Lt Col David Niven
Normandy 1944

Another side to the film star David Niven that many are not aware of and at this time he is worth remembering.

David Niven attended the Royal Military College at Sandhurst, graduating in 1930 commissioned as a second lieutenant in the regular Army.
He served with the Highland Light Infantry for two years in Malta and then for a few months in Dover but resigned his commission in 1933.
When war was declared in 1939 he immediately returned to England from the USA even though the British Embassy had advised actors to remain in the US.
He was re-commissioned as a lieutenant in the Rifle Brigade, however wanting something more exciting he joined the commandos and initially commanded "A" Sqn GHQ Liaison Regiment better known as Phantom, whose role was to provide collection, passage and dissemination of real-time information on the progress of battle back to Corps HQ, usually working at or in front of the line of battle.
Niven landed in Normandy a couple of days after D Day and saw action across Europe,

In his spare moments he also worked with the Army film unit, He acted in two films made during the war, "The First of the Few" (1942) and "The Way Ahead" (1944). Both were made with a view to winning support for the British war effort, especially in the U.S. Niven's Film Unit work included a small part in the deception operation that used actor Clifton James to impersonate Field Marshall Montgomery.

He was awarded the Legion of Merit an American military decoration. Presented by Eisenhower himself in honour of Niven's work in setting up the BBC Allied Expeditionary Forces Programme.

He finished the war with the rank of Lt Col.


A man who far exceeded his film characters in courage and depth of commitment to his country and his men.

.

The Duke of Kent inspects “Phantom” A Squadron in Richmond Park, Escorting is a helmeted Major David Niven commander of "A" squadron
with Lt Col Hoppy Hopkinson on extreme left.

When flying was still a club for the adventurer

In January 1914 when flying was still the preserve of the adventures few a dinner was held in London with many of the great names of early British aeronautics in attendance.This dinner was held in recognition of those who were  first  to loop the loop in an aeroplane. It was named:

                                                  The Upside Down Dinner

Standing on the left, left to right Mr Gustav Hamel, Mr Claude Grahame-White, Mr B C Husk 

When the announcement was made of an upside down dinner in honour of Mr B C Hucks and Mr Gustav Hamel by the Hendon aviators it was expected to be a fun occasion. The dinner was held at the Royal automobile club and was attended only by those intimately involved in aviation.
Everything was done with the aim of embodying the concept of looping the loop and upside down.
The dinning tables were cunningly arranged in the form of a loop in recognition of those attending.

The dinner itself started at the end with the announcement that coffee was served and the chairman,  Mr Claude Grahame-White toasting the King, followed by the instruction  "You may now smoke".
The waiters, dressed in mechanics overalls served coffee, liqueurs and toothpicks.
Next came the savoury, Canape` a la chenteloup, sweets of souffle` a la Hucks, the vegetable of Asperges renversees , the roast being becassines a la Hamel with salad a` la Bleriot, the entree  a vol au vent a la Hendon and the joint baron de Pauillac a` l' aviation.

Wow next came the Fish "The Looping Lobster" announced as " the lobster is now looping". The great dish of one huge lobster upside down surrounded by smaller lobsters was paraded around the loop of tables prior to being distributed to the assembly.
The dinner concluded with a consume de volaille a la Grahame White and hors d`oeuvres.

It would seem that they really knew how to live it up in those days.

In true recognition of the event Mr Hucks endeavoured to honour the health of the king by drinking Giesler from a glass, upside down.
Speeches followed with reminiscences by Mr Grahame-White. In mentioning Mr Hucks as being the first to loop the loop in England he also mentioned Mr Hamel  as being the first to take up a woman to loop the loop although he was extremely sorry to say that Miss Trehawke Davies the courageous lady in question was at the moment very seriously ill and it would echo the sentiments of everyone present if he sent Miss Davies a telegram on behalf of all assembled to wish her a speedy recovery.

Gustav Hamel and Miss Trehawke Davies

Lastly the directors of the London aerodrome had contributed to a Special gold medal to be given to each attendee of the dinner to commemorate the event.

Signatures of those attending the dinner.
Capt E Bass, E Baumann, G W Beatty, W Birchenough, G Biss, W L Brock, R H Carr, J Cates, N Chereau, M Dessouter,  H le Forestier, R T Gates, F W Goodden, C Grahame-White, C Greswell, C G Grey, Gustav Hamel, F Handley Page,           G Holt Thomas, B C Hucks, Bernard Issac, J H Ledeboer, Sir Bryan Leighton, Robert Loraine, P Marty, M D Manton,       L Noel, J D North, J W Orde, H E Perrin, H Pontefract, Lieut J C Porte, A M Ramsay, A G Reynolds, J C Savage,     Stanley Spooner,     L A Strange, T K Walton, R Whitehouse, W E de B Whittaker, E T Willows, J E Withers, P Verrier

Foot note:
Mr Gustav Hamel died whilst crossing the English channel on the 23rd May 1914 aged 25

Miss Davies who lived life to the full died at her London home in November 1915 aged 35

Mr Bentfield Charles Hucks (the first to loop the loop) in England. During WW1 he served with honour in the RFC and following Illness as a test pilot for the aircraft manufacturing co ltd. 
He died as a result of contracting influenza on  7th November 1918 aged 34

Sparkling lives that made history despite of being cut so short.

The Royal Flying Corps Today in 1915

This week in May 1915

The advance on Aubers Ridge was still in progress this week but crucially hesitated on the 17th as understanding of the true position was unclear. Additionally a persistent mist fell upon the field of battle at this time.

Air actions of note  for the week were:

10th May 

2 Sqn Lt J L Jackson  wounded in face

Morane L  of 3 Sqn shot down by AA fire over Fournes
crew Lt D Corbett-Wilson and 2nd Lt I N Woodiwiss both KIA

Voisin LA of 4 Sqn on reconn damaged by shrapnel 
Crew Capt E F Unwin and Lt H Lygon

Vickers FB5 of 5 Sqn on reconn entered combat with and shot down Albatros over Lille
Crew Lt W H W Acland and 1AM Rogers (Rogers Awarded DCM for this action)

Vickers FB5 of 5 Sqn in combat with two Albatros over Staden 
Crew 2nd Lt R Maxwell-Pike and 2nd Lt Andrews

Martinsyde S1 of 6 Sqn combat with an Otto over Polygon wood
Crew Capt L A Strange  ( pilot was thrown out of a/c after combat but managed to crawl back in. see recollections of an Airman.)

11th May

BE2a of 4 Sqn on reconn was shot up but returned to base
Crew Capt R M Vaughan and Lt Hankin

12th May

BE2c of 4 Sqn was shot up creating a fuel leak but returned OK
crew Lt G W G Lywood and 2nd Lt Benett

Voisin LA of 4 Sqn on a photo reconn mission over Courtrai involved in combat over Warneton
but returned OK
Crew Capt Murphy and Lt H Lygon

Voisin of 1 Sqn RNAS  Came down taken prisoner following  Attack on  a Zeppelin
Crew Flight Lt J O Groves and Lt Cdr H Dobell  both made POWs

14th May

the first FE2b aeroplanes arrived in France assigned to 6 Sqn at Abeele

15th May

Voisin LA of 4 Sqn on reconn was shot up and crashed into tree close to aerodrome
Capt E F Unwin  injured  Lt H Lygon shaken both taken to hospital

BE2c of 8 Sqn hit by shrapnel  
Crew  Capt A D Gaye and Lt G Graham both wounded (the first WIA casualties for 8 Sqn)


The Aeroplanes 



Vickers FB5



Martinsyde S1



Morane L



RAF FE2B Pusher

Royal Flying Corps today in 1915

May 9th 1915

The Battle of Aubers Ridge commenced this day, the purpose for the allies to advance onto an earlier objective of the battle of Neuve Chapelle. This day would prove to be the busiest day of the air war to date. The plan was to use aerial bombing prior to the general bombardment with the intention of disrupting enemy communications, results were limited due to the lack of effective bomb aiming techniques at that time.
Additionally 16 sqn provided reconnaissance for army headquarters, as troops arrived at various key positions they were to deploy white signal sheets. The aeroplanes were able to send some 42 messages to special ground wireless receiving stations.
Nos 2 , 3, 4, 5 & 6 sqns were also fully deployed.

As one might expect the day was not without loss as the following illustrates.

                Aeroplane              Crew          

4 Sqn   Voisin LA         Capt E F Unwin                                              Hit through boot   OK

5 Sqn   Vickers FB5     Lt W H D Ackland / Lt Andrews                    Reconnaissance 

5 Sqn   Vickers FB5     Lt S Graham-Gilmour / 1AM Sutcliffe          Shot down Albatros   

6 Sqn    BE2a                Lt Hargrave / Capt Bovill                               Shot up but OK 

6 Sqn    BE2b                Capt Macdonnell / Capt B T James             Combat 

16 Sqn  Voisin               Lt H F Glanville                                                Wounded in leg

16 Sqn  Voisin               Lt F H Eberli / Lt S A Sanford                        Shot down  became POWs 

16 Sqn  Voisin               2ndLt  Hon F W Rodney / Lt C B Spence     Killed in action

16 Sqn  Voisin LA         Capt A G Fox                                                   Killed in action


Our aeroplanes of the day

BE2a

Vickers FB5

Voisin 

So Little changes in 100 years

Our recent activities in Afghanistan are far from new to the area as I discovered when researching the early history of R.F.C later R.A.F No 31 squadron . I found this little snippet of information .

In 1919, after quelling riots by Sikhs around Amritsar, the squadron was employed in Afghanistan where tribesmen had declared a new Jihad against the British. The squadron carried out almost daily bombing attacks, including one raid on the Afghani Amirs palace in his capital Kabul. The bombing helped to demoralise the Afghanis who sued for peace. "Peacekeeping" operations with new Bristol aircraft continued sporadically in the troubled north-west region where tribesmen continued their resistance to British rule.
The aircraft used at this time were the BE2C

And later the Bristol Fighter F2B

Tornado GR4 as used by No 31Sqn today

How sad that in 100 years life in this part of the world seems to have changed so little.

A lone airman of the Royal Flying Corps

A passing comment regarding the lone military grave of an airman of the Royal Flying Corps which is due to be relocated due to building work at a local church, stirred my interest to know more about this solitary man. Who could he be and why was he interred in a small sleepy church yard in Bentley on the boarders of Hampshire and Surrey.

It seemed as though this could make another interesting addition to the Royal Flying Corps display at the Farnborough Air Sciences Trust museum, which includes recording members of that fore runner of the Royal Air Force.
I quickly found records of him listed on the Australian forces nominal roll  his transfer to the RFC & finally his death, but then a real piece of luck, from an Australian web site "Connecting Spirits". Connecting Spirits is a project that involves Australian students travelling to the World War 1 battlefields, cemeteries and memorials of France and Belgium to learn first hand the role that Australians played in the battles of  WW1 and to understand the sacrifices made.

And what luck this grave had been one visited by a member of this group of young people and what follows is an illustration of bravery, commitment, adventure and in this case luck that finally ran out.

Name: Richard (George) Turner

Rank: 2nd Lieutenant

Service Number: 106 (AIF)

Units Served: 2nd Battalion AIF; Army Ordnance Corps; 37th and 47th Reserve Squadrons, Royal Flying Corps.

Richard George Turner, whose preferred name was George, was born on the 30th January, 1894 in Jamestown, South Australia, to parents Sydney and Louisa. He attended primary school in Jamestown before completing most of his high schooling at Gladstone, but moved back to Jamestown in 1910 to complete his schooling. After finishing school he worked as a bank clerk for the Union Bank, working in branches at Laura, Melrose, Port Pirie, Adelaide, Port Adelaide, and Port Elliot before transferring to Sydney. He was a member of the Church of England and had served in both school cadets and the militia.

George enlisted  in the AIF on the 21st August 1914 in Sydney at the age of 20 years and 6 months. He was 5’6 ½” tall, with a fresh complexion, grey eyes and fair hair. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion.

George left Australia from Sydney on the 18th October aboard the “HMAT Suffolk”. He was part of the first landing on Anzac Day at Gallipoli and was wounded the following day with a gunshot wound to the leg. He was evacuated to Alexandria to recover but returned to Gallipoli on the 18th May and was made a stretcher bearer on the 18th July. He remained on Gallipoli until the evacuation. After returning to Alexandria he was transferred to the Australian Ordnance Corps on the 4th March 1916 and the following day transferred to the Deputy Assistant Director of Ordnance Services for clerical duties. He returned to the 2nd Battalion in time to leave Egypt on the 22nd March arriving in Marseilles on the 28th. He was then promoted to corporal on the 18th April, and was again transferred to DADOS at the 1st Divisional Headquarters on the same day. He moved between the 2nd Brigade HQ and 1st Div HQ over the next 6 months but obviously did not wish to continue with clerical duties as he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps on the 8th November 1916. He marched in to Bracenose College in Oxford for flight training on the 26th January 1917 and received his commission on the 16th March. He continued his training at Scampton near Lincoln. He completed 22 hrs and 40 mins of solo flying time, mostly in an aircraft known as a “Shorthorn” before crashing on the 4th May. George was killed in this accident, and a board of inquiry found it to be due to “a lack of judgment on the pilot’s behalf in causing the machine to get into a spinning nose dive on a turn”. He would normally have been buried at Scampton, but during his training in England he had befriended some elderly cousins of his father who lived in Farnham. These ladies lobbied the Royal Flying Corps, the railways, the police and the church to have his body released from the Flying Corps so that he could be buried in Bentley with his ancestors.

Age at Death: 23

Cemetery : BENTLEY (ST. MARY) CHURCHYARD, Hampshire

 If you know of anyone who served in the RFC and think their story should be  recorded for posterity or would just like their name and image to be recorded in our growing collection please get in touch with me at:    igf@royalflyingcorps.info

These early airmen Pilots, Mechanics, officers and other ranks deserve to be remembered.

Zulu Wars soldier buried in Surrey

Date 22nd January 1879 Many people will have heard of the great British stand at Rorke's Drift during the Zulu wars but how many people know that earlier in the same day there was a tragic defeat of the British at Isandlwana by the Zulu army . Even more surprising is that just one man who fought and died during this battle was eventually brought back to England to be interred in a small church yard in St Johns on the out skirts of Woking in Surrey. His  grave marker is shown above. A little of his history follows: Edgar oliphant Anstey Son of George Anstey, Esq. (originally of London) was born in Highercombe, South Australia. named after his father's family's original home near Dulverton, Somerset. In 1873, he graduated from the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, and was commissioned a Lieutenant in the First Battalion, Twenty-fourth Regiment of Foot (later known as the Second Warwickshire Regiment, the South Wales Borderers, and the Royal Regiment of Wales). During the Anglo-Zulu War he was attached to Captain William Mostyn's "F" Company, !st Battalion, 24th Regiment of Foot, and was killed in action during the disastrous engagement at Isandlwana on January 22, 1879 in which over 1,200 British Imperial, Colonial, and Native forces were massacred. Anstey was the first soldier from South Australia to die in battle overseas. His body was found two days after the battle by his brother, Captain Thomas Anstey of the Royal Engineers, not far from the place now known as The Fugitives' Trail. Zulu warriors did not take prisoners in battle, and normally ritually disemboweled their enemies. Anstey's body, however, was intact and clothed. Originally buried under a cairn of stones, near where he had been killed, his remains were later interred in the graveyard at the Church of St. John the Baptist in Woking, Surrey, England. Below is the true story of the events leading to his remains being brought to England. My thanks to Pete for uncovering this additional note. Isandlwana was the action immediately prior to the action at Rorke's Drift made famous by the film Zulu. Isandlwana as it was in 1879 Isandlwana as it is today