Gunned down ... but why and by whom?

[Archer]

83051 AM3 Andrew Beattie Emslie, RAF, 215 Sqdn, Independent Air Force, Xaffevillers, was admitted to No. 8 Canadian Stationary Hospital with gunshot wounds to the head, chest and left arm on 22 August 1918.

He nearly died.

He told his daughter many years later that he was shot down, the pilot killed. He hated the Air Force. Never wore his medals.

Problem! 215 Squadron was a heavy bomber unit armed with Handley Page 0/400 bombers. It didn't lose a plane on the night of 21/22 August 1918.

The RAF museum could find no record of Emslie's wounding.

But he WAS wounded. His personal record confirms it. He was badly hurt, discharged unfit for further service on 17 January 1919 and awarded the King's Silver War Badge for the disabled. And his grateful country gave him a pension of 27 shillings and six pence a week for 52 weeks!!

Soon afterwards he emigrated to South Africa.

So who shot him, and why?

William

(a Newbie!)

[marina]

Hi, Willima,

Coud he have meant that the plane was shot up but did not necessarily come down?

Marina

[stevedrew]

William,

There is no mention of this man in "The Sky Their Battlefield" by Trevor Henshaw - Subtitled "Air fighting and the complete list of Allied air casualties from enemy action in the First World War".

There is no mention of this name (or even similar) on this date or in the index.

Steve Drew

[Archer]

Exactly! So what happened. He definitely got shot - could it be by his own side?

Thanks