Capt. Harry Wadlow, Royal Flying Corps

[sjustice]

'lo chaps,

I'm very sketchy indeed about RFC matters. Can anyone help with this old boy?

Capt. Harry Wadlow, Royal Flying Corps, Died 1st May 1917

Before the war he was the headmaster of the church primary school I attended 50-odd years after he died. He is buried in the graveyard of the church in which I was a member of the choir and was married. His grave is about 100 yards from his classroom.

Anyone have details about his service?

Kind Regards,

SMJ

[Dolphin]

Simon

Capt H Wadlow of No 10 Reserve Squadron RFC, was killed in an accident when flying DH2 A2602 on 1 May 1917. He was 22 at the time of his death.

A photograph of a DH 2 is below.

I hope that this helps you.

Gareth

[sjustice]

Gareth that helps enormously. Thanks, also for the great pic.

I will assume the accident happened in England unless I hear to the contrary.

Was No. 10 Reserve Squadron like an infantry Reserve Battalion and base itself in the UK?

Kind Regardsm,

SMJ

[quote name='Dolphin' date='Jul 11 2007, 11:11 PM' post='723649'

I hope that this helps you.

Gareth

[Stebie9173]

Gazette entries.

LG 19-9-1914

ARMY SERVICE CORPS.

The undermentioned to be temporary Second Lieutenants:

Dated 19th September, 1914

Harry Wadlow.

http://www.gazettes-online.co.uk/archiveVi...;selHonourType=

LG 12-3-1915

THE ARMY SERVICE CORPS.

The undermentioned Second Lieutenants to be temporary Lieutenants :

Dated 1st February, 1915.

H. Wadlow.

http://www.gazettes-online.co.uk/archiveVi...;selHonourType=

LG 7-8-1916

THE ARMY SERVICE CORPS

The undermentioned temp. Lts. to be temp. Capts.:

21st July. 1916.

H. Wadlow.

http://www.gazettes-online.co.uk/archiveVi...;selHonourType=

LG 22-9-1916

ROYAL FLYING CORPS.

Mil. Wing.

The undermentioned appts. are made:

Flying Officers (Observers)

7th Sept. 1916.

Temp. Capt. H. Wadlow, A.S.C., and to be transfd. to the Gen. List.

http://www.gazettes-online.co.uk/archiveVi...;selHonourType=

He does appear to have overseas service:

Medal card of Wadlow, Harry

Corps Regiment No Rank

Army Service Corps Lieutenant

Royal Flying Corps Captain

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documen...p;resultcount=7

I suspect his Army Service File is this one:

WO 339/71018 WADLOW H [1914-1922]

There is another H Wadlow, but I believe he was an R.G.A. man (WO 339/6731 WADLOW H, Major 1907-1916; 1939)

Steve.

[mhifle]

This looks him on the Nov 1916 Army List

Regards Mark

[Dolphin]

Simon

Capt H Wadlow was indeed killed while flying in England; No 10 Reserve Squadron was based at Shawbury.

The RFC's Reserve Squadrons were training units that were often developed into full squadrons for active service. They were termed Reserve Aeroplane Squadrons up until 13 January 1916, then Reserve Squadrons until 31 May 1917, when they were re-designated as Training Squadrons. To complete the picture, the Training Squadrons were absorbed into Training Depot Stations in mid-1918. No 10 Training Squadron (formerly No 10 Reserve Squadron) formed the basis of No 90 Sqn when it was formed on 8 October 1917.

I hope that this clarifies things.

Regards

Gareth

[sjustice]

Thanks guys, this info has been a terrific help. I have been able to dig up a lot more info based on the pointers here and I'll post up some more stuff when I pull it together. One important correction to my initial post though is that I have discovered in was Capt. Wadlow's FATHER that was the headmaster before and during the war.

More later and thanks again.

SMJ

[mickdavis]

Beg to differ with info on 10 RS. It was based at Joyce Green at the time of Wadlow's death - he managed to hit a hut while landing the beast, but JG was a notoriously difficult aerodrome to operate from. Unit details below :-

10 RESERVE AEROPLANE/RESERVE/TRAINING SQUADRON RFC/RAF

Bases

Formed in 6th Wing at Joyce Green 1.9.1915 from 2 RAS C Flt. To 18th Wing by 5.1916. Returned to 6th Wing by 1.1917. Designated as a Higher Reserve Squadron and establishment at 23.12.1916 set at 6 HF + 6 Vickers FB + 6 DH2/FE8. To Ternhill and 29th Wing 1.6.1917. To Shawbury 30.6.1917. To Lilbourne 7.4.1918. To Gosport and 8 Group 25.6.1918. Autumn 1918 establishment intended as 12 SE5a + 12 Avro. Disbanded 24.2.1919.

Representative Aeroplanes

Airco DH1 4629.

Airco DH2 6008, 7866, 7867, 7868, A2550, A2559, A2560, A2593, A2597, A2602, A2613, A4786, A4789, A4798, A4800, A4802, A4988.

Airco DH5 A9437.

Avro 504 779.

Avro 504A/J A8502, A8507, A8521, B917, B918, B919, B941, B945, B946, B948, B990, B995, B3108, B3153, B3276, B4230.

Avro 504J/K D4388, D4441, D7051.

Bristol Scout C 1607.

Bristol Scout D 5293, 5554, 5558, 5570, 5572, 5575, 7036, 7037, 7054, 7055, 7057, A1779, A1782.

Curtiss JN3 6122.

Curtiss JN4 5723.

GW XIV 594.

HF F.20 1836, 7403, 7413, 7414, 7420, 7428, 7429, 7440, 7441, A1154, A1183, A1192, A1194, A1250.

Martinsyde G.102 A3949, A4001.

MF Se.7 4008.

MF Se.11 5885.

RAF BE2c 1776, 2049, 4147, 4700.

RAF BE2e 7072.

RAF BE12a A565.

RAF FE8 6401, 6403, 6406, 7597.

RAF RE8 A3185, A3444.

RAF SE4 5610.

RAF SE5a D401.

Sopwith Pup A6230, B804, B1844, B1849, B1850, B2191, B2192, B2245, B5295, B5335, B5341, B5381, B6038, B6039, B6092, B6141.

Sopwith F1 Camel B2310, B2313, B5164, B5215, B6252, B6268, B6305, B6404, B6415, B6416, B6432, B6433, B7316, B7359, B9132, B9158, B9230, B9232, B9242, B9248, B9316, C8, C9, C15, C16, C92, E1507, E1508.

Vickers FB5 1624, 1630, 1644, 1646, 2865, 2867, 2879, 2880, 2883, 5618, 56205659, 5668, 5679.

Vickers FB9 5272, 5273, 5279, 5280, 5281, 5287, A1411, A1412, A8601, A8602, A8611, A8618, A8624.

[mickdavis]

A further thought :-

Reserve/Training Squadrons were never developed into full squadrons. They did provide nuclei of personnel, usually not more than a flight, from which service squadrons formed. 10 TS was one of several in the UK that was not absorbed into the TDS system - it seems that those that retained their identities were the one scheduled to maintain Camel and DH4 training.

[sjustice]

Here's the final gen:

Harry served in Gallipoli as 2nd/Lieut ASC and was invalided home from the Dardanelles in 1915.

Joined the newly formed RFC in the following year and by 26th July was listed as Captain. He trained as an Observer with the Air Observer School in Kent.

Beginning a flying instruction course at Joyce Green Airfield on the Dartford Salt Marshes, Harry was with No. 10n Squadron who had been the first Sqn to arrive at Joyce Green. The airfield had been established by Vickers in 1911 and taken over as an air defence airfield in 1914. Hangars, workshops and staff quarters were completed in 1915 for No. 6 Wing, responsible for training stations in the South East. No. 10 Squadron arrived with a variety of aircraft including the DH2, Henry Farman and Vickers FB5 and FB9 (Gareth kindly posted a pic of DH2 early in this thread. Anyone got the others?).

More from Frenchay Village Chronicles (Ray Bulmer):

"The aeroplane win which Harry was taught to fly was the de Havilland single engine pusher scout, the DH2. This was a popular plane [sic] of which some 400 were built; more than 200 were in service in France by the end of 1916. The light controls and a speed of 93 miles per hour at sea level proved decisive in combat, although it was a tricky machine to fly until the pilot became used to it's handling characteristics. During it's early days, several pilots were killed through 'spinning', a phenomenon not then understood. Nevertheless it was considered a good training aircraft and some 100 machines were produced for this purpose.

One of the instructors, at the time that Harry was there, was the famous James McCudden, then a Lieutenant but who was later to die as a much decorated 23 year-old Major in a flying accident in France in July 1918. In his book, 'Flying Fury', McCudden recalls his days at Joyce Green, of which he wrote, 'the aerodrome is a good one, although it is below the level of the Thames, which flows past the airfield, and the ground is a little spongy'.

It was while Harry was training to fly, and flying solo, May 1st 1917, that his aircraft struck a hut on his landing approach and he was killed instantly. His father received the news during the morning school that same day and was most distraught. Hilda Adams, who was then a pupil at the school, later recorded that Mr. Wadlow fell to the ground with the shock. The school was closed for the next two days and Mr. Wadlow took leave of absence until 8th May."

The whereabouts of Harry's BWM was known in the 1990s but it has since gone missing. He was also awarded the VM and 1914-1915 Star.

His grave inscription reads,...

"Harry Wadlow

Captain, RFC

born 26th February 1895

died 1st May 1917

Per Ardua Ad Astra"

Harry with his Observer's Half-Wing.

Remembered.

SMJ