43 Squadron RFC

[Denis]

I'm trying to help a young lady find out more about her GGGuncle. All she knows is that was he Lieutenant Harold Ward and that he was killed in France 1917 while flying as Observer to William Sholto Douglas. I had a look on the CWGC site but couldn't find an obvious candidate. She tells me that the incident is supposed to have been described in a book written by Sholto Douglas. Does anyone have such a book and can check this out? I suspect some of the facts may have got confused as the years have passed. All suggestions welcomed.

[IanA]

Hi Denis,

I suspect that the book you refer to is 'Years of Combat' by Lord Douglas of Kirtleside. He does not desciribe the loss of an observer in an aircraft which he was flying and the nearest I can come to this is that when he was commanding 43 squadron in 1917 he relates

"....I glanced over to the next aircraft beside me in our formation, and I saw that the observer, poor devil, was standing up in the back seat agitatedly trying to call to the attention of his pilot a glint of flame that was just starting to appear along the side of their aircraft. A moment later there was a violent explosion and the whole aircraft disintegrated."

They were flying Sopworth 1 1/2 strutters. There is no mention of Harold Ward in the index.

Hope this helps,

Ian

[Dolphin]

Denis

From a quick look at the standard references, it does indeed appear that the family story has become a little confused. No Lt Harold Ward is listed as an RFC fatality in Airmen Died in the Great War.

However, in The Sky Their Battlefield there's a listing for a 2Lt H E Ward of No 43 Sqn who was wounded in the foot on 17 March 1917. His pilot, and the Sopwith 1½ Strutter he was flying in, isn't identified. It looks like No 43 Sqn had a tough day, as two Strutters (A1097, 2Lt R A Constable and 2Lt C D Knox, and A1111, 2Lt J C Rimer and 2Lt R H Lownds) were shot down by Jasta 11 and the crews killed in action. The fight isn't mentioned in Sholto Douglas's Years of Combat.

I hope that this helps

Gareth

[Denis]

Ian/Gareth, many thanks for that. Perhaps I'll have a look at the Medal Card index for that H E Ward and see where that takes me.