No 78(HD) Sqn RFC/RAF – Part 1

Gents

Many thanks for all the responses – it is greatly appreciated.

Major Cuthbert Rawdon has the distinction of not only being the first RAF fatality but also the first (of two) CO’s of 78 Sqn to be killed . . .

Grateful for anymore info as and when – it is filling in a lot of blanks in the archive!

The only outstanding puzzle (posted in part 2 of this thread) is where was our 2nd HQ in Hove located during 1917

Any Sussex local historians out there who can shed light on this??

Kind Rgds

Tony H

De Teissier is 2 Lt Aubrey De Teissier, killed while flying in Strutter A8249, buried at Hornchurch.

Major Cuthbert Roger Rowden was the son of Arthur Roger Rowden and Blanche Mary Rowden, of Eastnor, Ledbury, Herefordshire; husband of Frances Rowden, of Halcon, Redhill, Surrey.

He went to France as a Second Lieutenant in the 5th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment on Christmas Day 1914. On the 7th of May 1915 he was awarded Aero Club Aviator’s Certificate No 1256 on a Maurice Farman Biplane at the British Flying School, Le Crotoy, France. He was awarded the MC on the 28th March 1916 but I have not been able to find a citation.

At the time of his death on the 20th April 1918 he held the rank of Major and was, I believe, CO of the Squadron. He is interred in in St. Margaret’s Churchyard, Rottingdean.

Flight Magazine recorded…..

Major and Squadron Commander CUTHBERT ROGER
(” TOBY “) ROWDEN, M.C., Worcestershire Regiment and
R.A.F., who was accidentally killed while flying in Essex
on April 20th, aged 21, was the only son of A. Roger Rowden,
Hillend, Eastnor, Ledbury, and husband of Frances Rowden,
(nee Jobson).

Regards,

kev35

RAJ Sadler is

ROLAND ALBERT JAMES SADLER aged 22

http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2802391

Death registered in Romford

Flight MAY 29, 1919

HUGH CASSILLIS SMITH, 78th Squadron, R.A.F., who was
killed while flying near Hornchurch Aerodrome, on May 15,
at the age of 19, was the second son of Mr. and Mrs. Macdonald
Smith, 41, Onslow Gardens, Muswell Hill.

Hi,

2nd Lt Pickup was killed while flying Sopwith Camel, C1625.

Source: Airmen Died in the Great War, Chris Hobson.

HTH,

Jim

Kev

Many thanks and it’s clearing some major “grey areas” in our historty too!

TTFN

Tony H

I’ve found nothing further on Second Lieutenant Pickup but Second Lieutenant Sidney Rex Burton was the son of Sidney and Florence Gertrude Burton of The Stoppe, Swarkestone. He is interred in Derby (Uttoxeter Road) Cemetery and was 27 at the time of his death.

Captain Sydney Percival Gamon was the son of John Percival and Margaret Alice Gamon of Leigh Banastre, Parkgate, Cheshire. Just 23 at the time of his death on 23rd March 1918 he had served as a Lieutenant in the Cheshire Regiment (with whom he went to France on 15th February 1915) before joining the RFC. He is interred in Neston Cemetery.

The following appeared in Flight Magazine on April 11th 1918…..

Captain S. P. GAMON, Cheshire Regiment and R.F.C., who
was killed accidentally while, flying on March 23rd, was the
eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. J. P. Gamon, of Leighton Banastre,
Parkgate, Cheshire, and was 23 years old. He was educated
at St. Fillan’s Heswall, The Leas, Hoylake, and Uppingham
School. An application for entrance into the R.N.A.S.
which he made in August, 1914, was refused, as he then held
a commission in a Territorial Force as officer commanding
the machine-gun section. This section was chiefly manned
by men from the Chester Hydraulic Engineering Company,
with whom he was completing a course of engineering, and
he went to the front with his regiment in February, 191;,
remaining with them there till May, 1916, and having during
that time gained the permanent rank of captain. He then
obtained leave to join the R.F.C., and was acting as observer
in France from May to November, 1916, when he returned
to England to take his pilot’s course. Obtaining his wings
early in 1917, he had since been engaged in the aerial defence
of London.

More to follow.

Regards,

kev35

Tony.

I’ll give you what I’ve found just from trawling the internet. It might take a couple of days to cover them all but I’ll make a start with your first named.

Second Lieutenant David Dennys Fowler was born on the 20th of June 1897 at Glenelg in South Australia. He was 19 at the time of his death and was the son of the late James and Mary Fowler.

He gained Royal Aero Club Aviator’s Certificate No 3007 on a Maurice Farman Biplane at the Military School, Catterick Bridge on 29th May 1915. His address at the time he obtained his certificate was Dyxcroft, Rottingdean, Sussex. He served in Salonica from 29/9/15. His death is variously recorded as the 16th or 17th March 1917. I haven’t been able to confirm the circumstances of his death but if he did die in a night raid that might explain the confusion over dates. I found the following in Flight Magazine for April 5th 1917.

Second Lieutenant DAVID DENNYS FOWLER, R.F.C., elder
son of the late Mr. and Mrs. James Fowler, of Wimbledon and
Rottingdean, was born in South Australia, and was 19 when
he was killed on March 17th. He was educated at Harrow,
and after a short time at Trinity College, Cambridge, joined
the Royal Flying Corps, and spent some months on service
in the North of England. In September, 1915, he was
ordered to Salonica, and in October was wounded in action
and placed in hospital at Malta. In December he was invalided
home, and on recovery was posted to an aerodrome
at home. Both his brother officers and his men speak of him
as a most fearless and competent airman. He was buried
with military honours in Rottingdean Churchyard on
March 20th.

He is interred in St. Mary’s Churchyard, Rottingdean.

Second Lieutenant Cyril Frederick Crapp originally served as 1412 Private C F Crapp in the 13th Battalion, London Regiment. he is then noted as a Second Lieutenant on the General List and then with the same rank in the RFC. He was the son of William Clymo Crapp of Brightside, Manby Road, Malvern. He went to France on the 3rd of November 1914. At the time of his death on the 16th of May 1917 he was 23 years old. He is interred at St. Leonard’s Churchyard in Aldrington.

Also killed in the same incident was Second Lieutenant William John Douglas Vince, 27, who is interred in Charlton Cemetery. The following was found on the incident which claimed the lives of these two men in Flight Magazine for 31st of May 1917.

A verdict of “accidental death” was returned, on May 24th,
at Hove, at the inquest on 2nd Lieut. W. J. D. Vince and 2nd
Lieut. C. S. Crapp, R.F.C., whose machines collided and feil
while flying over the town on May 22nd.
-The leader of the squadron of four said they were flying
in diamond formation at a height of 4,500 ft. He gave the
order for the formation to break up, and in carrying this out
Crapp came into collision with Vince. Neither could see the
other owing to the sun. Asked if there was not some unnecessary
danger in mancanvring over a town like that the
officer replied, ” No, not really. This was a most unlucky
accident.”

Hope this is useful to you, will get on to the others asap.

Regards,

kev35