delta Posted 8 May , 2008 Share Posted 8 May , 2008 Going back to his MC citation- 6th Bn were equipped with Whippets by this time (they had started reroling in early 1918 but this was delayed by the Kaiserslacht) Interesting that his tank was hit by anti tank artillery which jammed the door and he got put through the roof-hatch. Presumably he was well in the rear of the German positions and trying to pull back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delta Posted 8 May , 2008 Share Posted 8 May , 2008 Had a not very useful evening hunting for the marriage - no luck yet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raster Scanning Posted 9 May , 2008 Share Posted 9 May , 2008 Just occasionally a thread appears that on the surface should be of little interest to me as it has nothing to do with my main research area, when read though, it proves to be absolutely facinating. This is one such thread. The only negative side to the success of the forum is that in the early days you could read all the threads, now I can only read ones that catch my interest from their titles. I wonder how many good ones I have missed? By the way Delta, are you a Hasher. On On. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delta Posted 9 May , 2008 Share Posted 9 May , 2008 Glad you like it. I have found that, by dipping in and out of other areas, my knowledge has grown enormously. What tends to attracts me a "non-stantard" post title Stephen re Hash - have been; the pace of a younger person seems to elude me nowadays but the net provides a new way of continuing the sport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stebie9173 Posted 9 May , 2008 Share Posted 9 May , 2008 I like the description on one website of Hashers - "Drinkers with a running problem" Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Twomey Posted 9 May , 2008 Author Share Posted 9 May , 2008 All this talk of hashing is making me thirsty!! By the way while in Douglas cemetery last week I came across a lot of ww1 graves. According to the CWGC there are 17 commonwealth burials of the 1914-1918 war there. See the link below: http://www.cwgc.org/search/cemetery_detail...9226&mode=1 While in St. Lukes cemetary (literally across the road from the Catholic one) there are 4 burials from ww1. http://www.cwgc.org/search/cemetery_detail...9227&mode=1 They all seem to be well maintained and with the standard headstone it is easy to locate them. Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Twomey Posted 10 May , 2008 Author Share Posted 10 May , 2008 Eureka!! The needle has turned up in the haystack. Today I discovered the burial place of Lt. Leonard Charles Groutage in Douglas Catholic cemetery. This happened just as I was about to leave the cemetery after spending a further two hours there this morning. I had decided that the search was futile and was getting ready to call it a day when a certain headstone cought my eye and I couldn't believe it when I read the inscription - it does mention the MC and that he was in the Royal Tank Corp and his age and date of death but no other information that I could make out. It is a bit overgrown and doesn't seem to be the final resting place for any other members of his family. I intend to return during the week and clean up the inscription and take a photo which I can place on the forum. What a break just when I thought that this thread had run its course. Best Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delta Posted 10 May , 2008 Share Posted 10 May , 2008 Well done Pat - absolutely brilliant Stephen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Twomey Posted 17 May , 2008 Author Share Posted 17 May , 2008 Photo of last resting place of Lt Leonard Groutage. The next photo contains a shot of a side panel on the headstone and it records the name of Lt Edmund Sharrington Davenport, Royal Flying Corp. He was the brother of Mary Groutage nee Davenport and the son of retired naval officer Edmund Davenport. His MCI shows that he was reported missing and returned as died on 3/1/1918 and was awarded the Victory and British medals. The CWGC gives the following details: DAVENPORT, EDMUND SHARRINGTONInitials:E SNationality:United KingdomRank:Second LieutenantRegiment/Service:Royal Flying CorpsUnit Text:3rd Sqdn.Secondary Regiment:General ListSecondary Unit Text:and Age:21Date of Death:03/01/1918Additional information:Son of Annie L. A. Davenport, of Victoria Buildings, MacCurtain St., Cork, and the late Capt. Edmund Henry Davenport (R.N.).Casualty Type:Commonwealth War DeadMemorial:ARRAS FLYING SERVICES MEMORIAL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Twomey Posted 17 May , 2008 Author Share Posted 17 May , 2008 Lt Edmund Sharrington Davenport Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Twomey Posted 17 May , 2008 Author Share Posted 17 May , 2008 Here is a photo of Lt Davenport taken from a local newspaper. What is most interesting is a story I discovered when researching the Davenport connection. It seems that retired naval officer Edmund Davenport (Senior) retired to West Cork sometime around 1895 and was employed as a coast guard officer. He lived at Glandore (about 35 miles from Cork City) from 1901 to 1912. Sometime in January 1912 he together with his son Sharrington (who was to later join the RFC and die in 1918) appeared in the local court to answer an assault charge against his landlord Townshend but Davenport asked for an adjournment until the following Tuesday 23/1/1912 to enable him get legal representation - this was granted. However the following Tuesday he was found drowned in the sea near his house - Shorecliffe in Glandore. The verdict returned at the inquest couldn't determine if it was suicide or accidental and left it at death by drowning. The census of 1881 places him on the HMS Royal Adelaide as an unmarried officer, born in Richards Castle Shropshire http://www.angelfire.com/de/BobSanders/HMSAdelaide81.html while 30 years later the 1911 census places him in Shorecliffe House married with 2 chilren - Sharrington who would be killed in the RFC in 1918 and Mary who would marry Lt Groutage in 1919. It seems after the drowning of Davenport senior his wife and family had to leave Glandore and move to Cork as according to Guys postal directory of 1913 they were living in Cork and in 1918 their address is given as 6 Parkview Wellington Road Cork which is now a guesthouse http://www.cork-guide.ie/cork_city/parkview/ . And they continued to live in Cork at various addresses until the fateful night in 1933 when Lt Groutage took too much Bromidia. The text that comes with the photo of Edmund Sharrington Davenport states: 2nd Lieut. E. S. Davenport Royal Flying Corps, killed in action, was the son of the late Capt. E. H. Davenport and Annie Davenport 6, Park View, Wellington Rd., Cork/ I may place the information about Lt Edmund Sharrington Davenport on the war in the air forum to see if anyone can come up with any further information on him. Best Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coldstreamer Posted 17 May , 2008 Share Posted 17 May , 2008 Actually its the Victory Medal Do you think he was due a 1914 or 1914/15 star ? Often they can be on another MIC with a typo re the name Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delta Posted 17 May , 2008 Share Posted 17 May , 2008 Pat - that's a fascinating story - more twists than a pig's tail indeed. 3 Jan 1918 - a cold winter - I wonder if he was a victim of the freeze Does the census give the place of birth for Mary and age? it might give us alead on the palce of her marriage and therefore where they met. From what you indicate she never left Cork so why did Leonard go there? Stephen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Twomey Posted 17 May , 2008 Author Share Posted 17 May , 2008 Hi Stephen, According to the 1911 Irish census there were only three people in the house on the night of enumeration - they were Edmund age 57 Annie age 47 and Sharrington age 15. Under number of children the answer was given as 2 suggesting that Mary was elsewhere on that night. This would have been 8 years prior to her marriage to Leonard Groutage so not quite sure of her age. Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Twomey Posted 17 May , 2008 Author Share Posted 17 May , 2008 sorry about the typo re Victory. I don't think he was due a 1914/5 star - maybe he was a bit young then. Is there any books you could recommend on the royal flying corps from this time? I would like to find out how much training members of this corps were given. Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphin Posted 18 May , 2008 Share Posted 18 May , 2008 Pat 2Lt E S Davenport was killed in action while flying Sopwith Camel B9131 of No 3 Sqn RFC on 3 January 1918. He was on a low bombing mission, after leaving Warloy aerodrome at 0710, and was last seen near Marcoing. The 2nd Machine Gun Company of Infantry Regiment 231 were credited with shooting him down at Masnières. I hope that this is useful. Gareth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esskay Posted 18 May , 2008 Share Posted 18 May , 2008 Doesn't add a lot but - from The Times, Wednesday, Feb 20, 1918; pg. 5; Issue 41718; col E Cheers Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delta Posted 18 May , 2008 Share Posted 18 May , 2008 I would guess she was away at school... but I could be wrong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Twomey Posted 18 May , 2008 Author Share Posted 18 May , 2008 Thanks Gareth and Sue for the information - it certainly is useful! Reading about the camels it seems that more RFC personnel lost their lives learning to fly them than actually in combat. This article also stated that the average life expectancy of a pilot was about two weeks!! Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Twomey Posted 19 May , 2008 Author Share Posted 19 May , 2008 Looking at the coin/medallion again I wonder what the letters C E stand for? L C stand for Leonard Charles but I have not come across any other name for him that make any reference to C E could it be Church of England? I don't think so as it would be misplaced coming after Cpl and before L C. Any thoughts? Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stebie9173 Posted 19 May , 2008 Share Posted 19 May , 2008 On a dog-tag it certainly would mean Church of England. Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Twomey Posted 19 May , 2008 Author Share Posted 19 May , 2008 Thanks Steve I can see the logic of it now if I look at the coin as a dog-tag rather than a medallion. Church of England then makes a lot of sense! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Twomey Posted 20 May , 2008 Author Share Posted 20 May , 2008 Pat 2Lt E S Davenport was killed in action while flying Sopwith Camel B9131 of No 3 Sqn RFC on 3 January 1918. He was on a low bombing mission, after leaving Warloy aerodrome at 0710, and was last seen near Marcoing. The 2nd Machine Gun Company of Infantry Regiment 231 were credited with shooting him down at Masnières. I hope that this is useful. Gareth Hi Gareth, Could you give me the reference for the above information - it was most helpful. Thanks Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphin Posted 21 May , 2008 Share Posted 21 May , 2008 Pat I looked at two books: Airmen Died in the Great War by Chris Hobson, ISBN 0 871505 81 X; and The Camel File by Ray Sturtivant and Gordon Page, ISBN 0 85130 212 2. I hope that this helps you. Gareth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delta Posted 21 May , 2008 Share Posted 21 May , 2008 Most interesting - many thanks Stephen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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