Lyffe Posted 29 August , 2011 Share Posted 29 August , 2011 Captain Blindon Blood died of severe burns on 25 September 1915 following an accident the previous day. The aircraft was an SE4 and the accident occurred at Hounslow. I'm assuming Blood was based at Hounslow, but could anyone advise as to which unit he was with (I believe as a Flight Commander) and the number of the SE4. I've seen the various entries in Flight and The Times, but the fine details are missing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 29 August , 2011 Share Posted 29 August , 2011 Captain Blindon Blood died of severe burns on 25 September 1915 following an accident the previous day. The aircraft was an SE4 and the accident occurred at Hounslow. I'm assuming Blood was based at Hounslow, but could anyone advise as to which unit he was with (I believe as a Flight Commander) and the number of the SE4. I've seen the various entries in Flight and The Times, but the fine details are missing. The aircraft was an SE4a and not an SE4 whch was an entirely different design (only one completed and crashed in 1914). Four SE4as were built - nos 5609 - 5612. The number of Bloods machine , one of two allocated for home defence duties and allocated to Joyce Green and Hounslow, was not recorded but 5611 was still around in 1916 so it must have been one of the other three. 5610 is believed to have been at Joyce Green which probably eliminates it. As 5610 and 5612 are believed to have been the two machines allocated to Home Defence this would suggest that Blood's machine was 5612. The aircraft spun into the ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
museumtom Posted 29 August , 2011 Share Posted 29 August , 2011 He was stationed at Hounslow and attached to the RFC from the IV Queen's Own Hussars. He served with the 4th Hussars from the beginning of the war. He also served in the Boer War with the 8th Hussars. His machine went on fire at Hounslow Heath and he was trying to get to earth with his clothing on fire. He died in Hospital the next day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 29 August , 2011 Share Posted 29 August , 2011 He was stationed at Hounslow and attached to the RFC from the IV Queen's Own Hussars. He served with the 4th Hussars from the beginning of the war. He also served in the Boer War with the 8th Hussars. His machine went on fire at Hounslow Heath and he was trying to get to earth with his clothing on fire. He died in Hospital the next day. Do you have a source for this? The Aircraft of the Royal Flying Corps (Bruce) clearly states that Bloods aircraft spun into the ground (and presumably then caught fire) He was serving with the Home Defence Wing probably A flight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
museumtom Posted 29 August , 2011 Share Posted 29 August , 2011 There you go; Clare Journal, and Limerick Leader, September, 1915. Clare Officer’s Terrible Experience. Fying in Flames. Whilst flying at Hounslow Heath on Friday afternoon an aeroplane took fire. The pilot, Captain Blood, of the Royal Flying Corps, managed to descend safely, and escaped from the machine with his clothing in flames. He received immediate assistance, and was taken to hospital. Although badly burned, hopes were entertained on Friday that he would recover. It has since been reported that he has succumbed, but we have not heard it definitely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 29 August , 2011 Share Posted 29 August , 2011 There you go; Clare Journal, and Limerick Leader, September, 1915. Clare Officer’s Terrible Experience. Fying in Flames. Whilst flying at Hounslow Heath on Friday afternoon an aeroplane took fire. The pilot, Captain Blood, of the Royal Flying Corps, managed to descend safely, and escaped from the machine with his clothing in flames. He received immediate assistance, and was taken to hospital. Although badly burned, hopes were entertained on Friday that he would recover. It has since been reported that he has succumbed, but we have not heard it definitely. Mmmh - how reliable is this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyffe Posted 29 August , 2011 Author Share Posted 29 August , 2011 Thank you gentlemen for such quick reponses. A supplementary accident report at http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1916/1916%20-%200700.html?search=Blood simply described the machine as a SE4, so thank you for the correction and further clarifications. I'm afraid the Clare newspaper report is in error. The first accident report at http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1915/1915%20-%200744.html?search=Blood is quite clear in stating the aeroplane spun due to lack of speed whilst atempting a turn and caught fire on impact. This is supported by a report on his inquest published in The Times on 29 September. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 29 August , 2011 Share Posted 29 August , 2011 'Mmmh - how reliable is this?' Do you mean was it transcribed correctly from the newspaper articles or was the original information given to the reporter correct? It was in the Clare paper and the Limerick paper. And how reliable a source is the Clare paper and the Limerick paper is what I mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
museumtom Posted 29 August , 2011 Share Posted 29 August , 2011 I have no answer for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdoyle Posted 29 August , 2011 Share Posted 29 August , 2011 an old thread re his grandfather General Bindon Blood His Aero Certificate appears to have been issued not too long before his death 1250 Capt. Bindon Blood (4th Hussars) (Maurice Farman Biplane, British Flying School, Le Crotoy, France). April 18th, 1915. His nephew died earlier this year http://www.rip.ie/death_notices_detail.asp?NoticeID=135494 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 29 August , 2011 Share Posted 29 August , 2011 An official report published in Flight in August 1916 states "(m.) No. 80. Hansard. Machine caught fire on landing.Pilot died. Supplemental statement.—Date, September 24th, 1915. Machine, .S.E. 4. Place, Hounslow. Pilot, Captain Blood, No suggestion of negligence made in this case, but a case for inquiry. Facts.—Captain Blood appears to have made the same mistake as Captain Mapplebeck (case I.), and to have turned his machine at a low speed, thus causing a spin, and having insufficient height to recover crashed." Nothing whatsoever about catching fire in the air which I suspect originated with some Irish "shock horror" journalism! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyffe Posted 29 August , 2011 Author Share Posted 29 August , 2011 I suspect the Clare report was based on a very brief item about the accident in the The Times on 25 September: While Captain Blood, of the Royal Flying Corps, was flying at Hounslow Heath yesterday afternoon, his aeroplane took fire. He managed to come to earth safely, but he was badly burned. There is a remarkable similarity between the two reports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 29 August , 2011 Share Posted 29 August , 2011 I suspect the Clare report was based on a very brief item about the accident in the The Times on 25 September: While Captain Blood, of the Royal Flying Corps, was flying at Hounslow Heath yesterday afternoon, his aeroplane took fire. He managed to come to earth safely, but he was badly burned. There is a remarkable similarity between the two reports. Looks as if the Times got the sequence wrong. Strangely enough this often a problem with eyewitness reports of air crashes where aircraft that took fire on crashing are incorrectly reported as being on fire beforehand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyffe Posted 29 August , 2011 Author Share Posted 29 August , 2011 No, I don't think The Times report got it wrong per se, but rather a case of reporting in good faith what it was told for an edition that went to press probably less than 12 hours after the accident. The paper certainly set matters straight with the inquest report on 29 th September; in fact in some ways that report is better than the ones in Flight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fetubi Posted 30 August , 2011 Share Posted 30 August , 2011 Oddly there doesn't seem to be an RFC Casualty Card (RAF Museum) for Blood's death (not a surviving one anyway). I think the suggestion it may be 5612 is a good one. At the time 17 Squadron were working up at Hounslow (prior to departure for Egypt (initially, before Macedonia)). They had on strength SE4a 5611, coming on Strength at Gosport on 21.9.15, where they'd been previously, and eventually going off strength 6.10.15. Oddly no linked record, or any record that I have found, for 5612. But I suspect this was the aircraft he was in, and that he was with 17 Squadron RFC, working up. Hope this helps. Regards, Trevor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 30 August , 2011 Share Posted 30 August , 2011 Oddly there doesn't seem to be an RFC Casualty Card (RAF Museum) for Blood's death (not a surviving one anyway). I think the suggestion it may be 5612 is a good one. At the time 17 Squadron were working up at Hounslow (prior to departure for Egypt (initially, before Macedonia)). They had on strength SE4a 5611, coming on Strength at Gosport on 21.9.15, where they'd been previously, and eventually going off strength 6.10.15. Oddly no linked record, or any record that I have found, for 5612. But I suspect this was the aircraft he was in, and that he was with 17 Squadron RFC, working up. Hope this helps. Regards, Trevor 5611 was being used at Farnborough well into 1916 for development work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toofatfortakeoff Posted 11 September , 2011 Share Posted 11 September , 2011 I have a letter somewhere! but have moved house so often recently that it is hard to pin anything down. As I remember he was blinded and severely burned and suffered agonies in his last hours. The letter was from his sister I think to his girlfreind or vice versa. It was quite an awful letter in its accuracy of the event. I didnt like it much and consigned it to a book somewhere, As you will have seen he served in the Lancers and the writer said it was tragic that he had died after so much action in 1914. As I also remember he hadnt been flying that long and might have been still in training. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topgun1918 Posted 12 September , 2011 Share Posted 12 September , 2011 Blood had qualified for his ticket, number 1250, on 18 April 1915 and was seconded to the RFC on 10 June 1915. While he might not have been a particularly experienced pilot, he was by no means a novice. Graeme Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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