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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Lts Martyn & Mond RFC+ their lonely mont


Nicolas G.

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Goodnight & Happy New Year,

Searching informations about 2 pilots of 57th squadron, Royal Flying Corps, and their monument in France:

- Lieutenant Edgard M. Martyn (first in 19th Bn., 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles)

- Lieutenant Francis L. Mond (first in Royal Field Artillery)

Both k.i.a. on 15 May 1918. I had already checked the cwgc database.

See that link for pictures and what I already know.

Here is the kind of help I need, if possible :

- details about the crash and the attack before

- more about the pilots

- informations about their private monument and its ground : who paid and decided its erection ? Who is the owner ? Why it is not an "official" one and referenced in guidebooks?

Thank you for your help or ideas,

Regards,

Nicolas.

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The RAF Museum was very helpful when I was researching 2 pilots shot down they gave me caualty forms passages from books that they were mentioned in it may take a little while for them to get back to you through E-Mail though but it is worth it.

Conor :D

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You might like to know the family of one of these men (can't remember which one) visits the memorial every year. I met them in Albert once.

Details of this memorial are in Barrie Thorpe's WFA publication on Private Memorials.

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The following is an extract from Martyn & Mary Middlebrook's 'The Somme Battlefields' (1991) -

' At the side of a lane just south of the hamlet of Bouzencourt stands a lovely little memorial in the form of a truncated column denotong lives cut of in their prime. The inscription, in french, is to Captain Francis L. Mond and Lieutenant Edgar M. Martyn who 'fell gloriously on this spot in combat against three german aeroplanes on 15 May 1918. On the base has been scratched the Cross of Lorraine and a V-for-Victory sign, probably by a defiant french person in the Second World War. The two airmen were shot down in a DH4 bomber of No.57 Squadron after attacking ammunition dumps at Bapaume. They crashed close to the British trenches at the time.

Their bodies are now buried in Doullens Communal Cemetery Extension No.2. The small enclosure is obviously cared for by the local people'

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Mond gets a brief mention in 'War Memorials' by Alan Borg (1991) as follows -

'Particular individuals were also sometimes commemorated in private memorials commissioned by the family. Francis Mond who was killed when his aircraft was shot down im May 1918, wa memorialized in a fine statuette of St.George by Frampton'

No other details I'm afraid.

Sir George Frampton (1860-1928) was a member of the Royal Academy and responsible for a number of memorials and statues including The Boer War Memorial at Bury and Edith Cavell (1920, London). Perhaps best known for his Peter Pan (1911) in Kensington Gardens

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Hello,

For all : Thank for precious help and nice comments. I also found on my own that they were shot down by the german ace Johann Janzen and that the enclosure was originally larger a lot (2000 sq m ?)... Will check that in the local archives.

Regards.

Nicolas

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