Corgi Aviation Archive
AA38109
Sopwith F.1 Camel B6401 No.3 Squadron RNAS, pilot Lloyd Samuel Breadner, Northern France, 1918  
 
General Background
Canadian ace Lloyd Samuel Breadner was able to fly one of the most characteristic Sopwith Camels of the Western Front. With two large circles in the upper wing, his plane also included King of Diamonds cards on the upper part of the lower wings, the Canadian Expeditionary Force badge carried behind the cabin and a striking red and white "rising sun" on the queue and elevators: there can be no doubt that Lieutenant Breadner wanted his German opponents to see him coming.
When joining the RNAS squadron in 1917, Breadner initially flew with the Sopwith Pup, with which he managed to obtain seven aerial victories, one of which was a powerful German Gotha bomber on April 23, 1917, the first time a British fighter had shot down one of these giants on the Western Front. When the new Sopwith Camel arrived at his unit, he won another three victories in September 1917, all against the Luftstreitkrafte Albatros D.V. fighters.
Surviving the war, Breadner became the Commander of the RCAF Aircraft Division overseas during World War II and, upon retiring, was promoted to Chief of the Air Division, the first Canadian to hold this rank.