physics

Gilbert Insall

Gilbert Insall is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Gilbert Insall rather than just read about it. In short: Group Captain Gilbert Stuart Martin Insall, (14 May 1894 – 17 February 1972) was a British aviator and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth subjects. He is the only person to have both won a Victoria Cross and escaped successfully from a German prisoner of war camp during the First World War.

Key takeaways

Gilbert Insall belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Gilbert Insall to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Gilbert Insall from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Group Captain Gilbert Stuart Martin Insall, (14 May 1894 – 17 February 1972) was a British aviator and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth subjects. He is the only person to have both won a Victoria Cross and escaped successfully from a German prisoner of war camp during the First World War.

First World War Insall was commissioned as a second lieutenant (on probation) in the Royal Flying Corps on 14 March 1915, during the First World War. He was appointed a Flying Officer in the RFC on 16 July, and was confirmed in his rank from the same date. Insall was 21 years old, and a second lieutenant in the 11 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps when he won the Victoria Cross (VC). On 7 November 1915 near Achiet-le-Grand, France, Second Lieutenant Insall, on patrol in Vickers F.B.5 Gunbus No. 5074 with 1st Class Air Mechanic T. H. Donald, engaged an Aviatik two-seater and forced the German pilot to make a rough landing in a ploughed field. Seeing the air crew scramble out and prepare to fire, Insall dived to 500 ft and his gunner opened fire, whereupon the Germans fled. After dropping an incendiary bomb on the downed German aircraft, Insall flew through heavy fire at 2000 ft over enemy trenches. The Vickers' petrol tank was hit, but Insall brought the plane 500 yards back inside Allied lines for an emergency landing. Insall and Donald stayed by the Gunbus through a bombardment of about 150 shells while awaiting nightfall. After dark, they then set to work by torch light to salvage their plane. After they repaired the machine overnight, Insall flew them back to base at dawn. The announcement and accompanying citation for Insall's VC was published in a supplement to the London Gazette on 23 December 1915, reading:

For most conspicuous bravery, skill and determination, on 7 November 1915, in France. He was patrolling in a Vickers Fighting Machine, with First Class Air Mechanic T. H. Donald as gunner, when a German machine was sighted, pursued, and attacked near Achiet. The German pilot led the Vickers machine over a rocket battery, but with great skill Lieutenant Insall dived and got to close range, when Donald fired a drum of cartridges into the German machine, stopping its engine. The German pilot then dived through a cloud, followed by Lieutenant Insall. Fire was again opened, and the German machine was brought down heavily in a ploughed field 4 miles south-east of Arras. On seeing the Germans scramble out of their machine and prepare to fire, Lieutenant Insall dived to 500 feet, thus enabling Donald to open heavy fire on them. The Germans then fled, one helping the other, who was apparently wounded. Other Germans then commenced heavy fire, but in spite of this, Lieutenant Insall turned again, and an incendiary bomb was dropped on the German machine, which was last seen wreathed in smoke. Lieutenant Insall then headed west in order to get back over the German trenches, but as he was at only 2,000 feet altitude he dived across them for greater speed, Donald firing into the trenches as he passed over.

The German fire, however, damaged the petrol tank, and, with great coolness, Lieutenant Insall landed under cover of a wood 500 yards inside our lines. The Germans fired some 150 shells at our machine on the ground, but without causing material damage. Much damage had, however, been caused by rifle fire, but during the night it was repaired behind screened lights, and at dawn Lieutenant Insall flew his machine home with First Class Air Mechanic T. H. Donald as a passenger. Insall could not personally receive his VC in 1915, however; he and Donald had fallen wounded into captivity on 14 December 1915 after engaging Hauptmann Martin Zander and his gunner. While in captivity, he was promoted to lieutenant, on 1 April 1916. Insall escaped on his third try, on 28 August 1917, and made it home over the Dutch border on 6 September. His VC was presented by the King on 27 September 1917. He returned to duty as the Flight Commander of "A" Flight, 50 Squadron, with the temporary rank of captain, on 11 January 1918.

Royal Air Force career After the war, Insall remained in the service, receiving a permanent commission as a Captain in the newly formed Royal Air Force. On 1 August 1919; his rank was regraded to Flight Lieutenant when the RAF adopted its new rank structure. He was promoted to Squadron Leader on 1 November. On 16 December, he was awarded the Military Cross (MC) for gallantry in escaping from captivity as a POW during the war. On a clear day in 1925, he spotted a strange formation of pits in the ground below him. He took a photograph, and from this one photograph came the rediscovery of the Bronze Age site now known as Woodhenge two miles from Stonehenge (Crawford, Air-Photography for Archaeologists 1929). In 1929 he similarly discovered Arminghall Henge. Insall served in Southern Mesopotamia (Iraq) against the Akhwan in 1927–1928, for which he was mentioned in despatches and awarded the General Service Medal (1918). As a Squadron Leader he was responsible for reforming No 35 Sqn which stood up on 1 March 1929 and served as its first Commanding Officer for three months until June 1929. He was promoted to Wing Commander shortly after on 1 July 1929 and took up the post of Station Commander at RAF Donibristle later that month. On 23 July 1932 he was appointed as Station Commander at RAF Upavon. On 15 May 1934 he moved to RAF Kenley, again filling the post of Station Commander. He was later promoted to Group Captain on 1 July 1935 and served overseas in the Middle East before returning to the UK in 1939 to fill the post of Officer Commanding No.3 RAF Depot at RAF Padgate from 1 April 1939. He served at this rank throughout the Second World War in a number of posts and finally retired from RAF service on 30 July 1945. Insall's headstone is in Nocton Churchyard, Lincolnshire. His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Royal Air Force Museum in Hendon.

Further reading Insall, Tony (great-nephew): The Madness of Courage - The Exceptional Achievements of Gilbert Insall, Biteback (2025); ISBN 978-1-78590-868-2

Footnotes

External links Location of grave and VC medal (South Yorkshire) G.S.M. Insall Gilbert Insall at Find a Grave

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Gilbert Insall

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Gilbert Insall claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Gilbert Insall before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Gilbert Insall ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Gilbert Insall

In research: Gilbert Insall appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Gilbert Insall in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Gilbert Insall is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1894 births, 1972 deaths, Aerial photographers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Gilbert Insall outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Gilbert Insall in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Gilbert Insall means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Gilbert Insall out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Gilbert Insall in simple terms?

Why does Gilbert Insall matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Gilbert Insall?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Gilbert Insall.