Sopwith Triplane shot down August 23, 1917

[PFF]

See link at http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/showthread.php?p=682377#post682377

ANy id as to crew or Unit?

[Airshipped]

Possibly 25 August 1917? A tripehound (N5267) of 10 Naval was brought down near Roulers, which would match the Passchendaele location.

Flight sub-lieutenant Alfred Douglas Murray Lewis was taken PoW.

[PFF]

Thanks for info!

[observer]

Interestingly the air crash has a house/structure in the background -out of focus--aparently shot show August 25.1917 as noted in message 14 OCtober 2015

[topgun1918]

If that's the case, why persist in quoting the date as 23 August 1917?

[Matlock1418]

On 14/10/2015 at 21:14, Airshipped said:

Possibly 25 August 1917? A tripehound (N5267) of 10 Naval was brought down near Roulers, which would match the Passchendaele location.

Flight sub-lieutenant Alfred Douglas Murray Lewis was taken PoW.

ICRC PoW records have him taken PoW Ypres 24-8-17 Wounded right arm

https://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/File/Search/#/3/2/224/98388/British and Commonwealth/Military/lewis 

M

[topgun1918]

I believe the International Red Cross have the date wrong; as far as I know, the only 'casualty' suffered on 24 August 1917 was R.E.8 A3452 of No 15 Squadron, which caught telegraph wires and crashed upon landing after an artillery observation with 2nd Lieut Dudley Price & Lieut William Kennedy Anderson both unhurt.

While casualties are given in the RNAS Communiques, they do not provide a comprehensive record and there is no mention of Lewis in RNAS Communique number 4 which covers the period 16 to 31 August 1917.

At the time, No 10 Squadron RNAS was attached to the RFC, operating under the command of V Brigade.  RFC Communique number 103 states that on 23 August 'Enemy aircraft activity was slight all day, probably due to unfavourable weather' while on 24 August 'Very little work was possible owing to unfavourable weather'.  On 25 August, the Communique records ' Flight Lieut H J T Saint, 10 Squadron RNAS, in a fight with Albatros scouts, shot down one E.A. out of control'.  His combat report gives the time as 07:00 (British time) and the location as south of Roulers.  Lewis is recorded as last seen okay over Roulers at 07:30 (British time); a potential matching claim is that made by Ltn Hans-Georg von der Osten of Jasta 11, whose second victory is given as being secured over Passchendaele at 07:30 (British time); Passchendaele is about 9 Km south-west of Roulers.

Graeme

 

[observer]

thank you for updateing this query

[MikeW]

That doesn't look like a "wounded right arm" crash to me. I can't imagine anyone walking away from that.

If that was Lewis' Triplane, which I doubt, the communique was rather optimistic about the patrol - Saint fell for a decoy and led C flight down on an "unsuspecting Albatros flight" - C Flight was promptly jumped from out of the sun by the main force. Lewis (who was so new to the squadron he probably hadn't had time to find out where the latrines were) didn't return. Lewis probably got separated from C Flight after the f(r)ight and was picked off at 07.30 or suffered from an engine or structural failure (he was not reported as having been seen in combat with an enemy machine).

[AOK4]

The picture is a (semi) official picture from the Württemberg army (Flanders 1917 series) and is pictured in the photobook of the 27th Division. Unfortunately, even though I have tried, there is no further detailed information about any of the Württemberg semi-official photo series. The picture should indeed have been taken somehwere in August 1917 in the Passendale - Houthulst - Roeselare area.

Jan