Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Rochester (Strood) Cemetery | J. 20. | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.123 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 23C GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
106 Rainham Rd. ChathamMarried Amelia Mary Fouquet 15.7.1917 at Gillingham.
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: Gunnery School (Eastchurch) |
The first operational unit to be prepared for overseas service with the naval element of the British Eastchurch was primarily a school where would be RNAS pilots went for their basic flight training. Expeditionary Force was set up at Eastchurch on the 8th August 1914, and was known as the Eastchurch (Mobile) Squadron. This title soon lapsed, and on the 1st of September 1914 when stationed at St. Pol, it became No. 3 squadron. Royal Naval Air Station Eastchurch was used by various RNAS squadrons, wings and units from 1914 onwards: Eastchurch (mobile) squadron ? later No. 3 squadron No. 2 Squadron ? later 2 Wing Gunnery Schools Flight from 1/5/16 (comprising Bomb Flight, Gun Flight, and Miscellaneous Flight) Observers School Flight from 25/12/16 D Test Flight from 14/8/16 to 17/3/17 Spotting Flight from 15/9/16 (renamed from the Miscellaneous Flight) Eastchurch War Flight (Home defence) Upon amalgamation of the RNAS into the RAF on 1/4/18, Eastchurch became 204 Training Depot Station, but the station was disbanded in 1919. |
| Action : Accident |
Accidents were a minor factor in the casualty list. Our definition is deaths resulting from activities that were not directly associated with 'active service'. We have excluded Naval Accidents which are seperately identified because of their numbers and impact. Many accidents involved the aviators, operating at the the limits of technology.
Naval Service
a message boy when he joined R N 31.3.1901. Progressed to PO Mechanic 1st class to CPO11 No 187748.
By 1.11.1913 he was at The Central Flying School, Upavon, Wiltshire
1..9.1914. Dunkirk Air Station, Nord, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France.
No.3 Squadron RNAS. The squadron was formed on 1 September 1914 at Saint-Pol-sur-Mer near Dunkirk, and became No.3 Wing RNAS on 21 June 1915 after it was shipped to the Dardanelles. It later served as a fighter squadron on the Western Front.
15 July 1917 • Air Station, Eastchurch, Isle of Sheppey, Kent(when he was married)
15 July 1918 • Air Gunnery School, Royal Air Force, Eastchurch, Isle of Sheppey, Kent
Rank - Commissioned 2nd Lieutenant RNAS. RNAS converted to RAF on 1 April 1918, when the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service amalgamated to form the Royal Air Force.
Killed along with his boy mechanic Leonard H. Sampson when their Maurice Farman S.11 Shorthorn Bi-plane, serial number N5063, was ascending and collided with a descending Avro 504J Serial B8585 flown by RAF Lieutenant Richard M. Collingwood who also died.
See Flying Cert
Detail :
East Kent Gazette - Saturday 27 July 1918
FATAL COLLISION AT AN AERODROME.
FOUR LIVES LOST.
An inquest was held on Monday, by Mr. C. B. Harris, county coroner, with reference to the deaths of three officers and a mechanic, who lost their lives as a result of a collision in the air at a Kent aerodrome on Friday.
Lieut. Charles Edgar Swannell, 26, a Canadian, and Lieut. Richard Milne Collingwood, 21, had been up for a flight, and were slowly descending, when another machine, in which were 2nd Lieut. James Fraser Grady, 38, and Boy Mechanic Leonard George Henry Samson, 17, were ascending for gunnery practice. When 100ft. from the ground the machines came into collision, and one turned turtle and caught on fire. Both crashed to the ground, and all four occupants were killed, all from fractured skulls.
A verdict of "Accidental Death" in each case was returned, and the jury expressed their sympathy with the bereaved relatives.
Lieut. Collingwood was a son of Captain Collingwood, who holds an important post at another aerodrome in the county. 2nd Lieut. Grady belonged to Gillingham, and Samson, the young mechanic, lived in London.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Brownrigg Lodge of Unity No. 1424 E.C. | East Kent |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
7th February 1912 | 5th June 1912 | 3rd July 1912 |
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley