Mottershead V.C.

[PBI]

[armourersergeant]

Hello,

Mine was taken in April 2005 on the Pals tour.

A question arises in that mine seems to have a stone ot two behind it yet yours seems to have some form of bush growing and nothing beyond that or is it just a trick of the camera?

regards

Arm

[PBI]

I think The Flowering Shrubs have obscured everything else.

[Adrian Roberts]

Which cemetery is this?

Adrian

[PBI]

Bailleul

[soldier75]

Just a bit of background for you on Mottershead VC.

Sgt Thomas Mottershead VC.& DCM.

No.1396

20 Squadron

Royal Flying Corps

Born : Widnes, Lancashire.

Enlisted : Widnes in August, 1914.

Resided : 12 Market Street, Widnes.

Died of wounds in France on 12th January, 1917, aged 25.

Buried at Ballieul Cemetery Extension, Plot III, Row A, Grave 126. . Commemorated at St Paul`s church in Widnes.

Thomas Mottershead was born on 17th January, 1892, at 6 Vine Street, Widnes, one of a family of six boys and four girls to Thomas Snr and Lucy Mottershead, (nee Hawkins).

His father was employed as a horse keeper for the United Alkali Company in Widnes. Sgt Mottershead was educated at Simms Cross school and later gained a place at the Widnes Technical school. On leaving school he was apprenticed as a fitter and turner at the Widnes Alkali Works and studied engineering in his spare time, gaining a number of certificates. A keen sportsman, he played football for a team in the local league. He was a parishioner of St Paul`s church in Widnes and became a Bible Reader.

In February, 1914, he married his childhood sweetheart, Lillian Bree and they set up home at 12 Market Street, Widnes. Thomas had been working at Cammel Laird`s shipyard in Birkenhead and with a friend he set off for a new job in the Portsmouth Naval Dockyard. Only days after starting at the dockyard, war was declared, and on the 10th August, 1914, along with his friend Frank Moore, he enlisted into the Royal Flying Corps as an air mechanic. Posted to the Central Flying school at Upavon in Wiltshire, he was promoted to Corporal in September, 1915 and became an Acting Sergeant in January, 1916. He gained the rank of full Sergeant in April that year. In May, 1916, he began pilot training and on 9th June, he obtained his 1st Class Flying Certificate. A month later he was on his way to France with a group of three other Sgt pilots and joined the pilots pool at St Omer. Posted to No.25 Squadron on 6th July, 1916, he was soon in action in the opening days of the Battle of the Somme.

He took to operational flying from the start and in his first attack made a low level bombing raid on a German anti- aircraft battery which he and his observer successfully destroyed. Another mission, on 22nd September, with 2nd Lt C. Street as his observer, involved the low level bombing of a railway station at Samain. Flying at 1500 ft they bombed and destroyed a train carrying ammunition and strafed another train causing some damage. Attacked by a German Fokker scout, Mottershead managed to out-manoeuvre the enemy pilot and shoot him down. For this action and other displays of gallantry, Sgt Mottershead was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal and soon after promoted to the rank of Acting Flight Sgt and transferred to No.20 Squadron at Clairmarais, flying FE two seaters. He came home on leave at Christmas 1916 to spend it with his wife and young son, Sydney Thomas.

Returning to his squadron in France, Flight Sgt Mottershead was soon in action and on 7th January, 1917, set off on a fighting patrol over Ploegsteert Wood with Lt W.E. Gower as his observer.

Attacked by two enemy Albatross fighters, Lt Gower managed to hit one of them and put it out of action, the second Albatross however, managed to hit Mottershead`s FE with a burst of machine gun fire which punctured the planes fuel tank and within seconds the FE was ablaze.

Descending at speed, Lt Gower attempted to fight the fire with a hand fire extinguisher and began spraying his pilot, whose clothing and back was now beginning to burn. Despite the pain from his burns, Flight Sgt Mottershead decided to attempt to put the plane down safely in allied territory. Although now engulfed in flames, he managed to turn into the wind and make a landing just behind the British front line trenches. On landing, the already weakened undercarriage collapsed and the nose of the aircraft dug into the soft earth throwing Lt Gower clear. When the plane came to a halt, Flight Sgt Mottershead was trapped in his cockpit in the still burning FE. The crash was witnessed by troops in the trenches and with their assistance Lt Gower, although badly cut and bruised, managed to free Mottershead from his burning plane. Very badly burned on his back, legs and hands, Sgt Mottershead was still conscious and managed to talk to his rescuers as he was evacuated to the nearest Casualty Clearing Station.

During the next four days surgeons fought hard to save Sgt Mottershead, but, due to the extent and depth of the burns he had suffered, he finally died on 12th January, 1917 at the No.8 Casualty Clearing Station.

Buried the next day with full military honours in the cemetery at Bailleul, every man from his squadron attended to pay their last respects. His Commanding Officer wrote to Mrs Mottershead ...." At the funeral as we lifted the wreath and Union Jack from the coffin and laid them on the ground, we sorrowfully knew that we had laid to rest one of the bravest men who had ever fallen in war..."

On 12th February, 1917, in the London Gazette, the award of the Victoria Cross to Flight Sgt Mottershead was announced. The citation stated "...For most conspicuous bravery, endurance and skill....though suffering extreme torture from burns, Sgt Mottershead showed the most conspicuous presence of mind in the careful selection of a landing place, and his wonderful endurance and fortitude undoubtedly saved the life of his observer..." Lt W.E. Gower was awarded the Military Cross for his gallantry in same incident.

In an open air investiture in Hyde Park, London on 2nd June, 1917, His Majesty the King, George V, presented the Victoria Cross to Mrs Mottershead, remarking that he was sorry he could not have presented the medal to her husband himself.

When the announcement was made of the award became known in Widnes, an appeal fund, "The Mayor of Widnes Memorial Fund to Thomas Mottershead" was launched with the main aim to provide for Flight Sgt Mottershead`s widow and young son. The target of £1,000 was soon reached. What happened then is something of a mystery, for neither Mrs Mottershead or her son received a penny from the Appeal Fund or indeed any other form of assistance from the town and were forced to endure financially difficult circumstances for several years.

The records of the fund and the location of the monies collected was also lost for over fifty years until a major council audit in the 1960`s when it was located by an alert auditor. Although too late to help Mrs Mottershead and her son, the matter so upset Sydney Thomas that he sold his father`s hard won medal out of sheer disgust at the disgraceful efforts of the fund`s trustees in handling the fund. The medal is still in private hands.

The money in the memorial fund was used to endow the "Mottershead Scholarship" at the Halton College of Further Education in Widnes.

Besides his commemoration on the memorial, Tom Mottershead also had a road, Mottershead Road, named after him on a Council scheme built in the 1920`s.

Flight Sgt Mottershead is unique in that he was the only non-commissioned flying officer in the Royal Flying Corps or Royal Air Force to be awarded the Victoria Cross in the 1914-18 war. One of the N.C.O. pilots that crossed to France with him in July, 1916 was later to become Major J.T.B.McCudden, V.C., D.S.O. & bar, Miltary Cross & bar, Military Medal and Croix de Guerre. He was killed in France at Marquise on 9th July, 1918. The two remaining Sgt pilots who crossed to France with Mottershead and McCudden, Sgt`s Pateman and Haxton were also killed in action.#

# WWN 1916 & 17 and various sources

******

Regards. Soldier 75

[per ardua per mare per terram]

There are 2 MICS for him:

Medal card of Mottershead, T

Corps: Royal Flying Corps

Regiment No: 1396

Rank: Serjeant

1914-1920 WO 372/23

Medal card of Mottershead, Thomas

Corps: Royal Flying Corps

Regiment No: 1396

Rank: Serjeant

1914-1920 WO 372/14

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documen...mp;mediaarray=*

[Cnock]

The German ace Walter Göttsch who got Mottershead ( his 4th victory) , was kia on 10/4/1918, when his Fokkeer triplane was shot down in flames.

Regards,

Cnock

[Peter Bennett]

Wides War Memorial.

[soldier75]

Peter, Just to keep you informed the Widnes War Memorial has had a lot of money spent on it in the last 18 months, the surrounding area has all been landscaped which makes it a lot easier for the people attending the Armistice service and the memorial itself was given a through clean. Railings have also been erected on all four sides which ahs reduced vandalism and litter. It looks a lot better than it did on the day you took that photo.

Soldier 75 Harry

[soldier75]

Peter, Just to keep you informed the Widnes War Memorial has had a lot of money spent on it in the last 18 months, the surrounding area has all been landscaped which makes it a lot easier for the people attending the Armistice service and the memorial itself was given a through clean. Railings have also been erected on all four sides which ahs reduced vandalism and litter. It looks a lot better than it did on the day you took that photo.

Soldier 75 Harry

Forgot to mention there is now a stone commemorating the 3 men from Widnes & Runcorn who won the Vc in the Great War and WWII. It is near the memorial and newly erected last year. If you have an interest in Sgt Mottershead do you want a photo.?

[hackettj]

You may be interested to learn that an eyewitness account of the dogfight is contained in the original 1929 copy of 'War Letters to a Wife' by Lt Col Rowland Fielding who was commanding the 6/Connaughts at the time, at a position 'Facing Messines - Wytschaete Ridge (Cooker Farm)' - if anyone can tell me exactly where this is I'd be interested as I'm going to Messines later this month.

Fielding was a very compassionate officer whose letters to his wife, unusually for time, spared her little of the hardships the men endured, so the book makes a very interesting read, and was republished by Spellmount Ltd in 2001 (ISBN 1-86227-119-4, but I don't know if this edition contains the same event - I'm sure it will).

Fielding wrote an account of his Battalions actions that day on the night of the 7-8th, and it had been a busy day: they were attacked at 04.15 and suffered 15 casualties, including 5 or 6 dead. He closes his letter to his wife past 02.00 on the 8th, but then adds the following Post Script:

"PS I must re-open my letter to tell you of a sight I saw yesterday. The experiences of my own battalion had driven it out of my mind. I was in the fire trench examining the destruction caused by the bombardment of the early morning, when one of our aeroplanes flew overhead, very low, engaged (as I have since learnt) upon reconnaissance work on my behalf. The enemy of course opened upon it with the usual "Archie" fire. In fact, it was the latter which drew my attention to what was happening, because several "duds" fell close enough to me to be uncomfortable.

"I looked up and saw a German aeroplane swoop down upon our man. Then there was a fusillade of machine-gun fire between the two. Then our man's petrol tank was hit and took fire, and the machine became a long streak of streaming flame, making for home, and earth. Every second I thought it must collapse. It seemed impossible that either pilot or observer could be alive, or that the engine could be working. But the rush through the air kept the flame from the canvas, and the aeroplane flew on. It was an inspiring sight; -a magnificent fight between man and death, in which the man won - for the time being.

"After a long slanting flight the aeroplane came to ground, a mile or more behind our line. I sent an officer to the spot. Though I could have sworn the occupants were dead, they were not. The aeroplane was a crumpled, shapeless mass, the fire having engulfed it the moment it settled, but both were alive, though one was so severely burned that he is not likely to recover [footnote, which reads "He died, but was awarded the VC"]"

VC well deserved.

John

In Respectful Memory of No 2486 Sgt. Augustine John Hackett, 6/Connaught Rangers, buried at Kemmel Chateau, grave M.61. Gus was killed in action in a 200-man trench attack at Messines on the morning of 19th February 1917, aged 21. An account of the action, his death and the extraordinary armistice allowed to recover the dead and wounded after the fog had lifted, is to be found within the pages of 'War Letters to a Wife', Lt Col Rowland Fielding, 1929, republished 2001.

[taddy]

Only just seen the original post hence reason for bumping the post.

Regarding Thomas Mottershead you may be interested to learn that a RAF Ck 1 VC 10 was named after Thomas registration Number XV 106 "W" i had the privilage to fly on her many times whilst a member of 10 Sqn in the 90's.

She is now serving in 101 Sqn as a refuelling aircraft. Here is a link to a picture of 106 in the old 10 sqn livery;

http://www.vc10.net/History/Images/RAF_xv106_01.jpg

An ironic footnote is whilst on the Squadron in the crew room was a cupboard, thrown in there were scrapbooks of the Squadrons history newspaper clipping's etc, also original leaflets dropped during the Berlin Raids in WW2, Log Books, WW1 Postcards of France Belgium, and personal albums or Diarys.

One of those was of Thomas Mottershead i was fascinated by his in particular because it contained a day to day event of his time in WW1 and pictures very small i must say of himself and others in 10 Sqn, and what i thought at the time were weird looking aircraft.

Where all that stuff is now i would have no idea but it was just thrown in a cupboard.

I was not into WW1 whilst serving in the RAF so i just read the books etc out of interest, it was only when i left that i became interested in the men who fought and died after starting looking at the men from Tadcaster and its area.

If i could just turn back the clock !! I even turned down a chance to revisited past WW1 headquarters in France when the Sqn visited in the early 90s Woops...

Dave