Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Chatham Naval Memorial | 18 Kent | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.131 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 38D GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: HM Airship C8. RNAS |
| 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.
Detail :
Chief Petty Officer Mechanician 3rd Grade, Royal Naval Air Service. Drowned in the loss of H.M. Airship "C8".
An account of the crash leading to his death is recorded in Forgotten Wrecks.
"C8 was a Coastal Class, non-rigid airship, as the name suggests, was designed to undertake extended coastal patrols. With an approximate length of 60m (195 feet) and diameter of 11m (37 feet) and two 150hp engines, the Coastals had a range of approximately 22 hours. They had an unusual tri-lobe envelope and a car slung beneath, that would carry up to 5 people. These airships carried 2 machine guns, one of which was positioned on the top of the enveleope and accessed via a ladder that ran up the inside of it!
On the 9th June 1916, airship C-8 crashed off Plymouth. Flight Lieutenant Cecil William Dickinson (Captain), CPO Mech Ernest Bernard Ames (J7913), and CPO Mech George Palmer (231416) all drowned. Only the Wireless Operator survived and project research at The National Archives revealed his name as Douglas Andrew Wilkings. "
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Lord Charles Beresford No. 2404 E.C. | East Kent |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
23rd May 1916 | - | - |
George was initiated during the war and was listed as a Chief Petty Officer resident at Kingsnorth, Kent. He was only a Freemason for a very short time before the crash of Airship C8 took his life. The contribution record at the United Grand Lodge of England show that he was "Killed on duty 9 June 1916."
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