George Frederick Mackay

[jdoyle]

would anyone have any information re the WW1 career of George Frederick Mackay who was (may have been) in the Leinster Regt and then RFC/RAF?

Born in 1897 in Mitchelstown, Co Cork. His older brother Charles Joseph Mackay was in the Leinster Regt/RFC/RAF (59 Squadron). Both were at Ampleforth school in the 1911 census and listed in the Ampleforth journal e.g.

Mackay, C. J., Major, M.C., Leinster Regiment and R.F.C.
Mackay, G. F., Lieutenant, Leinster Regiment and R.F.C.

Mackay, C. J. {twice wounded). Major, M.C., {Croix de Guerre),

Leinster Regiment and R.A.F.

Mackay, G. F. {wounded), Lieutenant, Leinster Regiment and R.A.F.

"In our last number we neglected to record that Major C. J.
Mackay, m.c, Croix de Guerre, has also been awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross. "

Medal card for George Mackay shows Inns of Court OTC, number 6692, then Flying Officer RAF hence my uncertainty about Leinster Regt and RFC.

George Mackay served with the RAF till 1930; then with the Gold Coast Defence Force and then possibly re-joined the Army, attaining rank of Lt Colonel. The latter is still to be confirmed.

There is a record for him on TNA but it'll be a while before I get there to examine this

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/Details?uri=C1111521

I do have a copy of this digitised record from the TNA which has a bit re his later time in the RAF and Gold Coast address but nothing re WW1

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/Details?uri=D8201460

[topgun1918]

jdoyle

Captain Charles Joseph Mackay received the MC as per London Gazette number 29859 (11 December 1916); the citation reads:

Capt. Charles Mackay, Leins. R., Spec. Res., and R.F.C.

For conspicuous gallantry in action. In very unfavourable weather he obtained, most valuable photographs of the enemy's position. He fought four hostile machines for ten minutes, until assistance arrived and they were driven off; afterwards he continued his work with the artillery.

At this time he was with No 2 Squadron RFC.

Major Charles Joseph Mackay, M.C. was awarded the DFC as per London Gazette number 31098 (1 January 1919); there was no citation for this award and at this time he was the commanding officer of No 59 Squadron RAF.

A G F Mackay was appointed a Temp 2nd Lt (on probation) on 28 September 1916 and a 2nd Lt G F Mackay was wounded on 18 August 1917 whilst serving as an observer in No 55 Squadron RFC.

Graeme

[jdoyle]

Graeme,

thankyou for the info re George Mackay. Really excellent stuff. As a result I found the entry in the LG re his commission on probation. Also then found a reference in Flight (though hard to read in the right hand column)

http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1916/1916%20-%200645.html

I also found his marriage to Sonia Mary Goodchild in Flight helps confirm via a WW2 gravestone his later rank of Lt Col

http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1922/1922%20-%200271.html

http://twgpp.org/information.php?id=2815537

His brother appears to have died very young. Not sure of the circumstances. His obit from Jan 1931

WING COMMANDER C. J. MACKAY, M.C.

Wing Commander Charles Joseph Mackay, M.C., D.F.C., has died, we regret to state, at the early age of thirty-five. This distinguished Air Force officer, the son of Mr. John Mackay of Dunmore East, Co. Waterford, was an old Ampleforth boy. He entered the Army in 1913 and saw service in France during the Great War, when he was twice wounded. In 1916 he was appointed Flight-Commander, R.F.C.; and on the formation of the Royal Air Force in 1918 was given a commission with the rank of Major. The year 1922 found him a Squadron-Leader; and in 1929 he was made Wing Commander. Among the military honours held by Wing Commander Mackay were the Military Cross, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Croix de Guerre.—R.I.P.

Thanks once again for your help,

Johnny

[museumtom]

Here you go Johnnie;

A marriage has been arranged, and will take place early in February, between Captain C J Mackay, M.C, Leinster Regiment and Flight Commander, Royal Flying Corps, eldest son of John Mackay, Kingstown, and Violet, second daughter of J J Fryne, J.P, 5 Upper Leeson Street, Dublin.

The Croix de Guerre.

Captain C J Mackay, MC, Leinster Regiment, and Flight Commander, Royal Flying Corps, has been awarded a further recognition for valour in the form of a Croix de Guerre. Captain Mackay received the Military Cross in the autumn of last year, and has been twice wounded.

Second Lieutenant C L Mackay.

News has been received at Moyallon, County Down, of the death of Second Lieutenant Claude Lysaght Mackay, nephew of Mr and Mrs Wakefield Richardson. He was the seond son of the lare Edward Vansittart Mackay (Indian Police) and of Nina Mackay, of 10 College Road, Clifton, Gloucestershire. He was wounded on May 28th, and died in hospital at Boulogne on June 7th. He wa educated at Clifton College, where he was a member of the cricket eleven. He won the Challenge Cup in the athletic sports. After leaving school he played for his county. He also won the Publin School Heavy Weight Boxing Competition at Aldershot in 1913. On leaving Clifton (having won the leaving Exhibition) he went to Cambridge, winning a Classical Exhibition in the Corpus Christi College, where he again distinguished himself in athletics. He was gazetted to the 5th Worcestershire Regiment (Special Reserve) on August 15th, and joined the British Expeditionary Force on January 1st, 1915, and was given a commission in the Regulars on February 14th, 1915. He was 20 years of age.

[jdoyle]

thanks Tom. Charles MacKay's MIC has 5 Upper Leeson St, Dublin as his address. I had thought that this was the address of another Leinster Regt officer (Captain James Cecil Corballis) but not so sure now.

Not sure if Claude Lysaght MacKay is related to George and Charles. Will delve in more to see if there is a link. Claude appears to have been born in India and to have played cricket for Gloucestershire.

My interest in George Frederick MacKay stems from the Easter Rising where a Cadet G F MacKay was captured in the early stages of the Rising and held prisoner in Boland's Mill. Colonel G F MacKay later wrote to his chief captor, Eamon De Valera, congratulating him on becoming President.

In an incident in 1921, an RAF Flying Officer called Mackay was captured by the IRA in Co Limerick and held prisoner for a short time. Listed as the navigator of the aircraft that crash landed; would be a bit of a co-incidence if this was G F MacKay.

Johnny

[museumtom]

No bother Johnnie, I can see where you are coming from now. I will post any new Mackay finds on this page.

Kind regards.

Tom.

[mycener]

Hi,

There is a record of Captain CJ Mackay as the pilot of the day in 1916 with 4 sqd together with our great uncle LT AP Kelly MC, on a recce mission. It describes a encounter with two German dlv's of which one was shot down.

See topic: 59 sqd Lt AP Kelly MC

PS Kelly also attended Ampleforth

[jdoyle]

Hi Alex,

thanks for this. Hadn't see the thread re Lt Kelly before.

Johnny

[jdoyle]

George Frederick MacKay appears to have been with No 7 Officer Cadet Battalion (a unit I understand was attached to the Leinster Regt) and posted to the RFC on probation in the LG 25th July 1916 along with a number of others from the unit (as well as others from Inns of Court OTC and other Officer Cadet Battalions)

http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/29686/supplements/7462

One of the staff at the National Museum in Dublin has indicated that a recording of Cadet G F MacKay in the Soldiers and Chiefs exhibition at the museum is by an actor and not by the chap himself. The recording is based on an article in Irish Sword from the Military History Society of Ireland. The MHSI has very kindly given a copy of the article from Irish Sword which makes reference to an original write up in the Ampleforth Journal in 1916. I'm hoping to get a copy of the Ampleforth Journal article to see if there is anything else to add to G F MacKay. The article in Irish Sword suggests that Cadet Mackay was killed in April 1917 with the Leinsters but the chap killed in 1917 was from Kensington/Chelsea which doesn't tie in with the Ampleforth census and Journal information.

[Guest]

Hi JDoyle

 

I am John Mackay, George Frederick grandson. I just bumped into this page looking for his birthday and birthplace. I see you are interested in his participation during Easter Rising which my late father (David Mackay, architect) has described in one of his books. I remember reading a hand written letter by President De Valera where he greets him and acknowledges him as the soldier DeValera had held imprisoned while Easter Rising. Though he did manage to crash a few planes ( five I think) De Valera caught him hidding under the train on his way to Dublin.

I also wanted to trace my grandfather's career in Ghana where, family literture says, he walked and draw the border between Golden Coast and Upper Volta. Would love pictures and details from this period. He was a tall nice looking man. Always very elegant, I remember from my childhood in his house in west sussex.

Edited 3 April , 2018 by Guest

[museumtom]

[ForeignGong]

The LG has him only as Charles Mackay

 

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/30638/supplement/4717

[doyle3]

my old account is long dead unfortunately.

Adding pages from Ampleforth etc for anyone else who pops by plus link to photo of Charles MacKay on Twitter