#OnThisDay 1918 Captain Walter Tyrrell MC from Bangor, Co. Down was killed in action when his plane was shot down by anti-aircraft fire while conducting ground attack missions along the Matz River in France. Tyrell, originally worked Royal Naval Air Service’s Armoured Car Division until one armoured car crushed his foot. He returned to Belfast and retrained as a motor engineer apprentice in Queen’s University Belfast Officers’ Training Corps.
Tyrell joined the Royal Flying Corps as an officer cadet on 4 April 1917 and was commissioned as a temporary second lieutenant on 21 June. On 30 August 1917 he was appointed a flying officer and confirmed in his rank.
Tyrell flew many missions and became an ace pilot with 17 aerial victories to his name.
Only 11 days later, his older brother John Marcus Tyrrell, of the Royal Irish Fusiliers, attached Royal Air Force, was also killed in action.
The Irish at War 