Wikipedia:Today's featured article/requests/Les Holden

Les Holden

Les Holden (6 March 1895 – 18 September 1932) was a fighter ace of World War I. He joined the Australian Light Horse in May 1915, serving in Egypt and France. In December 1916 he volunteered for the Australian Flying Corps and qualified as a pilot. As a member of No. 2 Squadron he gained the sobriquets "Lucky Les" and "the homing pigeon" after a series of incidents where he limped back to base in bullet-riddled aircraft. He was awarded the Military Cross, achieved five aerial victories, and finished the war as an instructor with No. 6 (Training) Squadron in England, earning the Air Force Cross. After leaving the Australian Flying Corps in 1919, he became a manager at Holden's Motor Body Builders. He joined the part-time Citizen Air Force before establishing an air service as a commercial pilot. In 1929, he located Charles Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm in the north-west Australian desert after the pair were reported missing. He was killed in a passenger plane crash in Australia. (Full article...)

• Most recent similar article(s): Donald Forrester Brown is requested for Feb 23
• Main editors: Ian Rose
• Promoted: March 6, 2015
• Reasons for nomination: 130th birthday
• Support as nominator. Z1720 (talk) 17:17, 30 December 2024 (UTC)