stephen7 Posted 16 April , 2006 Share Posted 16 April , 2006 a friend of mine's grandfather, len emsden, ( hopefully i have spelt his name right) was a gunner/observer in the flying corp. not sure of exact dates, my friend has a few family stories handed down regarding his exploits during the war, and would like to verify/refute them, they mainly concern him being shot down and escaping from france. would this be documented? if so, where? also any info on him would be appreciated. made a rash promise to find out something, i am sure someone here can help. steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphin Posted 16 April , 2006 Share Posted 16 April , 2006 Steve Sergeant Leonard Emsden (P7259) joined the RFC as an Air Mechanic (65935) and flew as an observer with No 25 Sqn, being promoted to Corporal and then Sergeant. He was credited with 8 victories and awarded the DCM. On 4 March 1917, flying in FE 2b 7693 with 2Lt R G Malcolm, he was credited with an LVG two seater, shared with the crews of three other aircraft. On 17 March, flying with Lt H E Davies in FE 2b 6940 he was credited with an Albatros D.III. Later that day, flying with Capt J L Leith in FE 2b 7683, he was credited with another Albatros D.III. He was flying as observer in FE 2b 4847, flown by 2Lt B King, on 6 April 1917 when they were credited with shooting down a Halberstadt D.II east of Vimy at 1045. On 13 April Cpl Emsden was flying with 2Lt B King in FE 2b A6383 when he was credited with shooting down an Albatros D.III. Sergeant L Emsden was flying as observer in FE 2b 7672 on 1 May 1917, when he was wounded in the hand. His pilot was 2Lt W R Malcolm, and the pair were credited with destroying an enemy aeroplane and driving down a second (both Albatros D.IIIs) on a morning mission, and shooting down a third in the evening. His DCM was gazetted on 18 June 1917, and the citation is below. I hope that this helps. Gareth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Roberts Posted 16 April , 2006 Share Posted 16 April , 2006 Leonard Emsden has an entry in theaerodrome.com, a major source of info about aces. (Dolphin's listing of more than five victories made it clear he was an ace) http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/england/emsden.html Their info is more sketchy than many entries though. If your friend can send them anythingelse, e.g. his dates of birth and death, I am sure they would be grateful Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen7 Posted 17 April , 2006 Author Share Posted 17 April , 2006 gareth and adrian, thanks for the info, i knew my friends on the GWF would not let ne down steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tiname Posted 26 April , 2015 Share Posted 26 April , 2015 My 17 year old daughter wore my grandfathers (Leonard Emsden) DCM to an Anzac Parade here in NZ on the 25th April. My father is 86 and is able to answer questions around his fathers war history. All the best. Tina Emsden. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 27 May , 2019 Share Posted 27 May , 2019 I have just discovered that Leonard Herbert Emsden was the son of my Great Aunt Laura. My Grandfather, Thomas Gant, was her brother. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now