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Remembered Today:

Airmen Casualties


chrisharley9

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can any Pal help with these casualties recorded on the Central Military Hospital Memorial, Eastbourne please

BERRY E A Second Lieutenant Royal Air Force School of Photography. Died 6th August 1918. Buried EASTBOURNE (OCKLYNGE) CEMETERY Grave R. 321. Rank on memorial is Captain.

DREWELL A E Albert Edward Drewell 119909 Air Mechanic 3rd Class (2nd Class on memorial) Royal Air Force 2nd Balloon Training Wing. Died 16th June 1919. Age 17. Buried EASTBOURNE (OCKLYNGE) CEMETERY Grave Z.544.

GARVER R O US Army Officer Cadet attd RAF. Died 29th January 1918. No further information currently

HAMILL H Hugh D Hamill Private US Army 321st Aero Squadron. From Colorado. Died 10th November 1918. Buried BROOKWOOD AMERICAN CEMETERY Grave Plot D Row 3 Grave 15.

KIDD J A W James Alexander Kidd Second Lieutenant Royal Air Force Polegate formerly Royal Naval Air Service. Died 31st October 1918. Age 34. Order of St. George 4th Class (Russia); Order of St. Stanilas 3rd Class (Russia). Son of James McFarlane Kidd and Mary Eliza Kidd, of London; husband of Miriam Annie Kidd, of The British Queen, Lower Willingdon, Sussex. Buried CITY OF LONDON CEMETERY, MANOR PARK Grave 51. 65791.

MIERS J W Private US Army 321st Aero Squadron. Died 30th November 1918. No further information currently.

PURDAM W R Walter Robertson Purdam 7348 Serjeant Royal Air Force 50th Training Depot Squadron. Died 12th December 1918 (date on Memorial is 11th December). Son of Joseph and Barbara Purdam, late of 4, Albany St., Leith, Edinburgh. Born at Leith, Edinburgh. Buried EDINBURGH (ROSEBANK) CEMETERY Grave P. W/458. Rank on Memorial is SM

Name: TOWER

Initials: W C C

Nationality: United Kingdom

Rank: Captain

Regiment: Royal Air Force

Secondary Regiment: The Buffs (East Kent Regiment)

Secondary Unit Text: and 10th (R. East Kent and West Kent Yeomanry) Bn.

Date of Death: 30/11/1918

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference: R. 290.

Cemetery: EASTBOURNE (OCKLYNGE) CEMETERY

Any detail large or small would be greatly appreciated

All The Best

Chris

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Chris

There's little easily-available information around on post-Armistice deaths, so researching most of the men you listed isn't easy.

I did see in Airmen Died that 2Lt J A Kidd died from pneumonia, which suggests that he was a victim of the influenza pandemic.

I hope that this little helps.

Regards

Gareth

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Chris

Since they died in the UK civil death certificates will have been issued. Many certificates are quite bland but some can be very informative. If any died as the result of flying accidents a Coroner’s Inquest should have been held. If so the findings may be summarised in the ‘cause of death’ section. Although space is limited a surprisingly detailed account may be given. The downside is that they cost £7.00 each.

Regards

Mark

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Chris

Do you want photos of the graves in Ocklynge Cemetery as I can send them to you?

Pte Hugh Hancock HAMILL and Officer Cadet Roy O.GARBER (note spelling) were originally buried in Ocklynge Cemetery but later exhumed.

Do you have (or want) details of the only Brazilian war grave in the UK - a naval airman who died in a crash off Eastbourne whilst training with the RAF in 1918 and who is buried in Ocklynge?

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first of thanks to you all for all of the very useful info

Terry

I would appreciate the photos of the graves, but as I'm doing this for the Roll of Honour site do you mind them being published.

Re the Brazilian chap yes I would be interested.

All The Best

Chris

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Chris

Photos follow. No problem with them being published with acknowledgement.

1/Teniente Eugenio da Silva POSSOLO

Brazilian Navy attd 50 TDS, RAF

Crashed 05.09.18 when Camel C3294 collided with another in formation off Eastbourne. Age 24

Inscription on memorial = In bello defendens consociatis armis vita egregia est functus

post-19-1125188979.jpg

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Terry

Why are two men named on the graves in your second picture? [Churchill & Drewell; Gascoyne & Taylor]. I know this happened on front line graves with men killed in the same action but this doesn't seem to be the case here.

Adrian

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Adrian

Eastbourne (Ocklynge) Cemetery in East Sussex has the only examples of multiple occupancy graves (excluding relatives) in the county.

There are, in fact, four bodies in this grave. The names on the headstones are in alphabetical order as is normal in multiple occupancy graves and the two headstones placed together also signifies one grave with four bodies.

There are several examples of this is this cemetery. I did ask CWGC several years ago if they knew why this occured in Eastbourne but there was no known reason as far as they were concerned. It seems that the local authority was trying to conserve space when allocating ground for service burials at that time. All but one of the examples are in the same plot (Plot Z) of this large cemetery.

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Terry

many thanks for the pics - It goes without saying that you will receive credit for the photos - I would not have it any other way

All The Best

Chris

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Terry

Re Pte Hamill the ABMC site has him as HUGH D whereas you have him as HUGH HANCOCK

All The Best

Chris

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Chris

The death register index also has him as Hugh H Hamill, 19 years, died at Eastbourne.

Regards

Mark

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Thanks Mark thats very interesting - I wonder wether the ABMC got this one wrong

All The Best

Chris

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Hi Chris

Just a few snippets on J.A.Kidd

Born Poplar on 26th Nov 1883

He enlisted in RNAS on 29th Nov 1914 as F2814 rank not known (possibly a PO for armoured cars)

Promoted WO2 on 1st Dec 1915

Served with Russian Armoured Cars from Sep1916 (hence the Russian awards)

He is mentioned in the following:

The Czars British Squadron, E.Perrett and A.Lord. published by Kimber pages 94,97

The Ripping Panel of May 1918 (the Polegate Station Magazine) page 140

Hope this helps

Regards Duncan

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Duncan

thanks once again

Chris

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  • 6 months later...

Re Roy O Garver or Garber

Thanks to the thread on Coroners Reports in Sussex here I was able to ascertain that this chap was from Martinsville, Illinois, USA. I was able to contact a school teacher in the locality via the net was able to obtain the following info on him

Roy 0 Carver b... 1892-d... 1918 son of George B Carver b 14 May 1859 d 26 Feb 1912 & Mary Arizona Jones b 27 Jan 1864 d 22 Jan 1955

(info from cem stone) Roy 0 Carver 1892-1918 Lt in USRGG

Mazie Carver family history says served in USRFC All the above are buried in the Bluegrass cem, Dolson twp, Clark Co., IL

BODY OF ROY CARVER RETURNED

The remains of Roy Carver, the first Clark County man who lost their lives in the over-sea service to be returned to the U.S. for burial, arrived at Martinsville on Monday of last week and interment was made in the Blue Grass Cemetery in the Cleone neighborhood on Tuesday with a short service at the grave.

The deceased is a son of Mr and Mrs George Carver and enlisted in the air service in June 1917, while attending the George Washington University at Washington, D. C. He was a pilot of a scout plane and had just lately been made a lieutenant when he was killed by the fall of his machine on the south coast of England on Jan. 18,1918 being 14 days less than 26 years of age.

The body was accompanied from Hoboken by military escort and was met at the train at Martinsville by a large number of comrades of the late war in uniform who gave the body of their late comrade full military honor as it was laid to rest in its native soil, near the spot where the young patriot had spent his boyhood days.

(Copied from newspaper clip by) (Josephine Wamer Handley)

Everyone it seems has always got the spelling of his name wrong (including me)

Well may he rest in peace

Chris

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can any Pal help with these casualties recorded on the Central Military Hospital Memorial, Eastbourne please

GARVER R O US Army Officer Cadet attd RAF. Died 29th January 1918. No further information currently

Chris

Cadet Roy O Garver (Carver?) USAS, of No 3 Training Squadron RFC at Shoreham, was killed in an accident while flying in Sopwith Camel B9282 on 28 January 1918. The aeroplane crashed at Eastbourne aerodrome.

I hope this helps.

Gareth

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Gareth

cheers - another gap filled

Chris

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HAMILL H Hugh D Hamill Private US Army 321st Aero Squadron. From Colorado. Died 10th November 1918. Buried BROOKWOOD AMERICAN CEMETERY Grave Plot D Row 3 Grave 15.

Chris

It's just another very minor point, but Pte H D Hamill was attached to No 50 Training Depot Station RAF at Eastbourne.

Also a minor correction to Sgt Purdam's entry; his unit was No 50 Training Depot Station, not Squadron. Most of the RAF's Training Squadrons were amalgamated into larger Training Depot Stations in mid 1918 - the concept was that when a squadron was being formed and prepared for operations, each flight could be provided by a separate TDS.

Regards

Gareth

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Gareth

My thanks

Chris

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Guess what just had it confirmed from the States that his name should be Garver - Mr Cock Up popped in for one of his periodic visits

Chris

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  • 9 months later...

Phil

No I have not got anything extra yet

Chris

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Hi Chris

Here`s Hamill, he apparently entered service in Colorado, do you have any information as to what he was doing down in Eastbourne?

Regards

Phil Henry

post-14229-1165597406.jpg

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