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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Capt George Nicholson


Adrian Roberts

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Captain George Crosfield Norris Nicholson RFC,died 11/3/1916.

Can anyone with the usual references tell me how he died, and preferably anything about his service history? CWGC says he is buried in the UK, so probably not KIA

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Hi Adrian, I can't give you much but it's a start. 28 Squadron was based at Gosport (Fort Rowner) at the time of his death and Captain Nicholson was 'killed whilst flying', along with his observer AM2 J H Martin, in their FE2b Serial No: 6362. Perhaps someone else can confirm whether or not the squadron was on home defence duties (night flying?) at the time, but there's no mention of this in Jeffords 'RAF Squadrons'. 28 squadron was eventually re-equiped with Sopwith Camels and sent out to France in October 1917.

Steve

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Adrian

FE2b 6362 was wrecked on 11 March 1916 when it crashed after a nose dive following a side-slip.

I hope that this is useful.

Gareth

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Thanks Steve and Gareth.

The reason why I was interested is his connection to the Seely family.

The obituary of Captain Lord Mottistone RN appeared in the Daily Telegraph recently.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/military-obituaries/naval-obituaries/8973893/Lord-Mottistone.html

As Lt David Seely, he took part in the sinking of several U-boats in WW2, but said that he had a boring war as he was never sunk himself. I was interested to see that he was the fourth son (oldest by the second wife; first wife died) of WW1 hero Major-General John "Jumping Jack" Seely, later 1st Baron Mottistone

There was a thread on Jack Seely on this site a while ago, but briefly, after serving in the Boer War and being awarded the DSO, he was Secretary of State for War in 1912-14 and had several flights in military and experimental aircraft while planning and developing aerial warfare (as did his Naval counterpart, the First Sea Lord, Winston Churchill).

Volunteering for active service in WW1, at the age of nearly 50 he personally led one of the last Cavalry charges of the British Army (actually the Canadian Cavalry) on 30th March 1918 near Ypres. He was riding his famous horse "Warrior" who had won the Derby before the war (and was probably part of the inspiration for the novel and new film "War Horse").

The Seely family are a prime example of a family who served their country in peace and war and suffered accordingly.

Both Jack Seely and his older brother Sir Charles Seely, 2nd Baronet, lost their eldest sons within a week of each other in 1917. Both were with the Hampshire Regiment, but one is buried in France and the other in Gaza, Palestine so they must have been with different battalions. (Jack’s second and third sons, the 2nd and 3rd Barons, seem to have died without male heirs in the 60s hence David becoming 4th Baron). Another son of Sir Charles, Hugh, served in WW1 with the Grenadier Guards, and was Secretary of State for Air 1942-45, being ennobled in his own right as Lord Sherwood.

Squadron Leader Nigel Seely, the youngest son of Sir Charles, born 1902, died on 10/5/43. Before the war he had served with 601 sqdn AuxAF. Wikipedia and thepeerage.com says he died in action, but that is unlikely as the CWGC say he is buried in the UK, in his home cemetery at Brighstone on the Isle of Wight. Flight Global does not mention him in their on-line document libraries. There is a photo of his grave on-line and of a plaque erected by one of his brothers in the church nearby, but this gives no details, so I suspect he died of natural causes. I know we are straying into WW2 here, but if anyone here can confirm his cause of death I would be grateful.

George Nicholson was the first husband of Jack Seely's second wife, David's mother.

post-3755-0-41305400-1325988415.jpg

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