Little was promoted to Flight Lieutenant in April 1917 and, by 10 July, he had taken his total to 28, including twin victories in a day on four occasions. With 24 victories on type, he was the Squadron's top scorer with the Triplane, mostly in one particular airframe, N5493, that he christened ‘Blymp’, which also became the nickname of his baby son, Robert.
He fought so effectively on the Lens-
New aircraft, Sopwith Camels, arrived at the unit in July, and that month Little used them to add 10 more of his 14 kills for that month.
In the summer of 1917, Little was recalled to RNAS Dover for instructional and administrative duties where he tried a new Sopwith Dolphin and a Spad. He was a Flight Lieutenant, credited with a total of thirty-
Following this period of rest in Walmer, England, in which he was briefly able to enjoy a settled period of family life, Little turned down a desk assignment and volunteered to return to action on the Western Front, joining Lieutenant Colonel Raymond Collishaw's No 3 Squadron RNAS in March 1918. The unit evolved into No 203 Squadron of the new Royal Air Force on 1 April, formed after the merger of the RNAS and the Royal Flying Corps. Now ranked Captain, and again flying Sopwith Camels, Little gained a further nine successes, beginning with a Fokker Triplane on 1 April, and concluding with two kills in one day on 22 May: an Albatros and a DFW.
Robert Alexander Little -