Possible In from the cold?

[Perth Digger]

On 10 November 1916 2/Lt Morton Allport was flying Strutter A885 with Lt Trevor Moutray Bennet, MC, as his observer when he was shot down SW of Havrincourt [Mossy Face] Wood on the Somme. Allport's disc was returned in January 1917, but his body was never recovered and he is now commemorated on AFSM.

The Germans did inform the ICRC in Geneva that they had buried Bennet. I have looked at the documents on Bennet on the CWGC website and it appears to me that he was exhumed twice (German burial, AIF cemetery, Flers, and Hermies Hill cemetery). While in the AIF cemetery (with no date of death) there was another "aviator" next to him, named A J SAILLARN, with a date of death as 2 (?) November 1918 (not 1916). This whole line is crossed out and replaced by UBS. 

I wonder if this UBS (actually a flier) is Allport? Saillarn does not exist. 1918 may be a mistake for 1916. I can't see any obvious flier killed near Flers on 2 November 1918 in TSTB II.

Mike

Edited 9 November , 2023 by Perth Digger
added Flers

[LDT006]

Graves 3L29 and 30 were removed, 29 (Bennett) to Hermies Hill and 30 (Saillarn), probably a French aviator.
The empty spaces were reused, 29 for Lt. Col. the Earl of Feversham KRRC and 30 for a UBS Royal Fusiliers.

See docs below.
Luc.

[Perth Digger]

Thanks, Luc. 

Bennet (not Bennett) was originally buried 'a few yards west of the Rocquigny-Le-Mesnil road and a few yards north of the railway, close to the point where the railway cuts the road'. Presumably Allport's remains, such as they were, were also buried there (unless he jumped). The return of his disc strongly suggests that he was found.

Of the seven 2-seater Strutters of 70 Squadron on the AFSM, Bennet is the only crew member whose grave is known.

Mike

Edited 10 November , 2023 by Perth Digger
typo

[LDT006]

Mike,

PA7778 for Allport states that the disc comes from prisoners of war, so it's possible that he was wounded and later buried elsewhere.

[Perth Digger]

That's not my reading, Luc. To me it reads: 'PA 7778 6/1/17. Allport 2nd Lt RFC... S.R. disc (which was found amongst personal belongings) sent in without further details, through the 222nd Inf[antry] Div[ision]'. 

PA 8130 is a Totenliste that confirms he was buried near Rocquigny on 12 November 1916 (if I understand the German). So maybe they were buried together but only Bennet was subsequently found.

Mike

 

Edited 10 November , 2023 by Perth Digger

[LDT006]

I was referring to the text in the header of the page which has "Kriegsgefangener".

The reporting for both is completely different so I think they were not buried together but got separated, Allport wounded, fell out of the plane,.......

[Perth Digger]

I must be a bit obtuse, Luc, but I can't find a page with that header.

Having thought about PA 13900 a bit I think you are right. it means that Allport's remains were subsequently found and that they retrieved his effects (disc) but didn't formally bury the remains. Possibly he did jump, therefore. The evidence now seems to me to show that they were not found together. 

I got confused initially because PA 8130 is mentioned on Allport's card but actually he is not mentioned in it. It just links him to Bennet.

Thanks for your help, Luc.

Mike

[LDT006]

It's on PA7778, short translation: Discs from prisoners of war without further information.

[Perth Digger]

I just wonder whether 'prisoner of war' means what we normally understand by the phrase here. It is better, possibly, to see it as 'in German hands', whether alive or not. There was a thread about a similar issue sometime ago, I think. 

Mike