2nd Lt J J Fitzgerald

[corisande]

I have ascertained in this thread in Soldiers forum the following about John Joseph Fitzgerald's history in the RFC

Records show he was born 15 March 1898 at Cappagh, Tipperary.

He joined the Royal Irish Regiment, and was wounded on the Somme. In Feb 1917 he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps.

His medal card established that John Joseph Fitzgerald did serve in RFC during the war.

There is a reference to 2nd Lt John Joseph Fitzgerald in 5 Reserve Squadron in Warwickshire from 25/5/1917 to 18/6/1917.

With 60 Sqn RFC, 2/Lt. J J Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald had engine failure in his machine on 5 October 1917 which forced him to land in enemy territory where the machine was captured intact by the Germans. It was RAF SE5a B507/”A”, (Vickers built). He lands his S.E. 5a #B.507 on the airfield of Jasta 18 at Harlebeke and is taken POW. He was repatriated 18 Dec 1918.

My interest in him was that he was assassinated in Dublin in 1921 as part of the Cairo Gang Murders. He lived two doors away from my grandparents. I have the full story of his life as I have been able to research it here

He appears to have joined the Royal Irish Constabulary as a Sergeant, and may or may not have been an undercover agent. The official silence by either the Irish or the British was deafening. I have no idea if the execution was a mistake that the IRA do not want to admit to, or the right man that the British did not want to admit to.

Anybody able to fill in any holes in his RFC career or as a POW?

[Dolphin]

2Lt J J Fitzgerald of No 60 Sqn is mentioned in The SE 5 File:

on 4 September 1917 he was flying SE 5a A8908 when it swerved on take off (probably at Filescamp Farm aerodrome) and overturned;

on 30 September he was flying SE 5a B504 when it crashed on landing due to a defective undercarriage, probably at Ste-Marie-Cappelle aerodrome; and

on 5 October he failed to return from an Offensive Patrol while flying SE 5a B507 'A', he suffered engine failure over Bavichove and landed behind the German lines.

There are photographs of B507 in German hands in Sturtivant & Page's The SE File and Les Rogers' British Aviation Squadron Markings of World War I. Contrary to a statement made in the original thread about Fitzgerald, B507 wasn't the first SE 5a captured by the enemy.

I hope that this is useful.

Gareth

[josquin]

Corisande,

John Joseph Fitzgerald did not merely "appear" to join the R.I.C. The R.I.C. 1816-1921, online at ancestry.com, lists the

following: Fitzgerald, John J. born 1898, Tipperary; enlisted 1920. He was a 2/Lieutenant with the RFC; not a Captain

as you discuss in your memorial article.

Regards

Trelawney

[auchonvillerssomme]

This thread needs to be linked somehow to the other one - the captain comes from existing references. I can see lots of info being duplicated.

Mick

[Dolphin]

Flight magazine of 25 December 1919 indicates that 2Lt J J Fitzgerald (Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers) and RFC/RAF was Mentioned in Despatches for his good work while a Prisoner of War.

Gareth

[corisande]

John Joseph Fitzgerald did not merely "appear" to join the R.I.C. The R.I.C. 1816-1921, online at ancestry.com, lists the

following: Fitzgerald, John J. born 1898, Tipperary; enlisted 1920. He was a 2/Lieutenant with the RFC; not a Captain

as you discuss in your memorial article.

I think if you were to read the two references that I gave in my first post in this thread

1. My research to date on J J Fitzgerald

2. The tread in the Soldiers section of the forum

You might discover that my research is not as slipshod as you imply that it is. This thread is intended to get at his RFC career.

[corisande]

Thanks for those two bits of information Gareth. both very useful.

The MID looks interesting, though it does give him as Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and not Royal Irish Regt as on his medal card. It would appear to be the right man, so I will need to do a bit of digging to see why the inconsistency.

[corisande]

This thread needs to be linked somehow to the other one - the captain comes from existing references. I can see lots of info being duplicated.

Mick

Mick,

I have already put the link to the other thread in my first post above.

I felt that I needed a thread in this air forum to tease out information on JJ GFitzgerald the airman as opposed to the soldier, and indeed the stuff that Dolphin added is just what I hoped to find here.

[josquin]

I think if you were to read the two references that I gave in my first post in this thread

1. My research to date on J J Fitzgerald

2. The tread in the Soldiers section of the forum

You might discover that my research is not as slipshod as you imply that it is. This thread is intended to get at his RFC career.

Corisande:

No such implication was intended. My attempt was merely to offer supplemental factual material.

I regret the misunderstanding but I feel no need to make amends for your misreading of my

contribution to this thread. I read "My research to date on J J Fitzgerald" and you mention

his RIC service; hence, your statement on the Forum ("appears"...) is ambiguous and I thought

you would appreciate the RIC documentation from ancestry.com. I will refrain from any

commentary about YOUR implications ("You might discover...") as my

intention was to contribute to the thread at hand rather than to conduct a comprehensive

search of the Forum.

Trelawney

[corisande]

as my intention was to contribute to the thread at hand rather than to conduct a comprehensive search of the Forum.

Fine. We can shake hands and move on.

[David_Underdown]

Found this as te thread in the soldiers thread has just resurfaced.

Here's his RAF service record http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/details-result.asp?Edoc_Id=8215844

With the assistance of that, I tracked down the MiD http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/31691/supplements/15614. This also gives his regiment as as the Skins, though the RAF record states Royal Irish Regiment. Likewise his transfer to the unemployed list http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/31637/pages/13671.

I thik his army record is the one in WO 339/107664, based on the index in WO 338 which has John Joseph Fitzgerald RFC with long number 201657, which matches the "former reference" on the piece in WO 339. Unsurprisingly there are several J Fitzgeralds in WO 339.

[corisande]

Thanks for that David

I too have noted the Royal Irish/Inniskillen mismatch. It would seem to be the right man - POW, John Joseph and RFC. But as you say his service record (and MIC) show Royal Irish,