Forgotten Maryland World War I Hero to be Honored at the Baltimore War Memorial

Wednesday Nov 9th, 2016

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Who:       The Western Front Association, East Coast Branch (USA) 

What:      The formal dedication and unveiling of the painting “Maryland Over Flanders” 

Where:    Baltimore War Memorial, 101 N. Gay Street, Baltimore, MD 21202 

When:     Thursday, November 17, 2016, 6:30 p.m. (pre-event wine and cheese reception 5:30 p.m.) 

Why:       To honor the service of Baltimore’s own, Captain Francis Warrington Gillet, DFC, RAF and mark the start of commemorations honoring the centennial of Maryland’s involvement in World War I.

Members of the Western Front Association, East Coast Branch (USA), will be joined by diplomatic representatives of Great Britain, Belgium, and France, along with descendants and invited guests to witness the unveiling and dedication of the specially commissioned painting “Maryland Over Flanders”. Speakers will include COL Robert J. D’Alessandro, Chairman of the United States World War I Centennial Commission, appointed by President Barack Obama.

The painting “Maryland Over Flanders” honors the service f the decorated World War I fighter pilot Francis Warrington Gillet who flew with Britain’s Royal Air Force over France and Flanders in 1918.

 About Francis Warrington Gillet

Francis Warrington Gillet, born in Baltimore in 1895, volunteered for Britain’s Royal Flying Corps and received his pilot’s wings in December 1917. He flew in combat over France and Flanders with No. 79 Squadron, RFC (later RAF) from March 1918 until the war’s end. By the time of the Armistice on November 11, he was officially credited with downing 20 German aircraft.

 Marylander Francis Warrington Gillet is recognized today as the second highest-scoring American fighter “ace” of World War I, next to Captain Eddie Rickenbacker and was awarded the British Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), and the Belgian Croix de Guerre.

The Western Front Association East Coast Branch (USA) has commissioned the noted aviation artist Michael O’Neal to create a commemorative oil painting of Gillet’s Sopwith Dolphin fighter plane for display at the Baltimore War Memorial Building. 

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