Air Commodore Ronald Burns Bannerman was a flying ace during World War I, as well as serving as a high level administrator for his native New Zealand's air force during World War II. Early life and training Ronald Burns Bannerman was born on 21 September 1890 in Invercargill, the youngest of three children of accountant William D. D. Bannerman (1859–1942) and Agnes Gibson McEwen (circa 1858–1931). Both of his brothers, Hugh and Wilfred Bannerman played first-class cricket before World War I. The younger Bannerman's education took him from Otago Boys' High School onward to study law at Otago University. He was living at 35 Neidpath Road, Mornington in Dunedin when he enlisted for service in New Zealand's Armed Forces. By 1916 he had risen to the rank of sergeant-major in the 4th Otago Regiment. He enrolled in March 1916 at the New Zealand Flying School which was located at Mission Bay in Auckland. One of 12 pupils at the school, he was the last of them to qualify, obtained his flying certificate (with only four flying hours in his logbook) in a Curtiss Flying Boat on 16 December 1916. After a voyage to England, he joined the Royal Flying Corps on 29 March 1917 and undertook further training, amassing 53 hours solo flight time. After initial instruction on a Farman Shoehorn, he gained experience with the Avro 504, before progressing onto the more powerful Bristol Scout, Sopwith Pup, SPAD S.VII, Sopwith Dolphin and the SE5a. During his training in England Bannerman was nearly killed while sitting in his Avro aircraft when another aircraft accidentally landed on top of his, reducing it in Bannerman's words to matchwood. War service He was posted to France in February 1918 joining the freshly formed No. 79 Squadron RAF. He flew a Sopwith Dolphin, scoring his initial victory on 4 August 1918 by destroying a Fokker D.VII. During August and September he shot down 12 aircraft and a balloon before a period on leave. Upon his return to the front he added more victories to bring his total to 17, with his last triumph coming on 4 November 1918, a week before war's end. His first 15 wins were achieved flying Sopwith Dolphin #C3879; his last two were scored from Dolphin #E4716. His final tally included 16 enemy airplanes destroyed and 22 driven down out of control. He was also a balloon buster, having downed