Identifying officers in 74 Squadron photograph London Colney March 1918

[Grid]

Can anyone assist please with the identity (i.e. full name) of the officers circled in the picture attached?

Captain Gerrard was an adjutant but I cannot find his record.

Although a 'Bennett' did serve with the squadron, his posting was not until August 1918. So I'm thinking this must be another Bennett in March 1918.

[I have not definitively identified the dog Caldwell is holding, but in all likelihood is 'Contact', a puppy who flew over with the squadron when deployed to France.]

[topgun1918]

I think 'Gerrard' will actually be Captain William Joseph Julius Everard Mount Everard, assigned to No 74 Squadron as Acting Adjutant on 31 October 1917, returning to S.E. Area on 1 April 1918 upon appointment as a Staff Officer, 3rd Class.

Graeme

 

Edited 13 February by topgun1918

[Grid]

It could be. Do you think the name in photograph could be Everard? I've attached another image with his name hand written onto the photograph. 

Edited 14 February by Grid

[topgun1918]

Hm, looks more like Gerrard than Everard.  The April 1918 Air Force List shows four Gerrards - Eugene Louis, Thomas Francis Netterville, Thomas Maitland and W V N.  I'll have a check through my notes and see what I've got  for each of them.

Graeme

 

 

[Grid]

Thanks for that. I had initially thought it might be Thomas Maitland given his birth year (1872) and that the person in the picture certainly looks to be older than the others. But the ADM and AIR docs did not seem to fit, but I could easily be missing something here.

Edited 14 February by Grid

[Andrew Upton]

Since it doesn't appear to have been mentioned - Captain "Gerrard" appears to have originally been an officer in the Irish Guards, as evidenced by his tunic buttons being "worn in fours, reflecting the regiment's position as the fourth most senior Guards regiment":

Edited 14 February by Andrew Upton

[Tawhiri]

15 hours ago, topgun1918 said:

I think 'Gerrard' will actually be Captain William Joseph Julius Everard Mount Everard, assigned to No 74 Squadron as Acting Adjutant on 31 October 1917, returning to S.E. Area on 1 April 1918 upon appointment as a Staff Officer, 3rd Class.

 

11 hours ago, Andrew Upton said:

Since it doesn't appear to have been mentioned - Captain "Gerrard" appears to have originally been an officer in the Irish Guards, as evidenced by his tunic buttons being "worn in fours, reflecting the regiment's position as the fourth most senior Guards regiment":

William Joseph Julius Everard Mount Everard was first commissioned with the 4th Battalion, Princess Victoria's (Royal Irish Fusiliers) on 4 May 1902, so this would seem to further preclude him as being the individual in question. The 1914 Hart's Army List also has him still serving with this battalion as a Captain.

[Andrew Upton]

19 minutes ago, Tawhiri said:

 

William Joseph Julius Everard Mount Everard was first commissioned with the 4th Battalion, Princess Victoria's (Royal Irish Fusiliers) on 4 May 1902, so this would seem to further preclude him as being the individual in question. The 1914 Hart's Army List also has him still serving with this battalion as a Captain.

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/28940/page/8253

[Andrew Upton]

And:

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D2164180

[Red Gate]

Is that the photo from”Mannock: the life and death of Major Edward Mannock” by Norman Franks?  The caption in the book states HG (Harris George) Clements for the man in the top row and JJEM Everard for the man in the middle row. 

Edited 14 February by Red Gate

[Tawhiri]

3 hours ago, Tawhiri said:

so this would seem to further preclude him as being the individual in question.

Can I take that comment back now? Everything would seem to point to him being the individual in question.

[topgun1918]

'Bennett' is definitely Harris Clements - there a plenty of photographs (including the one on the Aerodrome) that will confirm this.  Having dug around in my scribblings, I am certain that 'Gerrard' is Everard - none of the four Gerrards that I mentioned earlier had any connection to No 74 Squadron.

Graeme

 

[Grid]

On 15/02/2024 at 10:02, topgun1918 said:

'Bennett' is definitely Harris Clements - there a plenty of photographs (including the one on the Aerodrome) that will confirm this.  Having dug around in my scribblings, I am certain that 'Gerrard' is Everard - none of the four Gerrards that I mentioned earlier had any connection to No 74 Squadron.

Graeme

 

Not sure about Everard over Gerrard. Both of the photos above are from Caldwell's collection and looks to be in his handwriting. Is it possible that it could be wrong on both images. But Bennett certainly looks like Clements.

Not sure where this picture came from but thought I'd add into the mix

[Grid]

OK, I went back through the photos I have and found the answer. It is Gerrard! The photograph below is from another of Caldwell's albums and he has written '74, London Colney' at the top and added his traditional Dymo label below, again saying who this is: 'Capt Gerrard Adj 74'

Many thanks for all your in put, good to solve this even if we cannot say conclusively which Gerrard it is in the records. Shame Caldwell didn't give an initial or two.