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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

RAF pilot fatality


midge15

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I recently found in my local cemetery a gravestone in memory of a RAF pilot who lost his dogfight just 5 days before 11/11/1918. He was William "Billie" Glew from Howden, East Yorkshire.

The marker is a family one and it states that he was buried in Sarrebourg, Lorraine. From Forces War Records and Ancestry I can find no detail. Can anyone enlighten me please?

Regards

Midge

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CWGC - http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2913082/GLEW, WILLIAM

 

There are some papers on FMP for 137558 William Glew, from Howden, who was born 6/1/1900 and had joined the RAF on 27/4/1918. He was discharged to commission 9/8/1918.

 

He also has officer papers that show him as missing 6/11/1918 and died of wounds 7/11/1918. Buried in military cemetery by Custom House, Reichental (Richeval).

 

 

 

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He was originally buried at Sarrebourg Military Cemetery and later moved to Sarralbe Military Cemtery, according to the CWGC concentration documents.

 

I have not gone through them, but you should be able to glean some information from the RAF casualty cards here.

 

Phil

 

Edit: looking closer at the burial returns and the casualty cards, it looks like he was moved twice.

 

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To Phil and  IPT -  a big thank you for your input. Its a local hero then I believe. Interesting that he was moved too. The Glew family name has been in Howden for many generations and caught my attention as a result. I will look up the papers. Once again thank you both.

 

Kind regards

 

Midge

 

I have read all the documentation pointed out to me by the above  and can confirm that this is the William Glew from Howden. He was a second lieutenant Observer in a DH9 which crashed. He was taken prisoner but died of his wounds in custody. A German record card attests to this fact. He is in the cemetery named above and the CWGC certificate confirms his memory.

Brilliant - thank you gentlemen.

 

Edited by midge15
Information confirmed.
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Hopefully Dolphin (Gareth) may put in an appearance as some 11 years ago he was active in a thread on 99 Squadron RAF in which he seemed to indicate that 99 Sqdn flew their last raid in late September 1918. See 

It would seem that Glew's DH9 was shot or forced down on 6 November in German territory, but there is no record as to who the pilot was.

There doesn't seem to be another 99 Sqdn chap in the same cemetery, and William appears to be their last casualty before the Armistice.

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Glew's pilot was 2nd Lt C E W Thresher who survived as a PoW.  They were flying D.H.9 D3040.  The other 99 Sqn loss that day was D.H.9 D1050 in which 2nd Lt H L Wren and 2nd Lt W H Tresham were taken prisoner.

 

Graeme

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

If anyone concerned would like an image of the headstone at Howden minster for Lieutenant Glew I would be happy to provide one.

Regards

Barry

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You will need to resize it - the limit is 240kb. I find it a struggle to get my photos down to the limit.

 

Phil

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  • 2 years later...

A researcher who lives locally has produced a booklet about William Glew as a tribute. I have a copy, which has a couple of photos including one of William, and his grave in Sarrebourg cemetery. I think the text appears to be excerpts from William Glew's diary as its written in the first person. I believe that a family descendent has provided some information to help compile the booklet. Either way its a fitting tribute. 

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