2/Lt Roger Emett Nowell

[Bennett]

Hello,

 

        If anyone has a copy, (the expensive one), of the 22nd RFC Squadron, can you see if holds any information on the above flight officer, KIA during Menin Road September  22, 1917, and/or his Observer E.A. Bell.? The RAF Story Vault offers little information  Thanks

[topgun1918]

From my postings on another forum:

 

2nd-Lieut E A Bell (Kia) & 2nd-Lieut R E Nowell (Kia), 22 Sqn, Bristol F.2B A7205 – took off 08:00/08:00 and last seen falling in flames at Sh28.O.6 (south of Klein Zillebeke) just other side of lines on offensive patrol; Oblt Rudolf Berthold, Js18, 23rd victory [Zillebeker Lake at 09:00/09:00]

 

Graeme

 

[Bennett]

Thanks very much Graeme for your good information that I did not hold

 

. I would like to ask a follow up question. From your information I think I understand that Nowell and Bell took off at 0800 from Boisdinghem RFC airfield (west of St. Omer)at about 0800 and  were shot down about 0900 south of Zillebeke Lake and west of Klein Zillebeke as I understand the crash site,

 I am having trouble understanding the map references. Could you possibly clarify the map references SH28.0.6 ( as I am having difficulty correlating your reference to my map source materials 

 

 One of the mysteries is that while Nowell's body was lost and appears on the Arras Memorial, the grave for E.A. Bell is in Kemmel Chateau CWGC cemetery, just northerly of Kemmel?

Thanks so much.   Ralph

 

[topgun1918]

Ralph

 

Trench Map Sheet 28 covers an area that incorporates Ypres in the north-west, Zonnebeke and Moorslede in the north-east, Menin, Wervicq and Comines in the south-east and Heuvelland in the south-west. 

 

The map is divided in squares A to X and each of these squares is sub-divided into 36 squares.  The given map reference Sh28.O.6 links to a square bounded by the corner of Battle Wood in the north-west, a point just north-east of Hollebeke in the south-west, north-west of Kastelhoek in the south-east and south-east of Klein Zillebeke in the north-east.

 

http://digitalarchive.mcmaster.ca/islandora/object/macrepo%3A4193/-/collection

 

Using http://rdf.muninn-project.org/TrenchCoordinates.html

 

input 28.o.6 and hit submit; the resulting pinpoint comes out as 50.8112 degrees north, 2.9436 degrees east, a little way east of the location on the trench map (it's on the wrong side of the Kastelhoekstraat as it runs north/south) but is in the right area.

 

Graeme

 

 

 

[Bennett]

Wow, thanks Graeme. You know your stuff. Ralph