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Can anyone shed any light at all on the inscription on a gravestone in my home town church yard? It reads:
"C.E. Webb Smith RAF
Killed whilst Flying
July 28th 1917
Interred at Acton"
Now 1917 is a bit before my time....so:
Flying accident? Killed in action? RAF in 1917? Any relevance in the fact he was interred at Acton ( was there a flying training establishment there?)
diginagain
2nd Oct 2010, 05:16
CWGC Casualty Report (http://www.cwgc.org/search/SearchResults.aspx?surname=Webb-Smith&initials=C+E&war=1&yearfrom=1917&yearto=1917&force=&nationality=&send.x=36&send.y=10) has his service as being RFC, Casualty Details (http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=388776) suggests he was with the 60th Training Sqn, Scampton. Perhaps the headstone was raised after 1 Apr 1918?
As to the location of his interment; perhaps he was a local boy brought home to be closer to his family following his death in the UK. The address given on the records above is in Bedford Park. Just speculation, BTW, pending more information from those with access to records.
It may be worth posting your question here, (http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=4) or here, (http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showforum=25) too.
digin...
Many thanks. "My" inscription is on a family headstone in Shropshire so I can't shed any light on the Acton connection.
diginagain
2nd Oct 2010, 09:03
That's interesting, but I suspect, not unusual. I'd recommend posing the same question on the websites linked, as I'm sure that there is more information out there. I could only post the results of some quick Googling.
Chris Hobson's 'Airmen Died in the Great War,' ISBN 0 971505 81 X might have more details.
Edited to add: From a reply to a RFI posted on the 'Great War Forum'
Lt C E Webb-Smith of No 60 Training Squadron, was killed in an accident while flying RE8 A3496 on 28 July 1917. He was from Bedford Park, London.
HTH