ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 220829
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| Date: | Sunday 28 January 1917 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: | Vickers E.S.1 |
| Owner/operator: | CFS RFC |
| Registration: | 7509 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | RFC Upavon, Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RFC Upavon, Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
28.1.17: Vickers E.S.1 No.7509, Central Flying School, Royal Flying Corps, RFC Upavon. Written off (destroyed) when side slipped and nose dived into the ground, RFC Upavon, Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire. Pilot - Lt-Col George Aubrey Kennedy Lawrence DSO (aged 25) - was killed. According to the aircraft accident record card for Vickers S.E.1 No 7509 (see link #3):
"Court of Inquiry 87/9363
1/2/17
Flying accident. Possible error of judgement by pilot, resulting in side slip and nose dive. The court of Inquiry was of the opinion that the accident was due to an error of judgement on the part of the pilot, in that he overbanked the machine too close to the ground. Insufficient time and space for machine to recover from nose dive"
According to a contemporary report in "Flight" magazine (February 8 1917 page 140 - see link #4)
"Casualties
Captain (temporary Lieutenant-Colonel, R.F.C.) GEORGE AUBREY KENNEDY LAWRENCE, D.S.O., Royal Field Artillery, who was killed while flying in England on January 28th, was 25 years of age and the youngest son of Major-General W. A. Lawrence and Mrs. Lawrence, of Pembroke Gardens, Kensington, late of Sandhurst, Berkshire. Captain Lawrence passed out of Woolwich into the Royal Artillery in December, 1911, and in September, 1914, he was attached to the Royal Flying Corps; he was gazetted Captain in the Royal Artillery in August, 1916, and was Major in the Royal Flying Corps in the same year.
He had served with great distinction in the war, and his award of the D.S.O. was gazetted in November, 1915, in the following terms: "For conspicuous and repeated acts of gallantry in France, notably the following : On September 21st, 1915, he completed a reconnaissance to points 60 miles inside the German lines, although repeatedly attacked by a hostile machine. On September 25th he attacked and hit a moving train near Lille, descending to 600 ft. On September 26th he attacked and drove off a hostile aeroplane which was interfering with our bombing machines. On September 30th he carried out a three-hour reconnaissance in very bad weather. Although his machine was hit in 70 places by anti-aircraft guns on crossing the German lines on his way out, he carried on and completed his work."
He was received by the King at Buckingham Palace on December 9th, 1915, and was invested with the Insignia of the Companionship of the Distinguished Service Order."
Sources:
1. http://www.rcawsey.co.uk/Acc1917.htm
2. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/402185/lawrence,-george-aubrey-kennedy/
3. http://www.rafmuseumstoryvault.org.uk/archive/lawrence-g.a.k.-george-aubrey-kennedy
4. Flight magazine (February 8 1917 page 140): https://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1917/1917%20-%200140.PDF
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vickers_E.S.1
6. https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/name/812931
7. http://lib.militaryarchive.co.uk/library/Biographical/library/The-VC-and-DSO-Volume-II/files/assets/basic-html/page432.html
Media:
Vickers S.E.1 at Joyce Green, Dartford, Kent in 1915
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 15-Jan-2019 01:42 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 15-Jan-2019 01:45 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 23-Jan-2019 09:11 | stehlik49 | Updated [Operator] |
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