Editing Gilbert Insall

{{short description|Recipient of the Victoria Cross}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Infobox military person
|name= Gilbert Stuart Martin Insall
|image= Gilbert Insall VC IWM Q 114632.jpg
|image_size= 250
|alt= 
|caption= Lieutenant Gilbert Insall {{circa}} 1916–17
|nickname= 
|birth_date= {{birth date|df=y|1894|5|14}}
|birth_place= [[Paris]], France
|death_date= {{death date and age|df=y|1972|2|17|1894|5|14}}
|death_place= [[Scrooby]], [[Nottinghamshire]], England
|placeofburial = Cremated, Headstone at Rose Hill Crematorium, [[Doncaster]]<br/>Headstone at Nocton Churchyard, [[Lincolnshire]]
|allegiance= United Kingdom
|branch= [[British Army]] (1915–18)<br/>[[Royal Air Force]] (1918–45)
|serviceyears= 1915–1945
|rank= [[Group captain]]
|unit= [[No. 11 Squadron RFC]]
|commands= 
|battles= [[First World War]]<br/>[[Iraqi Revolt]]<br/>[[Second World War]]
|awards= [[Victoria Cross]]<br/>[[Military Cross]]<br/>[[Mentioned in Despatches]]
|relations= 
|laterwork= 
}}
[[File:Action for which Gilbert Stuart Martin Insall is awarded VC.jpg|thumb|alt=Action for which Gilbert Stuart Martin Insall is awarded VC|Action for which Gilbert Stuart Martin Insall is awarded VC]]
[[Group Captain]] '''Gilbert Stuart Martin Insall''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100|sep=,|VC|MC}} (14 May 1894 – 17 February 1972) was a British aviator and recipient of the [[Victoria Cross]], the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] subjects.

==First World War==
Insall was commissioned as a [[second lieutenant]] (on probation) in the [[Royal Flying Corps]] on 14 March 1915, during the First World War.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29125|supp=y|page=3569|date=9 April 1915}}</ref> He was appointed a Flying Officer in the RFC on 16 July, and was confirmed in his rank from the same date.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29249|page=7576|date=3 August 1915}}</ref>

Insall was 21 years old, and a second lieutenant in the [[No. 11 Squadron RFC|11 Squadron]], Royal Flying Corps when he won the [[Victoria Cross]] (VC).<ref name="PusherAces"/>

On 7 November 1915 near [[Achiet-le-Grand]], France, Second Lieutenant Insall, on patrol in [[Vickers F.B.5 Gunbus]] No. 5074 with 1st Class Air Mechanic [[T. H. Donald]], engaged an [[Aviatik]] two-seater and forced the German pilot to make a rough landing in a ploughed field. Seeing the air crew scramble out and prepare to fire, Insall dived to 500&nbsp;ft and his gunner opened fire, whereupon the Germans fled. After dropping an incendiary bomb on the downed German aircraft, Insall flew through heavy fire at 2000&nbsp;ft over enemy trenches. The Vickers' petrol tank was hit, but Insall brought the plane 500 yards back inside Allied lines for an emergency landing.  Insall and Donald stayed by the Gunbus through a bombardment of about 150 shells while awaiting nightfall. After dark, they then set to work by torch light to salvage their plane. After they repaired the machine overnight, Insall flew them back to base at dawn.<ref>{{cite book |title= ''Pusher Aces of World War 1''. |pages= 19–20 }}</ref>

The announcement and accompanying citation for Insall's VC was published in a supplement to the ''[[London Gazette]]'' on 23 December 1915, reading:

{{blockquote|For most conspicuous bravery, skill and determination, on 7 November 1915, in France.  He was patrolling in a Vickers Fighting Machine, with First Class Air Mechanic T. H. Donald as gunner, when a German machine was sighted, pursued, and attacked near Achiet.

The German pilot led the Vickers machine over a rocket battery, but with great skill Lieutenant Insall dived and got to close range, when Donald fired a drum of cartridges into the German machine, stopping its engine. The German pilot then dived through a cloud, followed by Lieutenant Insall. Fire was again opened, and the German machine was brought down heavily in a ploughed field 4 miles south-east of Arras.

On seeing the Germans scramble out of their machine and prepare to fire, Lieutenant Insall dived to 500 feet, thus enabling Donald to open heavy fire on them. The Germans then fled, one helping the other, who was apparently wounded. Other Germans then commenced heavy fire, but in spite of this, Lieutenant Insall turned again, and an incendiary bomb was dropped on the German machine, which was last seen wreathed in smoke. Lieutenant Insall then headed west in order to get back over the German trenches, but as he was at only 2,000 feet altitude he dived across them for greater speed, Donald firing into the trenches as he passed over.

The German fire, however, damaged the petrol tank, and, with great coolness, Lieutenant Insall landed under cover of a wood 500 yards inside our lines.  The Germans fired some 150 shells at our machine on the ground, but without causing material damage. Much damage had, however, been caused by rifle fire, but during the night it was repaired behind screened lights, and at dawn Lieutenant Insall flew his machine home with First Class Air Mechanic T. H. Donald as a passenger.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29414|supp=y|page=12797 |date=22 December 1915}}</ref>}}

Insall could not personally receive his VC in 1915, however; he and Donald had fallen wounded into captivity on 14 December 1915 after engaging [[Hauptmann]] [[Martin Zander]] and his gunner. While in captivity, he was promoted to lieutenant, on 1 April 1916.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29563|supp=y|page=4332|date=28 April 1916}}</ref> Insall escaped on his third try, on 28 August 1917, and made it home over the Dutch border on 6 September.<ref name=PusherAces>{{cite book |title= ''Pusher Aces of World War 1''. |page= 20 }}</ref><ref name="ReferenceA">{{London Gazette|issue=30589|supp=y|page=3572|date=19 March 1918}}</ref> His VC was presented by the King on 27 September 1917.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D7231819|title=WO 98/8/230: Victoria Cross details of Dartnell, Wilbur [also contains details for Gilbert Insall]|work=Discovery, the online catalogue|publisher=[[The National Archives (United Kingdom)|The National Archives]]}}</ref> He returned to duty as the [[Flight Commander]] of "A" Flight, 50 Squadron, with the temporary rank of captain, on 11 January 1918.<ref name=PusherAces /><ref name="ReferenceA"/>

==Royal Air Force career==
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:VCGilbertStuartMartinInsallGrave.jpg|thumb|right|{{center|Gilbert Insall's grave, in Nocton Churchyard, [[Lincolnshire]]}}]] -->
After the war, Insall remained in the service, receiving a permanent commission as a [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|Captain]] in the newly formed Royal Air Force. On 1 August 1919; his rank was regraded to [[Flight lieutenant|Flight Lieutenant]] when the RAF adopted its new rank structure.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=31517|page=10655|date=22 August 1919}}</ref> He was promoted to [[Squadron leader|Squadron Leader]] on 1 November.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=31663|page=14703|date=28 November 1919}}</ref> On 16 December, he was awarded the [[Military Cross]] (MC) for gallantry in escaping from captivity as a POW during the war.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=31691|supp=y|page=15615|date=12 December 1919}}</ref>

On a clear day in 1925, he spotted a strange formation of pits in the ground below him. He took a photograph, and from this one photograph came the rediscovery of the Bronze Age site now known as [[Woodhenge]] two miles from Stonehenge (Crawford, Air-Photography for Archaeologists 1929). In 1929 he similarly discovered [[Arminghall#Arminghall Henge|Arminghall Henge]].

Insall served in Southern Mesopotamia (Iraq) against the Akhwan in 1927–1928, for which he was [[mentioned in despatches]] and awarded the [[General Service Medal (1918)]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33477|page=1822|date=15 March 1929}}</ref> As a Squadron Leader he was responsible for reforming [[No. 35 Squadron RAF|No 35 Sqn]] which stood up on 1 March 1929 and served as its first Commanding Officer for three months until June 1929. He was promoted to [[wing commander|Wing Commander]] shortly after on 1 July 1929<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33513|page=4635|date=2 July 1929}}</ref> and took up the post of Station Commander at [[RNAS Donibristle (HMS Merlin)|RAF Donibristle]] later that month. On 23 July 1932 he was appointed as Station Commander at [[RAF Upavon]]. On 15 May 1934 he moved to [[RAF Kenley]], again filling the post of Station Commander. He was later promoted to [[Group captain|Group Captain]] on 1 July 1935<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34176|page=4262|date=2 July 1935}}</ref> and served overseas in the Middle East before returning to the UK in 1939 to fill the post of Officer Commanding No.3 RAF Depot at [[Padgate|RAF Padgate]] from 1 April 1939. He served at this rank throughout the Second World War in a number of posts and finally retired from RAF service on 30 July 1945.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=37280|supp=y|page=4743|date=21 September 1945}}</ref> Insall's headstone is in [[Nocton]] Churchyard, [[Lincolnshire]]. His Victoria Cross is displayed at the [[Royal Air Force Museum]] in [[Hendon]].

==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110514041055/http://www.homeusers.prestel.co.uk/stewart/yorkshir.htm Location of grave and VC medal] ''(South Yorkshire)''
*[https://web.archive.org/web/19990203054117/http://www.magicnet.net/~westham/vc00B.html G.S.M. Insall]
*{{Find a Grave|8026595}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Insall, Gilbert}}
[[Category:1894 births]]
[[Category:1972 deaths]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Paris]]
[[Category:British World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross]]
[[Category:Royal Flying Corps recipients of the Victoria Cross]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Military Cross]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force group captains]]
[[Category:Royal Flying Corps officers]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War I]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force personnel of World War I]]
[[Category:Aerial photographers]]
[[Category:British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross]]
[[Category:Escapees from German detention]]
[[Category:British World War I prisoners of war]]
[[Category:World War I prisoners of war held by Germany]]