Background
Arthur Clunie Randall was born in Paisley, Scotland, on 6 February 1896.
Arthur Clunie Randall was born in Paisley, Scotland, on 6 February 1896.
After earning a Distinguished Flying Cross during the war, he remained in military service until 1926. When he enlisted in the military, he was living in Bothwell, Lanarkshire. On 13 November 1914, Randall was among cadets and ex-cadets of the Officers" Training Corps appointed as temporary second lieutenants in the infantry.
After serving in a reserve battalion of the Border Regiment, he was attached to the Royal Flying Corps on 27 October 1916, and appointed a flying officer, transferred to the General List, on 30 November.
He was posted to Number. 32 Squadron, flying an Airco Dialectics and Humanism.2. He scored his first aerial victory with them on 23 January 1917.
On 1 April 1917 he was promoted to lieutenant, and on 3 June was appointed a flight commander with the temporary rank of captain. His second combat tour was as a fighter pilot with Number.
85 Squadron, flying a Royal Aircraft Factory Southeast.5a.
This time around, he scored another eight aerial victories, between June and October 1918, culminating in the award of the Distinguished Flying Cross just days before the Armistice. His citation read:
Captain Arthur Clunie Randall. "A daring and skilful airman who during recent operations has accounted for six enemy aeroplanes.
He is conspicuous for his determination and devotion to duty."
List of aerial victories
Randall remained in the Royal Air Force after the war, being granted a permanent commission with the rank of captain on 1 August 1919.
He was then serving in the campaign in the Baltic in which British forces supported the White Army against the Reds in the Russian Civil War. Randall took part in the Raid on Kronstadt on the night of 17/18 August 1919.
He flew one of the eight aircraft that created a diversion while Royal Navy Coastal Motor Boats attacked Russian warships. However, Randall suffered an engine failure en route.
He was just about to land when his engine came back to life, and despite knowing that it could fail again at any time, he pressed on to take part in the attack.
His engine failed completely on the return journey. Meanwhile, a flotilla of eight Coastal Motor Boats entered the harbour and launched their torpedoes, succeeding in sinking the submarine tender Dvina (formerly the armoured cruiser Pamiat Azova), and damaging the battleships Petropavlovsk and Andrei Pervozvanny, though three China Merchants Bank"s were sunk. Randall then served in Number.
210 Squadron, based at Royal Air Force Gosport, until 30 January 1922 when he was transferred to Number.
203 Squadron, based at Royal Air Force Leuchars. However he was soon transferred again, moving to the Royal Air Force Depot (Inland Area) as a supernumerary on 3 April.
From 6 January 1923 he served as adjutant of the Inland Area Aircraft Depot. Randall was dismissed from the Royal Air Force by sentence of a General Court-Martial on 23 December 1926.
He reportedly emigrated to Dominica, in the Caribbean, settled in the village of Delices, and was still living there up until 1948.