Introduction
Wallace Ernest Orchard (August 20, 1890 – June 2, 1917) was a Canadian amateur ice hockey left wing who played for Montreal AAA.
Military service
On January 18, 1916, a year and a half after the outbreak of the First World War, Orchard enlisted in the Royal Naval Air Service. He was noted as a "good steady pilot" and was commissioned as a temporary flight sub-lieutenant in August.
On June 2, 1917, Orchard, stationed with No. 3 Squadron on the Western Front, took off in a Sopwith Pup biplane to intercept German aircraft reported in the area. While mounting an attack on one German plane, he was wounded in the face and subsequently returned to his squadron's airfield. Approximately 200 feet (61 m) above the airstrip, Orchard's aircraft's engine failed, causing the aircraft to crash. The severely wounded Orchard was recovered and transported to No. 1 Field Dressing Station at Beugny, then to the 29th Casualty Clearing Station in Grévillers, where he died of his wounds. Orchard is buried at the Grevillers British Cemetery.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1908–09 | Montreal AAA | CAHL | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1914–15 | Montreal Victorias | Mtl CSHL | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Career totals | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | ||||