McCLOUGHRY Wilfred Ashton AFC and RAF

[stevenbecker]

Mates,

I tried checking out this bloke in "Above the trenches" but failed to find him, only his brother Edgar, who shows almost the same history as Wilfred?

Did I confuse them or did there history follow each other?

But the main reason was to find what happened to Wilfred between March 1916 to Aug 1917

There appears to be a gap where he goes to the RFC in march and becomes a pilot then after some time in 100 Sqn RFC shows up in 2 Sqn AFC in Aug 1917

His AIF file is short on for these missing details any ideas?

What I have

McCLOUGHRY Wilfred Ashton Lt 9 LHR 2R Tos 5-15 WIA 30-5-15 L/foot shot at Russells Top WIA 7-8-15 L/arm shot at the Nek (G) att RFC 3-16 to AFC UK 10-16 brought to the notice of the Secretary of State for war for Valuable Services (pilot) to 100 Sqn RFC 6-17 prom Capt 6-17 to 68 Sqn (2 Sqn) AFC 8-17 prom Maj 10-17 to CO 4 Sqn AFC 11-17 DSO - for his command during operations around Lille 24-9-18 recom DFC awarded MC - for his actions in attacks 6-8-18 DFC - for his actions against five aircraft near Armentieres 6-7-18 MID - reason not stated F&B to 8 Trg Sqn AFC UK 12-18 (15 + 4 balloons victories) disch to British Army to Sqn Ldr RFC 1-8-19 to Group Capt 1934 to Comdr Aden Comd 1936 Later WWII CO 9 Fighter Group 1940 (BofB) to Air Vice Marshal Egypt CB died in flying accident buried Cairo war cemetery Egypt (2/Lt MG Sect 76 IR 24-9-13 CMF 3 years) AKA changed to McClaughry brother Edgar DSO DFC + bar Capt AFC

Can you help here?

Cheers

S.B

[eairicbloodaxe]

Is AFC possibly a transcription error? It makes sense as RFC...

Regards

Ian

[BFBSM]

Is AFC possibly a transcription error? It makes sense as RFC...

Regards

Ian

The AFC was the Australian Flying Corps. http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=1939883

Both the brothers are mentioned in the eighth volume of the Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-1918: The Australian Flying Corps by F.M. Cutlack; https://www.awm.gov.au/histories/first_world_war/AWMOHWW1/AIF/Vol8/

Further information including award recommendations: https://www.awm.gov.au/people/roll-search/honours_and_awards/?preferred_name=McCloughry&service_number=&unit=&honour_award=0&roll_type=All&award_authority=0&conflict=0&op=Search

Mark

[topgun1918]

Steve

Wilfred Ashton McCloughry (later McClaughry) isn't in Above The Trenches because he wasn't an "ace".

I found the following on the website http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/mccloughry-wilfred-ashton-7316

McCloughry, Wilfred Ashton (1894–1943)

by Alan Fraser

This article was published in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 10, (MUP), 1986

This is a shared entry with Edgar James McCloughry

Wilfred Ashton McCloughry (1894-1943) and Edgar James McCloughry (1896-1972), airmen, were the first and second sons of James Kingston McCloughry, draper, from Larne, Northern Ireland, and his Australian-born wife Charlotte Rebecca, née Ashton. Wilfred was born on 26 November 1894 at Knightsbridge, Adelaide, and Edgar on 10 September 1896 at Hindmarsh. Wilfred later changed his surname to McClaughry and Edgar became Kingston-McCloughry.

Wilfred was educated at Queen's School, North Adelaide, University of Adelaide and the Adelaide School of Mines. Commissioned into the Australian Military Forces in 1913, he transferred to the Australian Imperial Force in 1914 and went overseas with the 9th Light Horse Regiment. On Gallipoli from May to August 1915 he was wounded twice. Seconded to the Royal Flying Corps in March 1916, after flying training he served in a home defence squadron operating against German airships. He joined No.100 Squadron, the R.F.C.'s first night bomber unit, on its formation and in March 1917 accompanied it to France as a flight commander. He was awarded the Military Cross in July.

One of the experienced Australians in the R.F.C. selected to strengthen the expanding Australian Flying Corps, Wilfred joined the Second Squadron and accompanied it to France as a flight commander in September 1917. In October he was recalled to England to command the Fourth Squadron and took that overseas in December. Quiet but firm, he led one of the most efficient Sopwith Camel squadrons on the Western Front in 1918. He flew frequent daylight missions and undertook several risky night sorties against enemy heavy bombers in Camels not equipped for night flying. Credited with three victories, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Distinguished Service Order and was mentioned in dispatches three times.

On General Birdwood's recommendation Wilfred obtained a permanent commission in the Royal Air Force in August 1919 as squadron leader. In 1922 he attended the first R.A.F. Staff College course and graduated from the Imperial Defence College in 1931. Promoted group captain in July 1934, he was posted to Egypt and in July 1936, as acting air commodore, he was appointed air officer commanding Aden Command. On 27 April 1940 he married Angela Grace Maria Segalir; this was his second marriage, the first having been dissolved.

During the battle of Britain Wilfred commanded No.9 Fighter Group and in 1942, appointed C.B. and air vice marshal, became Air Officer Commanding, Egypt. On 4 January 1943 he died in an aircraft crash near Heliopolis and was buried in Cairo war cemetery. Electric chimes in the Congregational Church, Brougham Place, Adelaide, were later dedicated to his memory and his portrait by Cuthbert Orde is in his widow's possession.

Edgar was educated at Adelaide University and the South Australian School of Mines. Commissioned into the A.M.F. in May 1915, he transferred in December to the A.I.F. After service in Egypt and France with the Australian Engineers he was seconded to the R.F.C. in December 1916 for training as a pilot, graduated in August 1917 and was posted to No.23 Squadron, R.F.C., in France. He was soon invalided to hospital in England after a serious crash. He was a flying instructor in the Sixth Training Squadron, A.F.C., then was posted in June 1918 as a flight commander and temporary captain to Wilfred's Fourth Squadron in France. Within four months Edgar was credited with shooting down nineteen enemy aeroplanes and four balloons and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and Distinguished Flying Cross and Bar and mentioned in dispatches. A few fellow airmen, however, considered that some of his claims were over-enthusiastic. He was twice wounded. On leaving the A.F.C. in August 1919, Edgar, now known as Kingston, graduated M.A. at Cambridge in mechanical science, worked in the engineering industry, then joined the R.A.F. with a short service commission in December 1922, obtaining a permanent commission on 1 January 1926. His later postings included staff courses at Andover and Camberley.

Good-looking and ambitious, Kingston was reserved but at times outspoken. His closeness to leading political figures caused some displeasure to his service chiefs. In 1940, while an air commodore, he drew the attention of various prominent people to what he considered false information about Britain's effective aircraft strength presented to Cabinet by the R.A.F. This unconventional action was damaging to his career; he later attributed to it his failure to achieve the rank of air marshal and a knighthood. Of his several responsible positions, the most important was chairman of the Allied Expeditionary Air Force Bombing Committee which produced the tactical and strategic bombing plans for the invasion of Europe. He retired, as air vice marshal, in 1953, his last posting being chief air defence officer, Ministry of Defence. He had been appointed C.B.E. in 1943 and C.B. in 1950.

Kingston was the author of Winged Warfare (1937) and five books on air and defence strategy in 1947-64. He was an associate fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society. On 16 January 1924 in London he had married Freda Elizabeth Lewis. They had two daughters, and were later divorced. Kingston-McCloughry died on 15 November 1972 in Edinburgh. He willed his body to medical research and his papers and manuscripts to the Imperial War Museum.

Graeme

[Waddell]

Steve,

There is a fair bit of information on Wilfred McCloughry between those dates on the ASWW1 Aero Historians airmen database.

Scott

[Adrian Roberts]

His death occurred as a passenger in a Hudson which stalled on approach to Heliopolis. All on board were killed; as well as McCloughry they included the wife of Sir Arthur Tedder, then AOC Middle East Command; she had been flying out to Egypt to join her husband.

[stevenbecker]

Mates,

Many thanks, looks like I confused parts of their histories.

Two interesting brothers.

Cheers

S.B

[greg100]

Hi all,

I've just come across this thread while searching for posts concerning 100 Squadron. I am the historian to the 100 Squadron Association.

It seems like a lot of "gen" has already been dug up on Wilfred MacClaughry, but if the OP wants to know any details of his time with 100 Squadron (he was one of the "founding members", and a flight commander) I'd be very pleased to provide them.

All the best,

Greg