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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

12 Squadron


Tank

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I don't suppose anyone has done any research on what decals 12 Squaron had on their RE8 bi-planes in September 1918. Naturally all the photo's I've seen are black and white, a local modeller has offered to decorate an RE8 model in 12 Squadron colours for an event we're planning next year.

Cheers

Tank

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi Tank.

By September the squadron marking of the white horizontal band along the bottom of the fuselage had been discontinued, probably late March 1918. Flight markings were according to flight A, B or C so A1-A6, B1-B6 and C1-C6. These were painted behind the fuselage roundel. The roundel had an outer thin white ring. I believe by September the numbers were increased to include 8 aircraft per flight.

Ltns Croye Pithey and Hervey Rhodes crewed and achieved ace status in RE8 serials B7715 and E47 both Siddeley-Deasy builds and F6097 a later build, I am not sure who the builder was. Other serials in the squadron were A3631, B832, B6512, C2559, E270, F5909

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F6097 was an ASD re-build of the former C2240 which had been manufactured by Daimler and was one of a batch taken on charge by the RFC in February 1918. C2240 had been flown by No 59 Sqn but was badly damaged when attacked by five Fokker Triplanes on 12 June 1918; struck off charge on 3 July, after repair it was renumbered and went to No 12 Sqn, being taken on charge there on 21 August.

Graeme

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A3631 At Lympne 3.7.1917 allotted to BEF, VTBF. 1 AD dd ex England 20.7.1917. 12 Sqn dd ex 1 AD 5.8.1917 and wrecked hitting telegraph poles in forced landing at Boyelle after engine failed at 3000ft on Artillery Shoot 25.9.1917 (Lt Corbishley/Lt Thomas both OK). 2 AD ex 12 Sqn 28.9.1917 and deleted 5.10.1917.



B832 Allotted to BEF 9.1.1918, VTBF. Issued for BEF w/e 14.1.1918. SARD tested 29.1.1918 (Lt E.H. Lawford/AM Milne – ‘Rough period [12-1400] rest all OK’). 1 ASD Reception Park by 1.3.1918. 2 ASD dd ex 1 ASD 17.3.1918. 12 Sqn dd ex 2 ASD 22.3.1918 and wrecked on Practice Flight 28.5.1918 (Lt R.W. Lockhead KOAS – the machine turned into a slow spin at about 1000ft and crashed 1m from the aerodrome). 2 ASD Repair Park ex 12 Sqn and deleted 29.5.1918.



B6512 Presentation a/c Punjab No.26, Jullandar. 1 ASD Reception Park dd ex England 18.11.1917. 1 AIS dd ex Reception Park 19.11.1917. 12 Sqn by 1.2.1918 and wrecked on Practice Night Flight 19.2.1918 (2Lt Briggs OK – the starboard wing caught telephone wire during landing approach and the machine overturned). 2 ASD ex 12 Sqn 21.2.1918. To England in packing case 25.2.1918.



C2559 Presentation a/c Khan of Kalat No.2. 1 AAP Coventry 30.5.1918 allotted to BEF, VTBF. 8 AAP dd ex Coventry 25.7.1918 (Sgt W.E. Smith). 1 ASD dd ex Lympne 25.7.1918 (Sgt W.E. Smith). 12 Sqn and damaged on 11.25 Contact Patrol, VI Corps Front, 29.9.1918 (Lt Metcalfe/Lt Hoskins both OK – the machine was hit by machine gun fire from the ground).



B7715 Presentation a/c Baroda No.19. 1 AAP Coventry 19.2.1918 allotted to BEF, VTBF, and to be flown to Lympne to await instructions before proceeding oversea. 1 ASD Reception Park dd ex England 12.4.1918. 2 ASD ex 1 ASD 13.4.1918. 12 Sqn dd ex 2 ASD 21.4.1918 and reported with 213hr 19.8.1918 as having very low climbing power and ceiling, generally sluggish and considered unfit for war flying but fit to fly the Channel. 2 ASD ex 12 Sqn 21.8.1918 and flown to England 27.8.1918.



E47 1 AAP Coventry 26.3.1918 allotted to BEF, VTBF. 1 ASD Reception Park dd ex England 15.4.1918. 2 ASD dd ex 1 ASD 20.4.1918. 12 Sqn dd ex 1 ASD 22.4.1918 and reported 26.9.1918 as having been subjected to much strain and several bad landings, with the fuselage, centre section and main planes all strained and having had its engine seize on its last flight after the oil tank was shot through – not considered fit to fly the Channel.



E270 12 Sqn as a/c A6. 2 ASD for disposal 11.10.1918.



F5909 Taken on charge on reconstruction from D4811 27.6.1918. 1 AIS dd ex 1 ASD Reception Park 12.8.1918. 12 Sqn dd ex 2 ASD 16.8.1918 and completely wrecked on take-off for 1 ASD 10.3.1919 (Lt Barnum/Capt Peacock both OK – the pilot took off crosswind, the undercarriage caught in the furrows of a ploughed field and the machine crashed).

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sorry missed:

C2240 8 AAP Lympne 7.5.1918 allotted to BEF, VTBF. 59 Sqn dd ex 2 ASD 1.6.1918 (Lt Bereton), force landed on 06.30 Patrol 9.6.1918 (Lt G.F. Thomas/Lt I.B. Hyslop both OK) and damaged on 10.45 Photo sortie 12.6.1918 (Lt G.F. Thomas/2Lt J.C. Walker both OK – the machine was attacked by 5 enemy triplanes). Deleted 3.7.1918 on reconstruction as F6097.

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Many thanks all, I can pass that detail on.

Chris B has already indentified the aircraft in question was delivered on the 13th September 1918 and 2nd Lt Thomas Jacques along with Lt Billington were shot down and killed on the 30th September 1918.

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Tank

Jacques and Frank Norman Billington were flying C2442 when they were shot down and killed while carrying out a counter-attack patrol. I have a tentative match with the claim by Ltn Heinrich Henkel of Jasta 37 who claimed his 5th victory on 30 September 1918.

Graeme

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Many thanks for that Graeme, a nice little bit of extra detail that I didn't have.

I have another 12 Squadron question from the previous year. 2nd Lt Alfred Emmerson was killed/died on the 4th April 1917 and wondered what detail was out there about the circumstances of his death and what they were flying at the time.

Cheers

Tank

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Tank

2nd Lt Karl Christian Horner (W Yorks Regt) and 2nd Lt Alfred Emmerson (Leics Regt) were shot down on 4 April 1917; I have this linked with the claim by Ltn Hans Klein of Jasta 4 who claimed his first victory on this date. In his epic work "The Sky Their Battlefield", Trevor Henshaw states they died in hospital. They were attacked by HA and shot down while on artillery regulation duty over Arras; their aeroplane was BE2f 2563. This was a presentation machine and carried the name "Punjab No. 15 Kashmir".

Graeme

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  • 6 years later...

South African ace Croye Pithey, mentioned in this thread, was the subject of the Forum's 'Remembered Today' feature on the centenary of his death, 21st February 1920. His plane, together with two others, disappeared mysteriously on a routine flight from RAF Shotwick, near Chester ( more famous under its later name, RAF Sealand) to Ireland. He is commemorated on the Hollybrook Memorial, Southampton.

Edited by Mark Hone
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