QMan9193 Posted 10 November , 2006 Share Posted 10 November , 2006 Who was the first British Officer Killed in 1914? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stebie9173 Posted 10 November , 2006 Share Posted 10 November , 2006 Officially: Name: PERRY, EVELYN WALTER COPLAND Initials: E W C Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Second Lieutenant Regiment/Service: Royal Flying Corps Age: 23 Date of Death: 16/08/1914 Additional information: Son of Walter Copland Perry, M.A., Ph.D., Barrister-at-Law, and Evelyn F. Perry (nee Stopford), of 29, Thurloe Square, South Kensington, London. The first British Officer killed on active service in France during the Great War. Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: 7. Cemetery: ST. ACHEUL FRENCH NATIONAL CEMETERY, AMIENS "Royal Aircraft Factory BE.8 The B.E.8 was the fourth and final rotary-powered Bleriot Experimental tractor plane to be developed by the Royal Aircraft Factory. The prototype first flew in August 1913, and limited production began soon thereafter. Built by Vickers and originally intended for the Central Flying School at Sitapur, India, BE.8 625 was impressed to the Royal Flying Corps upon the outbreak of war. It received a hastily painted camouflage on 8 August 1914, and was among the first British planes sent to France, arriving with 3 Squadron at Amiens on 14 August. 625 was also among the first British planes to be 'struck off charge', when on 16 August it stalled at 150 feet, crashed and caught fire- killing Lieutenant Evelyn Walter Copland Perry and Air Mechanic H.E. Parfitt. Perry, an experienced test-pilot and aircraft designer who personally trained Air Marshall Hugh Montague Trenchard how to fly, earned the unfortunate distinction of being the first British officer killed on active service in France. The last B.E.8 was withdrawn from front-line service by end of June 1915, though the type lingered on a few months more in various training units." Not Thomas de Burgh! Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonraker Posted 10 November , 2006 Share Posted 10 November , 2006 Second Lieutenant R R Skene of Number 3 Squadron has a claim to be the first officer to lose his life in the war when he took off from Netheravon Airfield to fly to France on August 12, dying when his Blériot hit trees. His passenger, Keith Barlow, also died. Four days later, the same squadron's Second Lieutenant E W C Perry became the first British officer to die on active service in France, as Steve details above. Moonraker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcderms Posted 10 November , 2006 Share Posted 10 November , 2006 Singer? Chris De Burgh reckons it was his great uncle Thomas http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_detail...asualty=1448812 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stebie9173 Posted 10 November , 2006 Share Posted 10 November , 2006 A famous early officer casualty: Name: DEASE, MAURICE JAMES Initials: M J Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Lieutenant Regiment/Service: Royal Fusiliers Unit Text: 4th Bn. Age: 24 Date of Death: 23/08/1914 Awards: VC Additional information: Son of Edmund F. and Katherine M. Dease, of Levington, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath. One of the first British officer battle casualties of the war and the first posthumous recipient of the VC of the war. Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: V. B. 2. Cemetery: ST. SYMPHORIEN MILITARY CEMETERY Citation: An extract from "The London Gazette," dated 16th Nov., 1914. records the following:- "Though two or three times badly wounded he continued to control the fire of his machine guns at Mons on 23rd Aug., until all his men were shot. He died of his wounds." Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerrymurland Posted 10 November , 2006 Share Posted 10 November , 2006 Second Lieutenant R R Skene of Number 3 Squadron has a claim to be the first officer to lose his life in the war when he took off from Netheravon Airfield to fly to France on August 12, dying when his Blériot hit trees. His passenger, Keith Barlow, also died. As documented in 'Flying Fury' by James McCudden Jerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Denham Posted 10 November , 2006 Share Posted 10 November , 2006 You need to define the question a little more. Killed in action on the Western Front? Killed in action anywhere? Died on active service of any cause? Etc Etc The first British officer to be killed in action was Lt George Masterman THOMPSON 1st Bn, Royal Scots attd Gold Coast Regt. Killed in action 22.08.14 in West Africa. He is now the only Commonwealth war grave in Togo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QMan9193 Posted 11 November , 2006 Author Share Posted 11 November , 2006 All the replies have been, as usual, great. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnBelcher Posted 14 November , 2006 Share Posted 14 November , 2006 On the record for Thomas De Burgh it says Nationality: Indian I guess this is a mispelling of Irish? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Denham Posted 14 November , 2006 Share Posted 14 November , 2006 John No it is not. The nationality refers to the unit and not the man. His regiment is an Indian unit and so 'Indian' is correct. CWGC would have no knowledge of casualties' personal nationality and could not record it. Each record has to be allocated to one of the member nations of CWGC so that financial contributions can be calculated. This is done by allocating each unit a 'nationality' according to origins of the unit. This is a common misunderstanding. You can read an explanation of this on the CWGC website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Saunders Posted 14 November , 2006 Share Posted 14 November , 2006 I can look up details over the weekend in Stand Too. I had problems finding the article so apologies for delay but he was killed in September 1914. My mistake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnBelcher Posted 14 November , 2006 Share Posted 14 November , 2006 John No it is not. The nationality refers to the unit and not the man. His regiment is an Indian unit and so 'Indian' is correct. CWGC would have no knowledge of casualties' personal nationality and could not record it. Each record has to be allocated to one of the member nations of CWGC so that financial contributions can be calculated. This is done by allocating each unit a 'nationality' according to origins of the unit. This is a common misunderstanding. You can read an explanation of this on the CWGC website. My apologises and many thanks for clearing that up for me Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Denham Posted 14 November , 2006 Share Posted 14 November , 2006 No apologies required Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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