Flight Sergeant Thomas Arthur Condron

[Dutch155]

Hi Guys,

I am researching this young RAF sergeant and would appreciate it if anyone could help me find out a little more on him than i know ?


Rank: Serjeant - is this the correct spelling?
Service No:15901
Date of Death:05/02/1918
Age:19
Regiment/Service:Royal Flying Corps 199th (Night Training) Sqdn. - Does anyone know anything about this squadron ?
Grave Reference AF. 2089.
Cemetery ALDERSHOT MILITARY CEMETERY
Additional Information: Son of Andrew Arthur Condron, of South Farnborough, Hants.

Hull Daily Mail - Friday 08 February 1918

AIRMAN KILLED IN LINCOLNSHIRE. A fatal accident occurred to a young airman inLincolnshire on Tuesday. He had just passed over one of the villages at a highaltitude, and appeared to be making a good flight under ideal conditions. Hethen commenced to come down, and when within 100 ft, or less of the ground thebiplane appeared to suddenly tilt sideways and crash to earth. A farm foreman,followed by another farm hand, found the unfortunate airman with the engine ontop of him. His injuries were serious, and he passed away in a few minuteswithout regaining consciousness. At the inquest it transpired that the deceasedwas a second-class mechanic, named T. Condron, of South Farnborough, Hants, and19 years of age. The jury returned a verdict of Accidental death, andcomplimented the man Hird upon his praiseworthy conduct.

Was it usual for an air mechanic to be obtaining his pilots licencee ?

Any information about his service, him, his unit,or why he was in Lincolnshire would be gratefully received and much appreciated I have checked Ancestory.com but to limited ends.
Thank you
Kind Regards
Dean

[Resmoroh]

Dean, Hi

Thomas Arthur Condron
b. Q4 1898 (Reg Hartley Wintney 2c 189)
1911 Census, Schoolboy aged 12, living at Marlborough Lines Aldershot*, Farnborough, Hampshire
Enlisted 150901** in the block 150001-155000 RFC- Canadians Nov 1917-May 1918
d. 5 Feb 1918 (Reg Gainsborough 7a 861)
* This was military accommodation so it would seem likely that his father*** was in the military.
** His rank is given as ‘Sergeant’ on CWGC and his Service Number as 15901 (in the block 15501-16000 RFC/RAF – Boys Oct 1917- Dec 1918).
*** Andrew Arthur Condron b. 13 Sep 1870 (given as “Army Pensioner (Retired)” in the 1939 Registration)
HTH
Peter Davies

[Lyffe]

Should you not find what you need here, Dean, I suggest you try the Great War Forum at http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/fo...ex.php?act=idx and put your questions to the War in the air section. As the forum's name suggests it deals almost exclusively with WW1, and there are some extremely knowledgeable gentlemen there.

His name does not seem to have appeared previously so a query should raise some interest.

Good hunting

Brian

[paulmcmillan]

http://www.rafmuseumstoryvault.org.u...-thomas-arthur

[Resmoroh]

Hello All,
The Post Header gives his rank as ‘Flight Sergeant’.
CWGC gives his rank as ‘Sergeant’.
The RAF Museum site gives his rank as ‘A Mech 2’.
(Who will undertake to resolve this – and notify the various sites?).
Was the RFC minimum Boy Entrant age 15?
If he was born Q4 1898 then the earliest he could Enlist would have been Q4 1913? But the block he Enlisted in (15501-16000) did not start to be Allocated until Oct 1917. In Oct 1917 WW1 was already 3 yrs old – with much avoidable(?) slaughter. If T A Condron did not Enlist until after Oct 1917 – and his Service Number indicates a possible Enlistment date of close to Dec 1918 (when he would have been 20?) – what was he doing in the interim? And how come he dies flying an aircraft on 5 Feb 1918? Gainsborough is 125 nm from Rochford (the then home of 199 Sqn). On an air-test? The range of a FE2b is given (Wiki - admittedly!!?) as 3 hrs at 80 kts = 240 nm. Gainsborough is at his PNR to Rochford?
There are, I think, rather more anomalies and/or ‘loose-ends’ than usual in this one?
Or am I missing something? Can somebody check my assumptions – or look at this through ‘new’ eyes?
TIA
Peter Davies

[wwrsimon]

From the letters page of the Aldershot Military Gazette, February 15th 1918:

Dear Mrs Condron,
It was with very great regret that I learned today of your son's fatal accident, and I wish to express to you and your family my sincerest sympathy in your trouble.
Your son was in my Flight. He was a very keen pupil and took a delight in doing whatever duty he was detailed for - he was always asking to go up, and his one aim was to get his wings as soon as possible.
[signed] F. E. SARWOOD, Capt.

and from the same paper, same date:

The funeral of Sergeant Thomas Arthur Condron, 19, son of Mr and Mrs Condron, of Queen's Road, Farnborough, took place at the Military Cemetery on Saturday last with full military honours.
The young airman met his death at Blyton, near gainsborough, on Tuesday, 5th inst., whilst on his qualifying flight for his pilot's certificate.

Regards

Simon

[Dutch155]

Apologies, I have been other wise distracted, many, many thanks all the responses have been very helpful, most interesting and much appreciated.

I will update thread as I find out more.

Kind Regards

Dean

[Dutch155]

Thanks Peter,

I see the issues you have identified and they do seem at odds with other things, alas my knowledge of such things is limited, but I will endeavour to progress as much as I can.

Many thanks
Dean

[Dutch155]

Great, many thanks Simon.

Dean