vervos Posted 4 March , 2006 Share Posted 4 March , 2006 Would anyone have any ideas about this photograph of a pilot being removed from his wrecked aircraft in what appears to be a German Sector? Thanks Vervos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph J. Whitehead Posted 4 March , 2006 Share Posted 4 March , 2006 Just a guess bit the field caps worn by two of the men appear to be naval versions, perhaps marine Infantry regiments near the coast in Belgium? Ralph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeW Posted 4 March , 2006 Share Posted 4 March , 2006 The pilot appears to have 2 rings on his sleeve making him an RNAS Flight Lieutenant. Can anyone make out the type of machine from the wreckage? mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cnock Posted 4 March , 2006 Share Posted 4 March , 2006 Hello, I am not sure, but this could be Handley Page 3132 of 214th Sqn, lost during night 15/16yh May 1918 near Bruges due to AA fire. There are kids on the pic, thus not taken in the front line area. Regards, Cnock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FAAAEd Posted 4 March , 2006 Share Posted 4 March , 2006 Hello, I am not sure, but this could be Handley Page 3132 of 214th Sqn, lost during night 15/16yh May 1918 near Bruges due to AA fire. There are kids on the pic, thus not taken in the front line area. Regards, Cnock It certainly looked like a Hndley Page to me with the nose showing immediately behind and to the left of the figure in the right foreground. The spoked wheel at left of the picture could be one of the aircraft's wheel assemblies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vervos Posted 4 March , 2006 Author Share Posted 4 March , 2006 Dear MikeW, Cnock and PetrolPigeon Thank you for your assistance. I thought it might be RNAS and hence possibly further North, but the Handley-Page information for that date is remarkable... Again many thanks, and much respect!!! Vervos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regulus 1 Posted 4 March , 2006 Share Posted 4 March , 2006 Hi Cnock is right. I have a few other photo's in my collection of this crash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cnock Posted 4 March , 2006 Share Posted 4 March , 2006 Hello, I have also some more pics. Regards, Cnock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Roberts Posted 5 March , 2006 Share Posted 5 March , 2006 It certainly looked like a Hndley Page to me with the nose showing immediately behind and to the left of the figure in the right foreground. The spoked wheel at left of the picture could be one of the aircraft's wheel assemblies. I'm not so sure - it looks very close to the figures and just not big enough to be a Handley Page. If the wheel is waist height to a small boy, then again I would wonder if it was big enough. 'Fraid I don't have anything more positive to say Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cnock Posted 5 March , 2006 Share Posted 5 March , 2006 Hello, The line of trees in the back is the same as on other pics of the crash of the Handley Page. Regards, Cnock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Hesketh Posted 5 March , 2006 Share Posted 5 March , 2006 Very impressive set of results. Well done all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FAAAEd Posted 5 March , 2006 Share Posted 5 March , 2006 I'm not so sure - it looks very close to the figures and just not big enough to be a Handley Page. If the wheel is waist height to a small boy, then again I would wonder if it was big enough. 'Fraid I don't have anything more positive to say Adrian That the nose section looks close to the figure is down to the perspective effect of the lens on the camera. True, I do not know the exact type of camera used but lenses of the day would have been what we now class as wide angle. Consider that perspective is a function of lens focal length and the size of the recorded image, more specifically the diagonal of the image format. At the time frame sizes were large so to achieve the opposite effect, telephoto perspective, would require lenses of longer focal length than common with, say, 35mm. With 35mm format a true standard lens, i.e. one without perspictive distortion, neither wide angle or telephoto, would have a focal length of 43.2666 mm. Keeping the size, and thus costs, of long focus and wide angle lenses within bounds is one of the features that has ensured the popularity of this format. With the image formats in use at the time of the picture a considerably longer focal lenght would have been required for a 'standard' lens with the associated increase in size, weight and cost. Thus the nose of the aircraft looks smaller than expected against the foreground figure due to a wide-angle perspective effect. As for the wheels at left of the picture, if one studies available photographs that include both a Handley Page 0/400 and human figures (Plate 15 of Bartlett's 'In the Teeth of the Wind' is an example) then it becomes clear that the wheel diameter equates to approximately an adults waist height. Even the huge Staaken RV1 'Giant' had comparatively small wheels, it just had more of them. The one factor that could throw doubt on the origin of those wheels at left is the tyre size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FAAAEd Posted 5 March , 2006 Share Posted 5 March , 2006 Hello, I am not sure, but this could be Handley Page 3132 of 214th Sqn, lost during night 15/16yh May 1918 near Bruges due to AA fire. There are kids on the pic, thus not taken in the front line area. Regards, Cnock If it was Handley Page 0/100 3132 then the crew were (from: Sturtivant & Page 'Royal Navy Aircraft Serials and units 1911-1919'): Capt. C G Rushton, Mjr J I Harrison & Lt W J King, all quoted as being killed. HP 0/100 Serial No. 3120 was shot down nr. Handzaeme (which is a province?) by Flakzug 47 on 24/25 October 1917 with FSL A McDonald, FSL J M Smith & LM G/L E E Smith all taken prisoner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cnock Posted 5 March , 2006 Share Posted 5 March , 2006 Pic of the graves of Major HARRISON and Captain RUSHTON at Zillebeke (Larch Wood Cemetery). They are now resting far from their crash site. Regards, Cnock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cnock Posted 5 March , 2006 Share Posted 5 March , 2006 Pic mediocre quality , same crash. Regards, Cnock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FAAAEd Posted 5 March , 2006 Share Posted 5 March , 2006 Pic mediocre quality , same crash. Regards, Cnock OK! So the wheel seen in the first pic' is not from a Handley Page, too light a construction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cnock Posted 5 March , 2006 Share Posted 5 March , 2006 PetrolPidgeon, I think the wheel is simply from a German soldier with a bicycle. (civilians had no more bicycles) Regards, Cnock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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