Thomas Culling, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Thomas Culling

New Zealand flying ace

Date of Birth: 31-May-1896

Place of Birth: Dunedin, Otago Region, New Zealand

Date of Death: 08-Jun-1917

Profession: aircraft pilot

Nationality: New Zealand

Zodiac Sign: Gemini

Flight Lieutenant Thomas Grey Culling DSC (31 May 1896 – 8 June 1917) was New Zealand's first flying ace of the First World War. Born in Dunedin, New Zealand, Culling joined the Samoa Expeditionary Force following the outbreak of the First World War but was prevented from departing the country by his father, due to his age.
He travelled to England in 1915 and joined the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS).
From September 1916, he flew with the No.
1 Squadron, RNAS, on the Western Front.
He shot down his first German aircraft in April 1917 and would be credited with a total of six aerial victories, the first New Zealander to become a flying ace during the war, by the time of his death on 8 June 1917.