 over Consenvoye, France.[3]

Honors and awards

Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur
"Pilot of escadrille N23, an excellent pilot who has demonstrated in his pursuit escadrille the great qualities of bravery and audacity. He has distinguished himself in many combats by his skill, resolution and disregard for danger. On 20 October 1917, he downed his fifth enemy plane during the course of a very difficult combat in which he was wounded. Four citations." Légion d'Honneur citation, 22 November 1917.[3]

Additionally, he had won the Croix de guerre with seven or more palms.[3]

Endnotes

1. "Meuse 55". Retrieved 12 November 2010. Tombe du Slt François de Rochechouart de Mortemart (...) au lieu-dit "La croix de l'Aviateur" à Consenvoye. Il a été érigé sur la territoire de la commune de Liny-sur-Dun (55). Translation: Grave of second lieutenant François de Rochechouart de Mortemart (...) in a place named "La croix de l'Aviateur" (the Aviator's Cross) in Consenvoye. It was erected on the territory of the commune of Liny-sur-Dun (55).
2. The Aerodrome website Retrieved 4 August 2020
3. Over the Front: The Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918, p. 147

References

• Military file #1 #2 #3 #4 on French DoD website
• Franks, Norman; Bailey, Frank (1993). Over the Front: The Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918 London, UK: Grub Street Publishing. ISBN 978-0-948817-54-0.