RAF fallen aviator

[PFF]

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_102-00169A,_Westfront,_Abgeschossener_englischer_Flieger.jpg

Any speculation to identity?

[GRANVILLE]

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_102-00169A,_Westfront,_Abgeschossener_englischer_Flieger.jpg

Any speculation to identity?

I have wondered the same myself in the past, as the same picture was reproduced just 20yrs after the war in the publication: World War 1914-1918 A Pictured History as edited by Sir John Hammerton, and even then no details are given as to exactly where/when or who the incident involved. The photo is credited to G.P.A, but I regret this does not mean much to me.

Dave

[McCudden]

Hi

I've spent ages looking at this photograph and comparing it to as many British aircraft as I can find and my best guess is it's a DH4.

I think it's nose is to the right and the top decking around the pilot and observer seats are missing. I have tried overlaying a scale drawing of a DH4 onto the picture and it matches except for the tapering fuselage off to the left (the DH4 is consistently deeper toward the tail). However, this may be explained if the fuselage in the photograph was not square-on to the photographer as it appears.

Clearly it didn't come down in flames and appears to have made an attempt at a controlled crash-landing though that is just speculation. One corpse may imply that there was one survivor?

Alec