Armstrong Whitworth FK.8 A3992

[davew]

I have recently purchased a photograph of this a/c which is badly wrecked. I understand that the machine is mentioned in Cross & Cockade, volume 39, page 254. Does anyone have access to this publication to see if mention is made of the crash please?

regards

DaveW

[ian94avenge]

A3992 is a Martinsyde G102 Elephant of 27 squadron and was lost on August 21, 1917. During combat east of Seclin it collided with another 27 sqdn Elephant (A6259) on return near Lille it was then driven down by EA (Claimed by Oblt H Bethge, Jasta 30) and force landed near Arques Canal, its pilot 2 Lt D P Cox was killed. The pilot of A6259, Capt G K Smith MC, was also brought down and killed, being claimed by Ltn K Bolle, Jasta 28. 27 sqdn lost a third Elephant this day when 2 Lt S Thompson was shot down and was captured.

Info from Trevor Henshaw's "The Sky Their Battlefield II ", a must for anyone with an interest in WW1 aviation.

I guess your photo is the one taken from the rear showing the tail of A3992 across a dyke with German officers stood around to the right of picture ?

Regards, Ian

[ian94avenge]

Cross & Cockade, volume 39, page 254 shows photos of BE2c, BE12, FK3 and FK8 aircraft but no Martinsyde Elephants.

Ian

[Errol Martyn]

Dave,

A3992 was allocated to a Martinsyde G.102 Elephant. Page 254 of Vol of Volume 39 does not feature this aircraft but there is a photo on the page of FK.8 A9999 (not wrecked).

Errol

[ian94avenge]

2LT DEREK PERCY COX, GENERAL LIST Attached 27 Sqn RFC. Killed in action near Lille on 21 August 1917. The only son of Maj Gen the Hon Sir Percy Cox GCIE, KCSI of Hamilton, Scotland. After leaving Harrow, he entered the RMA, Woolwich but left with the idea of going to Trinity College, Cambridge to take an engineering degree. The war intervened however and he enlisted in the 11 Hussars. Very shortly afterwards he was sent to Sandhurst and commissioned into the Motorised Machine Gun Service, Royal Artillery. He proceeded to France in March 1915 and returned to England in 1916 where transferred into the RFC. Served in France for some months before being invalided home. Returned to France in June 1917, joining 27 Sqn. On 21 August 1917, Cox and his pilot Capt G.K. Smith, in Martinside A3992 ran into a bunch of Albatros scouts and were shot down. He had married in 1917, Ethel Ellington of Orton Waterville.
Harrow Memorials of the Great War, Vol5

The above account taken from Cross & Cockade Vol 25, No 4 page 224 and is incorrect in mentioning that Capt Smith was his pilot, they were flying separate Elephants as previously mentioned.

There is also a photo of Derek Cox on this page.

Ian

[davew]

Gents,

Thank you all for taking the trouble to look this up for me. In the light of your replies I have re examined the photograph and find that the serial No is A9982 which is an FK-8 (the first digit is a little faded). Apologies for relying on the hand written caption and not cross referencing the serial with the a/c type first. I am still interested in the place and circumstances of the demise of the FK.8 please.

For those interested there is an on-line index for Cross and Cockade volume 39 (there may well be others too) at http://www.crossandcockade.com/uploads/Vol39Index.pdf.

Thanks again.

DaveW

[ian94avenge]

Hello Dave,

FK8 A9982 does get a mention in Cross & Cockade, volume 39, page 254 but only insomuch as mentioning it served with 58 sqdn at Cramlington. This machine was taken on board in March 1917. This is the extent of the info I can find. Your photo is probably the result of a training accident here in the UK as 58 were training at this time before going to France with FE2b in Jan 1918.

You might be better served by putting your question on The Great War Forum (air) as they have many experts specialising in WW1 aviation.

Ian

[davew]

Ian,

thank you again for your trouble. BTW I have ordered a copy of the book that you recommended.

DaveW