Lt. Kenneth Wallace, 100 Sqn, wounded Dec. 1917?

[wwrsimon]

Hello

 

I've come across Lt. Kenneth Wallace of 100 Squadron, who I believe was wounded in late 1917.

 

Confusingly his RFC records have:

Adm to Hospital 23-12-18

Hospital home Estab. 7-1-18

 

His medals were in an auction in 2012, and the catalogue has the following:

 

In April 1917, however, he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps and, having qualified as an Observer, was posted to 70 Squadron out in France, with whom he had a couple of close shaves that summer - namely anti-aircraft damage inflicted on his Sopwith Strutter while engaged on photographic reconnaissance sorties on 11 June and 13 July.

Transferring to No. 100 Squadron in August [1917], he commenced a busy tour of operations in the unit’s F.E. 2bs, records revealing his part in at least 23 bombing sorties against enemy aerodromes and communications in the period leading up to early January when, according to official records, he was admitted to Plymouth Hospital with wounds received in action.

 

I'd like to track down the Sopwiths involved in the two 'close shaves' in June and July 1917, as wellas the circumstances of his being admitted to hospital, if possible.

 

Many thanks

 

Simon

 

[wwrsimon]

Hello again

 

I've just come across this page http://www.airhistory.org.uk/rfc/files/_casrep.txt

 

Which has the follwing two entries which I think must be him:

 

A8284 Sopwith 2str 70 Sq 12.06.17 Damaged by AA on photo recce. Lt G Budden Ok/SubLt Wallace Ok AIR 1/848 cas rep 21

 

A1028 Sopwith 2str 70 Sq 13.07.17 f/l at 45Sq due damage by EA and AA on photo recce. 2Lt CNL Lomax Ok/SubLt K Wallace Ok AIR 1/849 cas rep 23

 

So I think that's the two 70 Sqn incidents found.

 

Regards

Simon

Edited 14 July , 2020 by wwrsimon
typo

[MikeMeech]

7 hours ago, wwrsimon said:

Hello

 

I've come across Lt. Kenneth Wallace of 100 Squadron, who I believe was wounded in late 1917.

 

Confusingly his RFC records have:

Adm to Hospital 23-12-18

Hospital home Estab. 7-1-18

 

His medals were in an auction in 2012, and the catalogue has the following:

 

In April 1917, however, he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps and, having qualified as an Observer, was posted to 70 Squadron out in France, with whom he had a couple of close shaves that summer - namely anti-aircraft damage inflicted on his Sopwith Strutter while engaged on photographic reconnaissance sorties on 11 June and 13 July.

Transferring to No. 100 Squadron in August [1917], he commenced a busy tour of operations in the unit’s F.E. 2bs, records revealing his part in at least 23 bombing sorties against enemy aerodromes and communications in the period leading up to early January when, according to official records, he was admitted to Plymouth Hospital with wounds received in action.

 

I'd like to track down the Sopwiths involved in the two 'close shaves' in June and July 1917, as wellas the circumstances of his being admitted to hospital, if possible.

 

Many thanks

 

Simon

 

Hi

 

In 'The Annals of 100 Squadron' by Major C. Gordon Burge it has Lieut. K. Wallace of 6 Lovaine Place, Newcastle-on-Tyne, on their list of officers (p. 195), but he is not on the list of squadron wounded on p. 184.  I wonder if he may have been 'injured or sick' rather than 'wounded', or he may just have been missed on the list?

 

Mike

[wwrsimon]

Many thanks indeed Mike. I'm not sure the extract from the auction catalogue is 100% correct.

 

The only Casualty Card for him on the RAF Museum Vault website is dated July 14th 1917 which would tie in with the A1028 incident.

 

Regards

Simon

[josquin]

Seconding Mike's post, Lt. Kenneth Wallace's RAF Casualty Form lists only his posting to Home Establishment on 7 January 1918

and makes no mention of any wounding or injury.  His Air 76 RAF Officer's Service record lists the same H.E. assignment and

states that he was assigned to hospital 23 December 1917.  It is likely that his hospitalization was for illness rather than wounds, given

the absence of any reference to wounds in the squadron history Mike cited, the Air 76 service record, and the RAF Casualty Form.

 

Josquin

[sadbrewer]

If it's of interest, he was in the Royal Naval Division in November of 1915.

Courtesy of the British Newspaper Archive 

 

[wwrsimon]

Thanks for the replies Josquin and SadBrewer. I'm not sure where the auction site got 'wounds received in action' from.

 

I'm currently reading his son Gordon Wallace's very interesting book 'Carrier Observer' about his own career in the Fleet Air Arm in WW2, and he mentioned that his father was also an Observer in WW1, but he doesn't mention him being wounded.

 

Regards

Simon

[josquin]

Adding to Sadbrewer's post, Lt. Kenneth Wallace served with the 8th (Anson) Battalion, 2nd Royal Naval Brigade, 63rd (Royal Naval) Division,

with the rank of Sub-Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve.  Accepted in the R.F.C. as an Observer on Probation, on 16 April 1917,

after training in U.K. he was attached to 70 Squadron, on 24 May 1917.  Appointed a Flying Officer (Observer) and a Temporary Lieutenant

on 14 July 1917, he was posted to 100 Squadron on 15 August 1917.  Employed as a civil engineer prior to joining the R.N.V.R., Wallace

worked in Newcastle from September, 1912 to April, 1914, and in Leeds from April through September, 1914.  His birthdate was 26 August 1894,

but I cannot find a listing for his birthplace or anything concerning his postwar life.

 

Josquin

[wwrsimon]

Josquin

 

In the 1939 Register he's living in Heddon-on-the-Wall, and was a 'Public Works Contractor, Roads etc' as well as being an ARP Warden. His wife Amy was a member of the ARP First Aid Party. He's listed on both the 1901 and 1911 censuses, born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The family were in Jesmond in 1901 and then Warkworth in 1911. His father William Thomas Wallace was an asphalt contractor. Kenneth died in 1963.

 

His son Gordon mentions going to see his parents at Heddon on leave in 'Carrier Observer.' Kenneth was working in Newcastle, as Gordon mentions that Kenneth and Amy moved to Gosforth some time in 1941-42 to make commuting to work easier. Gordon (his full name was Kenneth Gordon Wallace) was working at de Havillands at Hatfield as an 'aircraft design technical student' in 1939, and was also an ARP Warden.

 

Regards

Simon