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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

2 lt Robert Cyril Forster RFC


mikelimemortar

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Cyril was my great uncle. He trained at various camps and in May 1918 wa posted to 252 sqdr? based t Cramlington (n.of Newcastle). On 9 May 1918 he took off from Cramlington in a DH9 C6261. It 's prop broke up causing tail to fail, the aircraft broke up and fell into Benwell area of Newcastle, only 5 miles from his home in Saltwell.

I have photos of him and of him in planesn he flew, as well as arough idea of his service. Any further info very gratefully recieved. Does anyone know where his flying log is??

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Hellow Mike,

I very much suspect the unit your great uncle was flying with at the time of his death was 75 Training Squadron. I can sort of see how a hand-written reference could have turned into 252 Sqn..

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Trevor

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Unfortunately I believe pilots were originally required to turn in their official logs when they left the service as they regarded as official documents. Some time in the 60s or 70s?? It was decided it was no longer worth storing them all. A sample was selected for permanent preservation and transferred to the Public Record Office (as was, now The National Archives), adverts were placed in the national press saying that the logs could be claimed by the man or his next of kin. This which went unclaimed were destroyed

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  • 3 years later...

Sorry being so long in replying, had forgotten I was on here.

Yes it was 75 sqd,

I have his service record, but there is no more info than that already given.

Will contact National Archives--thanks for that.

Cyril shares his grave stone with his brother John Ancrum Forster. He was A/B seaman on White Star line boat on emigration run, Liverpool to Sydney NSW when war was declared. The ship was commandeered by gov and re-named HMAS Geelong, as a troopship. It sailed for Egypt. 5 days out John died. Unable to find out how or why.

Youngest brother was my grand-father Robert K A Forster who was in DLI ? or W Yorks ? served in Palestine then in France

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Sorry being so long in replying, had forgotten I was on here.

Yes it was 75 sqd,

I have his service record, but there is no more info than that already given.

Will contact National Archives--thanks for that.

Cyril shares his grave stone with his brother John Ancrum Forster. He was A/B seaman on White Star line boat on emigration run, Liverpool to Sydney NSW when war was declared. The ship was commandeered by gov and re-named HMAS Geelong, as a troopship. It sailed for Egypt. 5 days out John died. Unable to find out how or why.

Youngest brother was my grand-father Robert K A Forster who was in DLI ? or W Yorks ? served in Palestine then in France

Log books are at the RAF Museum or Leeds Uni, not National Archives.

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Unfortunately I believe pilots were originally required to turn in their official logs when they left the service as they regarded as official documents. Some time in the 60s or 70s?? It was decided it was no longer worth storing them all. A sample was selected for permanent preservation and transferred to the Public Record Office (as was, now The National Archives), adverts were placed in the national press saying that the logs could be claimed by the man or his next of kin. This which went unclaimed were destroyed

This is simply not the case.This DID happen in WW12 however.

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  • 4 years later...

After last years big WW1 coverage i found the grave and this year i have put  a cross on at Saltwell Cemetery Gateshead . The number of times we have walked past here and not noticed any of the war graves .

 

John Allen

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