RAF fatalities, 1923

[HughAHalliday]

CHAMBERS, Cyril, F/O - Killed 2 February 1923 - flying accident, Spittlegate, near Grantham.

BRADLEY, Harold Joseph, F/O - Killed 6 February 1923 in Trans-Jordan; accident on the Cairo-Baghdad air mail. Aircraft made a forced landing 100 miles east of Amman and overturned. Bradley suffocated. Passengers unhurt.

JAMES, Thomas Carveth, F/O - died 14 February 1923

HARDSTAFF, Jack Wilkinson, P/O - killed 16 February 1923

CURTIS, Philip Frank Axford, F/O - killed 23 February 1923 - No.216 Squadron, in the Mokattam Hills, near Cairo. With Embleton.

EMBLETON, Clifford Frederick, F/O - killed 23 February 1923 - No.216 Squadron, in the Mokattam Hills, near Cairo. With P.F.A. Curtis.

WRIDE, Leonard Basil William Blake, P/O - Died of injuries 21 March 1923 following a flying accident on 20 March 1923, Shotwick.

BROOKE-HUNT, Robert Cecil, P/O - Killed 26 March 1923, flying accident, Shotwick. Aeroplane of 11 April 1923, reporting on the inquest, wrote, “F/O C.W. Busk said that the machine had undergone a 15-minutes test before being handed over to Mr. Hunt and F/O Evans who tested the machine said that it was in perfect condition. The noise was probably due to the machine breaking up. In reply to the coroner, Mr. Evans sais that it would be quite possible for the accident to have occurred in pulling such a heavy type of machine out of a steep dive. The coroner said that it was clear that the machine gave way in the air and there was no explosion. The machine was in perfect order when it left the aerodrome. Possibly the pilot took a course that he should not have done. A verdict of ‘Accidental Death’ was returned.”

STRINGER, Hugh Mansfield, F/O - No.20 Squadron; killed at Quetta, 7 April 1923

LOCH, D.R., F/O - No.20 Squadron; killed at Quetta, 7 April 1923

MEIKLE, John Boyd, F/O - died 12 April 1923

STREET, Harold Wilbert, F/O and H/F/L, MB - Died of double pneumonia at Constantinople, 21 April 1923

HARRIS, Frederic Samuel, F/O - Killed in flying accident at Spittlegate, near Grantham, 24 April 1923

GOSSIP, George Hatfeild Dingley, F/O - No.56 Squadron (Detached Flight) - Killed in flying accident near Constantinople, 24 April 1923

TRENCH, Maurice Crosbie, F/O - Killed 24 April 1923, possibly in same accident as F.S. Harris.

HAUGHTON, Edward Perceval Osburne, F/O - killed 1 May 1923

HINE, Alexander Claude, F/O - died of injuries 22 May 1923

ROSE, James Barclay, P/O - Killed 14 June 1923 as the result of an air accident at Yeovil.

PORTER, Frederick Grenville, Observer Officer - killed in airplane accident, 15 June 1923 near Rhormaksar, Aden.

JARVIS, Aircraftman - Killed 18 June 1923, flying accident, Heliopolis.

LINGWOOD, Percy William, F/O - Killed 18 June 1923, flying accident, Heliopolis.

SKUSE, Aircraftman - Killed 18 June 1923, flying accident, Heliopolis.

WARD, Neville Byron, F/L - Killed 18 June 1923, flying accident, Heliopolis.

SQUIRES, George James, F/O, AFC - died 3 July 1923

LOGSDAIL Edward William, F/O - No.24 Squadron - Killed in flying accident, Purley, 7 July 1923; DH.9A on instructional flight from Kenley; seen flying very low, apparently in difficulties, struck a tree, crashed on the roof of a house and burst into flames; with F/O M.G.L. Trapagna-Leroy.

TRAPAGNA-LEROY, Marcel Gustave Louis, F/O - No.24 Squadron - Killed in flying accident, Purley, 7 July 1923; DH.9A on instructional flight from Kenley; seen flying very low, apparently in difficulties, struck a tree, crashed on the roof of a house and burst into flames; with F/O E.W. Logsdail.

WAKE, Guy, P/O - killed 11 July 1923

LOXTON (not further identified), died at Lahore, 12 July 1923 after a flying accident; aged 20.

GERRARD, Thomas Francis Netterville. F/L, DSC - No.1 Squadron; died 14 July 1923 at Mosul, Iraq.

FITZMAURICE, Maurice James, P/O - Died of injuries 14 July 1923 after a flying accident.

FRASER, Malcolm, P/O - Killed 8 August 1923, Salisbury, the result of a motorcycle accident.

JACQUES, Robin, F/O - killed 8 August 1923, Grantham

TAYLOR, G.A., LAC - Killed 21 August 1923 - flying accident, No.28 Squadron, Peshwar - in Bristol F2b J6769, after spinning into ground; with F/O F.G. Whitmore.

WHITMORE, Fielding Griffith, F/O - Killed 21 August 1923 - flying accident, No.28 Squadron, Peshwar - Bristol F2b J6769, after spinning into ground; with LAC G.A. Taylor.

WALTHO, Neville Charles, F/O - Killed 28 August 1923n while gliding at Milton Hill. A member of the staff of Central Flying School. “When about to land, 50 to 100 feet from the bottom of the hill, the glider dived. F/L Waltho was thrown out and killed instantly. It appeared to the onlookers that the tail twisted in the air and made the machine uncontrollable.”

BUCKNALL, Claude Vernon Aristides, F/L - Died 5 September 1923 at Kensington.

JOHNSTONE, William Boyd, F/L and A/S/L (Captain and Assistant Paymaster, Royal Army Pay Corps)- died 8 September 1923.

COVENTRY, Edward Bernard, P/O - Killed at Spittlegate, 29 September 1923 with Corporal William Wardle. Carrying out a practice flight on a DH.9a. When taking off the machine stalled and fell into a spin. Both men killed instantly. Coventry had much experience on DH.9s, having been part of formation flying at previous Aerial Pageant. Graduate of Haileybury and Cranwell.

WARDLE, William, Corporal - Killed 29 September 1923 with P/O Edward B. Coventry.

YOUNG, Aircraftman, killed in flying accident, Dardoni, India, 11 October 1923.

WATSON, Roland Sinclair, Aircraftman - killed in flying accident, Bircham, Newton, 16 October 1923.

TALLENTIRE, Miles, F/O - died of injuries 14 October 1923

KEEY.Edward Charles, P/O - Killed 15 October 1923 - flying accident, Farnborough

ROBESON, Vyvyan Arthur Hemming, S/L, MC, Croix de Guerre - Died at Tweksbuty, 17 October 1923, the delayed effects of previous surgery.

WILSON, Laurance Farrell, F/O - Killed 7 November 1923 - flying accident, Upavon.

ABBOTT, George Percy, F/O - died 22 November 1923, at Henlow, of pneumonia, aged 42, formerly a petty officer in the navy.

BIRD, F/O Ernest - Killed 30 November 1923, flying accident, Martlesham Heath, with Corporal George Roger Budd. Aeroplane wrote, “F/O Bird and Corporal Budd were flying over Martlesham Aerodrome when their machine got into a spin, and Mr. Bird was unable to regain control in time. On striking the ground the machine burst into flames. An inquiry into the accident was held on December 4 when a verdict of ‘Accidental Death’ was returned. The body of Mr. Bird was badly burnt and was identified by a gold ring bearing the initials ‘E.B.’ and an inscription, ‘Saved to Serve, 22.12.19'. Death was stated to be instantaneous. F/O Bird will be remembered by many as a very cheery personality who gave up his annual leave to fly for the Gloucestershire Aircraft Company at Gothenburg last summer.”

BUDD, George Roger, Corporal - killed 30 November 1923, flying accident, Martlesham Heath, with F/O Ernest Bird.

LEDGER, Aubrey, F/O - killed 4 December 1923

GENDLE, Albert Edgar, F/L, OBE, murdered by Arabs outside Bagdad, 7 December 1923 (F/L Arthur H. Pearce injured in same incident). Meteorological officer who had carried out observations in connection with transatlantic “R” class airships.

MAGRATH, Walter Stanley, F/L - Killed at Amman, Palestine (Jordan), 11 December 1923. Described as “late RN, 1907-1916"

BARNES, John Owen, P/O - Killed as a result of air accident, Mosul, Iraq, 14 December 1923

SAINSBURY, LAC, - killed at Mosul, Iraq, 15 December 1923, “as the result of an accident”

CATZ, Joseph, P/O - killed 17 December 1923 at Abu Sueir.

[paulmcmillan]

CHAMBERS, Cyril, F/O - Killed 2 February 1923 - flying accident, Spittlegate, near Grantham:-
AVRO 504K J732 of 39Sqn spun in from 500ft during aerobatics, Spittlegate.


BROOKE-HUNT, Robert Cecil, P/O Killed 26 March 1923, flying accident, Shotwick. :-
Airco DH.9A (serial number E8628)

STRINGER, Hugh Mansfield, F/O - No.20 Squadron; killed at Quetta, 7 April 1923
LOCH, D.R., F/O - No.20 Squadron; killed at Quetta, 7 April 1923
Possibly
BRISTOL F.2B FIGHTER J6594 of 20Sqn crashed 13m from Quetta.

HAUGHTON, Edward Perceval Osburne, F/O - killed 1 May 1923
GLOUCESTERSHIRE NIGHTJAR J6938 of 401Flt spun in on steep turn, Leuchars.

[paulmcmillan]

HARRIS, Frederic Samuel, F/O - Killed in flying accident at Spittlegate, near Grantham, 24 April 1923
TRENCH, Maurice Crosbie, F/O - Killed 24 April 1923, "possibly in same accident as F.S. Harris."

"On Tuesday morning Trench was piloting a D.H. 9a machine, accompanied Harris observer."

[paulmcmillan]

JARVIS, Aircraftman - Killed 18 June 1923, flying accident, Heliopolis.
LINGWOOD, Percy William, F/O - Killed 18 June 1923, flying accident, Heliopolis.
SKUSE, Aircraftman - Killed 18 June 1923, flying accident, Heliopolis.
WARD, Neville Byron, F/L - Killed 18 June 1923, flying accident, Heliopolis.

Vickers Vimy

[paulmcmillan]

The Straits Times, 2 August 1923, Page 8
Leading Aircraftsman V T LOXTON, died at Lahore, 12 July 1923 after a flying accident; aged 20. Fell from an aeroplane in the infantry lines, a distance of 2,500 feet. Killed Instantaneously

Victor T Loxton almost certainly Victor Trevor Loxton Born 1902

[paulmcmillan]

KEEY.Edward Charles, P/O - Killed 15 October 1923 - flying accident, Farnborough
Possibly BRISTOL F.2B FIGHTER J6665 of CFS

[paulmcmillan]

BIRD, F/O Ernest - Killed 30 November 1923, flying accident, Martlesham Heath, with Corporal George Roger Budd. Aeroplane wrote, “F/O Bird and Corporal Budd were flying over Martlesham Aerodrome when their machine got into a spin, and Mr. Bird was unable to regain control in time. On striking the ground the machine burst into flames. An inquiry into the accident was held on December 4 when a verdict of ‘Accidental Death’ was returned. The body of Mr. Bird was badly burnt and was identified by a gold ring bearing the initials ‘E.B.’ and an inscription, ‘Saved to Serve, 22.12.19'. Death was stated to be instantaneous. F/O Bird will be remembered by many as a very cheery personality who gave up his annual leave to fly for the Gloucestershire Aircraft Company at Gothenburg last summer.”
BUDD, George Roger, Corporal - killed 30 November 1923, flying accident, Martlesham Heath, with F/O Ernest Bird.

SHORT SPRINGBOK J6975 of AEE spun in from 1,500ft after take-off, Martlesham Heath.

[paulmcmillan]

SAINSBURY, Leading Aircraftman, George R, 350084. 55 Sqdn. Royal Air Force. "14th December 1923"

would suggest same incident as

BARNES, John Owen, P/O - Killed as a result of air accident, Mosul, Iraq, 14 December 1923

[paulmcmillan]

YOUNG, Aircraftman, killed in flying accident, Dardoni, India, 11 October 1923.


TALLENTIRE, Miles, F/O - died of injuries 14 October 1923

Same incident: aeroplane stalling and spinning into the ground Possibly Arthur L Young

[AL90]

HAUGHTON, Edward Perceval Osburne, F/O - killed 1 May 1923
"The Courier" of 2nd May 1923 has the full graphic story of the crash near Pitlethie Farm near Leuchars.
Can send a copy of the article if of interest.

Alan.