Pilot Joseph Lonsdale

[slovdave]

Hi all.

I need some advice here. I am trying to locate my Grandfather Joseph Lonsdale. Unfortunately I have very little to go on, what I do have is as follows.

He was born in 1901 and so was too young to volunteer until late in the war, family stories indicate that he did so a few months underage and joined the R.F.C./R.A.F.

He did see active service over the western front in the latter part of 1918, and family members again remember him saying that at that time he was flying a Sopwith Pup.

I believe that he was demobbed fairly quickly after the end of hostilities, and went back to his civvy occupation, (curiously, Mining Engineer, which is what killed him in the end). He tried to rejoin just prior to, or just on the outbreak of hostilities in 1939 but was told he was too old to fly combat and declined to be trained as an instructor, so he lied about his age and joined the Royal Signals instead!.

I have a service number for this later period but have been unable to turn up anything at all for his Great War service.

Any and all suggestons gratefully accepted.

Cheers.

Dave.

[MikeW]

Dave,

There is no Joseph Lonsdale listed in the April 1918 RAF List. There is a VO Lonsdale but I guess that is not your Granfather.

If he saw active service he almost certainly would have had to join the RFC before the Formation of the RAF on 1st April 1918. If he had joined the RFC and was still under training he would appear in the Air Force List.

The only thing I can suggest is that he joined the RAF after 1st April - that might well tie in with the mention of the Sopwith Pup which he could well have flown whilst training - he would not fly a Pup in France in the latter part of 1918.

Have you had a look in the Air 76 microfilms at the National Archive? If he's in there it will give date of joining the RAF and training details.

Mike

[slovdave]

Thanks very much Mike, it was very good of you to carry out a search.

Was the Pup obsolete by that time?

Thanks for the info on microfilms, I take it non of this is available online as yet?, I'm afraid Kew is out of the question for the forseeable. Joe just doesn't seem to want to be found at the moment,( I'm also working on his WWII service with equally limited success), but I don't doubt he will turn up at some point.

Thanks again for your help.

Cheers.

Dave.

[MikeW]

Was the Pup obsolete by that time?

The Pup was really obsolescent by the middle of 1917. As might be expected, the RFC struggled on with them well past their sell-by date. Even the RNAS used a handfull in front line service until July 17 due to a shortage of Sopwith Triplanes and early Camels.

Regarding the National Archive, you could always pay a researcher to check the file, it's a straightforward search so shouldn't take long.

Mike