Early life Ian Napier was born in
Milton, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, one of three children born to
Henry Melville Napier (1854–1940), engineer, shipbuilder, and founder of
Napier & Miller Co. Ltd. Entry into military service On 2 September 1914, Napier was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 9th (The Dumbartonshire) Battalion,
Princess Louise's (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders). On 8 July 1915, he was appointed an aide-de-camp, finally returning to his regiment on 8 February 1916, and being promoted to lieutenant the next day.
Aerial service Napier was awarded
Royal Aero Club Aviator's Certificate No. 3269 after soloing a
B.E.2c biplane at the Military School,
Hounslow Heath, on 18 July. and appointed a
flying officer. Napier was assigned to
No. 40 Squadron RFC as a
Nieuport pilot. He scored his first victory on 14 April 1917, by destroying an
Albatros D.III. His second win came ten days later, when he helped
Robert A. Little capture a
DFW C.V. but this did not apply to the RFC, and he remained a lieutenant until 5 June 1917, when he was appointed a
flight commander with the temporary rank of captain. Napier resumed his victory list after upgrading to a
Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a. On 6 March 1918, he destroyed an
Albatros D.V. A month later, he scored again. He then accumulated victories until 4 July 1918, when he scored his twelfth. His final tally was seven German planes destroyed (including two shared wins), three driven down out of control (one of which was shared), and two shared captures of DFW D.Vs. On 7 December 1920 he relinquished his RAF commission to return to the
Territorial Force (probably the Highlanders). Eventually, he went into the family shipbuilding business. ==Awards and citations==