Captain Audubon Eric Palfreyman-RFC-27 Squadron

[deanstalton]

Hi

Trying To Find Information On Captain A E Palfreyman And His Observer Lt W I Crawford

Got Service Records, Pics

Looking For Comfirmed Kills/If Any

Plane D.H.4 Serial No-A7840

The Observer Was Captured POW Any Information?

[per ardua per mare per terram]

At the UK National Archives: WO 161/96/142 Committee on the Treatment of British Prisoners of War: Interviews and Reports Crawford, William Ivan, Royal Air Force. Pages 1152-1153

[deanstalton]

Thanks For The Info

[Dolphin]

Dean

Capt A E Palfreyman & Lt W G Hurrell, flying in DH 4 A7840, were credited with a Pfalz D.III (red front of fuselage, remainder camouflaged) crashed south of Douai at 10:45 on 20 May 1918. It appears that the German pilot survived.

I hope that this is useful.

Gareth

[deanstalton]

Thanks Gareth

Good Info, is it possible to find out what the german pilot was called?

i've sent for the 27squadron combat diaries but not recieved yet

Thanks Dean

[KevinBattle]

Captain Palfreyman's father was the Reverend Isaac Hardcastle Palfreyman, who had SEVENTEEN children - must have been most of the population of Tasmania at the time!!! Captain Palfreyman's eldest sister married Thomas Long and their son was also in the RFC and went on to have a notable role in Tasmanian aviation.

Their most famous son was Arthur Leonard Long, born 15 August 1896, at Forcett (2443). He enlisted on 31 May 1915, in the 6th Australian Flying Corps, and rose quickly to the rank of Lieutenant. He transferred to the Royal Flying Corps, and returned to Australia on 27 May 1919. He became a Stock & Share broker, and married Mary McKenzie on 8 July 1919, the daughter of Dr Forbes McKenzie, of Melbourne.

Arthur Long was the first man to fly across Bass Strait, on 16 December 1919. He had joined the Royal Flying Corps soon after enlisting in 1914, as did his uncle, Anderbon Palfreyman, and flew with the rank of Captain in low-flying attacks on German positions in France. After the War ended he returned to Tasmania with a single engine Boulton and Paul P9 biplane which he had bought with deferred pay, and shipped across Bass Strait on the MV Loongana on 20 September 1919. It was trucked to Hobart for assembly.

The family history seems to have a number of typos for Captain Palfreyman, perhaps difficult handwriting...

Anderbon Eric Palfreyman, born 7 July 1892, Hobart, enlisted 17 May 1916, 2nd Lieutenant, 3rd Royal Flying Corps, killed in action, 23 May 1916, Belgium, aged 25.

Trust this of interest...

[deanstalton]

Collecting Alot information About Him

Thanks For Info

This Appeared In A newsletter

Captain Palfreyman was the youngest son

of the Rev I H Palfreyman, of Hobart, and

a member of the well-known softgoods firm

of Palfreyman and Palfreyman, of that city.

He enlisted a private in the AIF in August

1916 but on arrival in England he was

almost immediately transferred to the

Royal Flying Corps, in which service he rose

rapidly from the lowest grade until he

attained the rank of Flight-Captain. He

gained his final promotion o the field of

battle, having greatly distinguished himself

both as a fighter and a scout in many

engagements with the flying forces of the

enemy. On one occasion he brought down

tow enemy aeroplanes in individual

encounters in the same day; and shortly

before his death, he was recommended by

his CO for that coveted decoration, the

Military Cross.

Captain Palfreyman embodied the best

attributes of the typical Australian. Quick

brained, resourceful, enterprising, and full

of energy, he excelled at most athletic sports, and had already made his mark as a

businessman of exceptional capacity before the age of 24. Against the wish of his friends, he

deliberately selected the Flying service because, although the most dangerous, it offered the

widest scope for his special faculties, the most popular member of a family liked and

respected by every Tasmanian citizen, Captain Palfreyman's death has cast the hole island

into mourning. By his closer friends, he will be remembered for the sweet and gentle

disposition which endeared him to all privileged to know him intimately.

The Mercury as a matter of standard practice regularly published letters received from men

overseas and also letters of condolence received by next of kin from unit commanders and

fellow soldiers. The following appeared on 19 October 1918 p8.

Rev I H Palfreyman, of Hobart, has received the following letter from Major Douglas Hill,

Officer Commanding 27th Squadron Royal Air Force – A note was dropped on our side of the

lines telling us that your son, Captain A E Palfreyman, had been killed on the 23rd of May.

Your son was leading a formation which was attacked by several German machines, and your

son's machine was seen to have been hit, but, of course, we all hoped for the best, and quite

thought he might be a prisoner. Alas! I am afraid that there is now no doubt he has gone.

From the same source we learn that his observer is a prisoner, seriously wounded. I offer

you, from us all, most sincere sympathy n your loss. All of us, without exception, knew your

son to be the best, bravest, and most reliable fellow in the squadron. His record here has

never been, and never will be equalled, and just before he was brought down he was being

awarded a decoration. Personally I am heart broken he has gone, for, besides being my best

officer, he was my friend and help – just everything, and I know that for certain that no

finer, truer fellow ever stepped. I am so proud to have known him and to have had him in my

squadron, and I know how proud you must feel in your great sorrow to have possessed such a

gallant and fine son. With all my sympathy to you and Mrs Palfreyman in your great loss.

[Dolphin]

Good Info, is it possible to find out what the german pilot was called?

Dean

Unfortunately, I very much doubt it. It's most probable that the Pfalz pilot was unhurt when he disengaged from the fight. A red nose could suggest Jasta 15 but that unit suffered no reported casualties on 20 May 1918.

Cheers

Gareth

[deanstalton]

Thanks Gareth

Is Pfalz D.III the make of the plane And Jasta 15 What The Units Were called?

Dean

[Dolphin]

Dean

Yes, the Pfalz D.III was a common German fighter aeroplane, intoduced in 1917 and getting a bit old by May 1918, and a Jasta (Jagdstaffel - hunting unit) was a fighter unit - usually around 10 aeroplanes, so a bit smaller than an RFC squadron.

Regards

Gareth

[deanstalton]

Thanks Gareth

[deanstalton]

Here is a picture of crash site

pic from cnock great war forum

Dean

[KevinBattle]

Dean, I'm sure you realise that the photo in Post 7 is the famous one: Australian War Memorial ID Number: P00864.001. Donor K. Payne

Instructors and part of the first group of 200 Australian cadets from the 1st AIF to attend a School of Aeronautics training course after they had volunteered to train as pilots for the Royal Flying Corps (RFC). Thought to be taken during February 1917.

The group is assembled in front of the stained glass windows of an Oxford University college in which the school was probably accommodated. The cadets, distinguished by white puggarees around their caps, had responded to a 1916 call from the RFC for AIF officers and other ranks to apply to train as pilots.

Left to right: back row: C.E. Howell; G.T.W. Burkett; unknown; P.H. Moody; Henderson; others unknown.

Sixth row: unknown; unknown; L.C. Hornabrook; unknown; H.P. Watson; A.A. Kennedy; E.C. Johnston; F.G. Sutton; unknown; unknown; A.T. Drinkwater; next three unknown; Roy Richards

Fifth row: first three unknown; Court; J. Cowan; C.H.F. Nobbs; unknown; unknown; M.J. Clark; next three unknown; G.H. Bush.

Fourth Row: C. Newbold; unknown; unknown; Cocking; Williams; next three unknown; Brewer; unknown; L.J. Balderson; last three unknown.

Third row: first three unknown; Ayrton; McKenzie; R.W. (or B.) Heath; unknown; Kenneth Willie Payne; Harcourt Richardson; Finlay; A.E. Palfreyman; unknown; Tinney; J.H.C. Nixon.

Second row: unknown sergeant; F.S. Briggs; B. James; unknown; Powell; Powell; Elliott; E.A. (or G.O.) Newton; Cur (Kerr? Curr?); Charles Kingsford-Smith; Mackay; Halford; C.G. Fenton; G.H. Bush; unknown.

Front row: Guy N. Moore; C.W.B. Martin; unknown instructors; R.J. Brownell; unknown.

Note the name of Charles Kingsford Smith in second row 6th from the right, a famous name in 1930's Australian aviation history...

The white cadet band shows up in your first photo of Captain Palfreyman. He was promoted to 2nd Lt in March 1917 (per Flight Archives)....

[deanstalton]

Thanks Kevin

yeah found that picture from site called Trove which has australian newspapers as well

All the other pictures of A E Palfreyman Came From Site called soldierswalk

pic of grave and crash site from Cnock Great War Forum

Cheers Dean

[deanstalton]

William Ivan Crawford Pow Record-Observer! When Pilot Captain A E Palfreyman Died 23rd May 1918

WW1 Prisoners of War Interviews

Dean

[deanstalton]

Page 2

[cdeayton]

Dean

Capt Palfreyman is commemorated on the Soldier's Memorial Avenue in Hobart. More information including photo can be found at

http://www.soldierswalk.org.au/front_page.html

Regards

Craig

[deanstalton]

Thanks Craig

pow record was a good read?

the co pilot-sorry observer who survived the crash site recieved some harsh treatment

Dean

[Dolphin]

Dean

I know I'm being pedantic, but 2Lt Crawford was the observer, not the co-pilot. There was only one pilot in a DH 4, the observer was behind him, separated by a fuel tank, and basically charged with defending the aeroplane from attacks from the rear.

Regards

Gareth

[deanstalton]

Thanks Gareth

For the correction

Dean

[deanstalton]

At Last Found Something

William Ivan Crawford-Medal Card-Observer

Dean

[cdeayton]

Thanks Craig

pow record was a good read?

the co pilot-sorry observer who survived the crash site recieved some harsh treatment

Dean

A very interesting account indeed. I haven't read any similar accounts of prisoners confined in asylums. They must have also seen something odd in his behaviour one assumes.

Craig

[deanstalton]

Yeah Maybe, but the doctor didn't think so

Maybe because he was seriously Wounded there was no where to take him

some harsh treatment recieved

Dean

ps i see you are from Hobart, Tasmania where Captain A E Palfreyman was born

[Cnock]

For Dean,

Cnock

[cdeayton]

Yeah Maybe, but the doctor didn't think so

Maybe because he was seriously Wounded there was no where to take him

some harsh treatment recieved

Dean

ps i see you are from Hobart, Tasmania where Captain A E Palfreyman was born

Yes, the Palfreymans were quite a prominent family in Hobart. Captain Palfreyman is also the 'face' of the Soldiers' Memorial Avenue in its publicity material. If you check the contacts on the website, I'm sure you could dig out some more information if you're interested.

Craig