PPCLI Posted 19 May , 2007 Share Posted 19 May , 2007 Hello everyone, Could anyone give me any further information on Lieutenant James Johnstone, RFC. At the moment I know that he served on the Western Front as Lieutenant (Pilot), was wounded once (Ypres sector) at 18000 feet and was a prisoner of war from 25th May 1917. I was hoping to add a little detail to his story - squadron and where based, plane no. and type, name/fate of anyone else involved. You'll have to excuse me if this type of information is not available, I haven't any experience of researching RFC personnel in WW1. Thank you, Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Coulson Posted 19 May , 2007 Share Posted 19 May , 2007 May 25th 1917 2nd Lt Johnstone in a Sopwith Strutter of 45 Squadron wounded in action over Langemarck and POW, his observer was 2nd Lt T S Millar. Bob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Coulson Posted 19 May , 2007 Share Posted 19 May , 2007 Just checked Cox and Co's list and he was repatriated on January 2nd 1919. Bob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timhog Posted 19 May , 2007 Share Posted 19 May , 2007 From The Sky. Sopwith Strutter, A963, 45Sqn, Left base at 9-10am, Offensive Patrol over Langemarck, 2Lt J Johnstone, WIA POW / 2LtT S Millar POW, reported MIA, possible "Sopwith" combat claim made by Vzfw Barenfanger of Ja28. Tim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphin Posted 19 May , 2007 Share Posted 19 May , 2007 Stuart In May 1917 No 45 Sqn RFC was based at Ste-Marie-Cappel. Regards Gareth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhifle Posted 19 May , 2007 Share Posted 19 May , 2007 Hello everyone, Could anyone give me any further information on Lieutenant James Johnstone, RFC. At the moment I know that he served on the Western Front as Lieutenant (Pilot), was wounded once (Ypres sector) at 18000 feet and was a prisoner of war from 25th May 1917. I was hoping to add a little detail to his story - squadron and where based, plane no. and type, name/fate of anyone else involved. You'll have to excuse me if this type of information is not available, I haven't any experience of researching RFC personnel in WW1. Thank you, Stuart Hi Stuart, This looks like him on the Army List November 1916, Empld RFC 26Sept16. Regards Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PPCLI Posted 19 May , 2007 Author Share Posted 19 May , 2007 Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to reply - I was struggling to get anywhere with this. I am researching the servicemen and women from my village and immediate surrounding area that served in WW1, and Lt Johnstone appears to be the only man who served with the RFC. By piecing together the information recieved I should be able to put together a little write-up on him. Until about an hour ago I had not found a report of this incident in the local press, but seeing all your replies spurred me on to have a final, thorough search. And yes, I did find a mention. The reason for my past failures was that the report was published in a part of the paper that didn't usually include this type of article. I have two pieces of information that I can add from the report that may be of interest to you all: i. he had previously been reported wounded and missing but that a German airman dropped a message to say that he was now a prisoner, and ii. in the short time that he had been with the squadron (probably about 3 weeks), he had been twice mentioned in despatches for "splendid work in bringing down German machines." Can I ask, was (i) a typical feature of protocol adhered to by both sides in the aerial war, and is there any official record to support the MiD statement? Thank you all again for your help, Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Testerchild2 Posted 21 May , 2007 Share Posted 21 May , 2007 Hi, "i. he had previously been reported wounded and missing but that a German airman dropped a message to say that he was now a prisoner" You ask if there was a protocol. There was a protocol, but it was not 'official' in the strictest sense. I have been researching 20 squadron for some time ( who were also at Ste Marie Cappel at this time) and have found several cases of the Germans dropping messages regarding 20 squadron casualties, and at least one of 20 squadron doing the same in reverse. I have also seen letters to next of kin from the War Office quoting such German messages, and asking the next of kin not to tell anyone that the information had come from the German Air Service! So it seems the protocol was well established, was accepted by the respective authorities, but was not something they wanted talked about! Don't know about question 2. Hope that helps. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PPCLI Posted 21 May , 2007 Author Share Posted 21 May , 2007 Hi Bob, Firstly, welcome to the forum. Thank you for replying to my query and for a very helpful answer. I hope no casualties were incurred when carrying out this 'service' - perhaps there was some signal that the airman used to show what they was up to. Cheers, Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Testerchild2 Posted 22 May , 2007 Share Posted 22 May , 2007 PPCLI: No knowledge of casualties on this particular duty. But going by my 20 squadron ref's it seems they did this at an opportune moment in the course of a normal patrol, rather than as a 'special mission.' So, probably, no specific signal re their intentions. I haven't found any mention of one. Hope that helps. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PPCLI Posted 23 May , 2007 Author Share Posted 23 May , 2007 it seems they did this at an opportune moment in the course of a normal patrol, rather than as a 'special mission.' Yes, I'm sure that would make more sense. Thanks, Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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