Searching WW1 and WW2 pilot

Perhaps it’s worth mentioning here that the website for Melvyn’s last book is still up: https://www.melvynhiscock.com/

Anyone wishing to get in touch with his family, there is a good chance that the contact page still works.

Thank you Prop Strike, very sad to hear about Melvyn,
and thank you for letting me know.

And if there are any Davis family members interested in the family and its history then please do get in touch.
I’m slowly building a website for all family info, photos and stories, and that’s a great place to find me…
https://lowfamilyarchive.wordpress.com/contact/

Thank you Melvyn wherever you are, for putting me in touch with new family members,
Alban

Welcome to the forum Albanlow.

I am sorry to have to say that Melvyn died a few years ago, having stoically endured cancer for a number of years. 

He was a great enthusiast for historic aviation and rebuild his own vintage Rearwin G-ELVE, but his interests were numerous, including writing books on  how to make  your own guitar !

He would no doubt have been interested in your further information, and hopefully other family members may stumble on this thread in the future . Perhaps there is some means by which they could make contact with you as I don’t think the private messaging on this forum any longer functions.

Hello Melvyn, I am cousin of Henry Maxwell Dalston Davis (and his son, Atholmd)
Eleanor Dalston was the oldest sister of my great grandfather Harry Maxwell Dalston. Eleanor married Surgeon-Major George William Davis, M.B., RS., M.R.C.S.
I have more photos and information about our shared family (see the family tree).
Henry Maxwell Dalston Davis and Francis Edward Williams Davis from Sidcup are the twin brothers who at the age of 15 (in 1914) served with the 4th Home Counties Howitzer Field Brigade.

I also have an interesting article to pass on from the Eltham & District Times – Friday 16 October 1914.
I’d love to be in touch,
Alban

You can request his service record but I am going to have to pass it over to the forumites to tell you how, I have never had to do it.

Did a little bit of digging today and found quite a few articles in The London Gazette mentioning my dad. During the Second World War at least he was using the name Henry Maxwell Dalston Davis, Dalston being his mothers maiden name. Early on he wasan Acting Pilot Officer on probation (19 Jan 1940) and later on an Acting Wing Commander in the RAF Volunteer Reserve (1 Jan 1946). I also found his service number – 75769
But for his WW1 records I can find nothing.

Hi guys,
I am the son of whom Melvyn speaks and it really is exciting to see this conversation on here. I am now 43 years old and have spent my life wondering how to find out more information about my father who died when I was only 8, leaving me little time to get information first hand from him.
While there have been a few stories and memories of what he did divulge while he was alive, most of what I know has no historical record to back it up and I am simply left with a handful of chinese whispers.
However I do believe his surname earlier on was Davis and Maxwell was his middle name, later to be changed to Maxwell-Davis for some reason. His first name was Henry but he was referred to as Harry. If it helps his parents were George William Davis ( apparently a doctor) and Eleanor Dalston, which brings in another twist as I did hear he used the name Dalston-Davis somewhere along the line!
Are you starting to understand why, after 43 years I am still none the wiser?

Agree it’s a Drop-Short cap-badge!
Try putting Maxwell-Davis into the Free BMD site (with appropriate dates). There are two deaths reported (at the same age, and on the same page) for a Catherine M Davis, and a Catherine Maxwell-Davis. Similarly, if you investigate the Marriages (by clicking on the Page Number) you will find what I can only call a fairly complex series of relationships!!!!!!!!!! TFD!
However, it seems to be fairly clear that we have evidence of a family Name Change in Registered entries. Now whether this was the same part of the family, or not, is beyond my genealogical expertise. But it looks as if some parts of the Maxwell-Davis woodwork could do with a good ‘knocking’ – if only to see what falls out. Will all the qualified genealogists step forward 1 pace??
HTH
Resmoroh

I would have said Royal Horse Artillery too. There are cap badges on this website:

http://www.wartimememoriesproject.com/greatwar/allied/badgeindex.php

Richard

Was the family from the London area? Uniforms and badges look like Artillery to me but can’t narrow it down more than that.

If he was from the Bromley then I would suggest it might be Henry Maxwell Davis who was born in the December Quarter of 1899? He’s the only H M Davis I can find born in the UK between 1895 and 1905. The man on the left of the photo looks very young so perhaps the dates fit?

Regards,

kev35

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c233/Melvynhiscock/AtholsDad.jpg

Here he is with his twin brother in 1916. This looks to me like one of those joining up photos a lot of people had so he would be 16 or 17 and possibly infantry.

It is the only photo his son has.