In the picture, Doolittle is standing, second on the left. James Ralph Doolittle was the 37th volunteer of the Lafayette, and was born in Chicago on 6 January 1894, the son of publisher James R Doolittle. He served in the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Service before transferring into aviation. On 2 May 1917, whilst flying a Spad at G.D.E. he was injured when it side-slipped into the ground, breaking his ankle and receiving severe facial cuts; he spent 8 weeks in the hospital and was left with scars for life. He joined the Lafayette Escadrille on 2 July 1917. On 17 July he was flying to the squadron's new base at Dunkirk when he became lost in the clouds. He was shot down by German fighters, being hit twice in the leg. Whilst coming down he was wounded by British archie as their batteries tried to drive his pursuers away.On landing his Spad overturned (behind British lines), reopening his old facial wounds. After his recuperation he was released from French aviation so he could return to America, where he became a civilain instructor for the US Air Service. While he was at Kenilworth Field near Buffalo, NY, he met and became engaged to Miss Mary Louise Thomas of Buffalo. Exactly a week before their scheduled wedding, he was piloting an "experimental Curtiss a/c powered by a Liberty Motor"; he attempted a turn, turned too short, lost control; the a/c crashed from 300 feet, killing his passenger and fatally injuring Doolittle. He died one hour later, on 26 Juy 1918. Later his ashes were moved to the Lafayette Escadrille Memorial in France.