72 Sqn RFC
 

I am currently trying to trace the descendants of air and ground crew of No 72 Sqn from WW1 in regard to the squadron's 100th anniversary in 2017. If anyone can help in this regard please send me a message.

72 Sqn
 

Some of the names of sqn personnel are:

Capt/Major HW von Poellnitz
Lt George M Lees MC
Lt WM Thomas (Sir Miles Thomas)
Lt DF Lapraik
2/Lt JA Pitt
Major OA Westendarp
Major Owen Tudor Boyd
Lt KM Pennington AFC
Lt MS McKay DFC
Lt RDP Pope DFC
Lt TL Williams
Lt SD McDonald
Lt HFC Cannell
Capt Francis H Coleman
Lt Leech
Lt Carrol
Sgt HL Howard

This may be of interest to you if you haven't already seen it. More 72 Sqn History than a listing of personnel although Major von Poellnitz is pictured.


http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafcms/mediafi...0440CD93A9.pdf

72 SQN
 

Thanks KNARFW,

I have this already and used it to help with the list of names. Hoping to find their living descendants to take part in the 100th anniversary celebrations in 2017.

Tom

Not directly an answer, but how do I go about finding out the service history of my own relative? All I have is name, dates, location of his grave (which I've visited), and the fact that he was in the RFC. I don't know what squadron, for example.

I'd like to find out before next year, which will be the centenary of his death.

Name was Francis St Vincent Morris (known as 'Vince', at least to the family).

Second Lieutenant Francis St. Vincent Morris


3rd Sqdn., Royal Flying Corps who died on 29 April 1917 Age 21


Son of Canon Ernest E. Morris, M.A., T.D., J.P., and Josephine Morris, of The Vicarage, Ashbourne, Derbyshire. Educated at Brighton College and Wadham College, Oxford.


Also served with 3rd Bn. Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment)


Location of Grave: Officers, B. 6. 5. St Sever Cemetery, Rouen.




CWGC - Casualty Details


Also found this:


2nd Lieutenant Francis St Vincent MORRIS (1896-1917). Born 21 February 1896, Blackwell Vicarage, Ashbourne, Derbyshire, the youngest son of Canon and Mrs Morris. Educated Brighton College, where he was at school when the War started. At the end of summer term, 1915, he was gazetted 2nd Lieutenant in the 3rd Battalion Sherwood Foresters, the same regiment in which his father had served as chaplain. Once he realized his chances of getting to France were not favorable, he transferred into the Royal Flying Corps. A few weeks after his arrival at No. 3 Squadron, in France, in April 1917, he crashed during a blizzard at Vimy Ridge, fracturing both legs, one of which had to be amputated. He died on 29 April, three weeks after his crash, while under anaesthetic during a second surgery. He was 21. 2nd Lt Morris was buried at St Sever Cemetery, Rouen




You may be interested in the 3 Sqn Association Web Site:


http://www.3fsquadronassociation.com/

That's brilliant, thanks. Obviously with him being so young I'm not a direct descendant (he was my grandfather's cousin) but I didn't know most of that.

Any idea what aircraft types they operated in April 17? Neither Wikipedia nor the Sqn website lists anything before Sep 17 (Camel).

Seems to have been mainly the Morane Parasol which was used from Dec 15 until Sep 17 when it was replaced by the Camel.


http://www.greatwarflyingmuseum.com/...aulnier_l.html

62 Sqn RFC
 

Hi knarf,
could you please help me with tracing my wife's grandfather.
He was Sgt-Mechanic Electrician John Stanley Buckley, 36705. I have found him on a list of 62 Sqn personnel.
The UK Archives are hard to negotiate :-(.
Many thanks
David

David, I am not a serious researcher but was able to find a family member on the Commonwealth War Graves site. I used the same site to access the above information. If the relative you are looking for is not buried in a Commonwealth War Grave then he won't be listed. From the information you provided I could find no listing so assume that he either survived the War (hopefully) or is buried in an unregistered grave.


Sorry I can't be of any further help.