First Royal Flying Corps aircraft to be shot down by the 'Red Baron'

liverpool annie · Sep 29, 2009

In Memory of
Second Lieutenant LIONEL BERTRAM FRANK MORRIS

11th Sqdn., Royal Flying Corps
and 3rd Bn., The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment)
who died age 19
on 17 September 1916
Son of Albert Frank Morris and Lily Morris, of 46, George St., Richmond, Surrey. Pilot of the first Royal Flying Corps aircraft to be shot down by the 'Red Baron' - Baron Manfred von Richthofen.

Remembered with honour
PORTE-DE-PARIS CEMETERY, CAMBRAI

Remembered Croydon WW1 Roll of Honour

http://www.croydononline.org/history/the_war_years/roh/dod.asp?wtY=1916

In Memory of
Captain TOM REES

11th Sqdn., Royal Flying Corps
and 14th Bn., Royal Welsh Fusiliers
who died age 21
on 17 September 1916
Son of Thomas and Alice Rees, of Troedyrhiw Villa, Devynock, Brecon. Observer in the first Royal Flying Corps aircraft to be shot down by the 'Red Baron' - Baron Manfred von Richthofen.

Remembered with honour
VILLERS-PLOUICH COMMUNAL CEMETERY

1 ......... 9-17-1916 - 11:00am - Villers Plouich
2nd Lt. Lionel Bertram Frank Morris †
Porte-de-Paris Cemetery in Cambrai, France
Captain Tom Rees †
Villers-Plouich Cemetery in Nord, France

RAF FE2b № 7018 Albatros DII № 491/16 11th Squadron Royal Flying Corps.

http://www.redbattleflyer.com/thedead.htm

It was just such a crew that fell to Manfred von Richthofen on the 17th of September 1916. The aircraft was FE.2b No.7018 and it was crewed by Lionel Bertram Frank Morris, Pilot and Tom Rees, observer/gunner of number 11 Squadron 3rd Brigade Royal Flying Corps. On this morning 11 and 12 Squadrons were sent out to bomb Marcoing Station. 12 Squadron flew four BE2ds as the bombers with no defensive gunners as they were laden with bombs. That is where 11 Squadron comes in; they were acting as fighter escort.

The 17th of September 1916 is an important day in aviation history. It was the first day that Jasta 2 had enough aircraft to put a true fighting unit together and begin to operate as Oswald Boelcke had envisioned a fighting unit should.
Click to expand...

http://modelingmadness.com/reviews/w1/gb/bodilyfe2.htm

Cpt Tom Rees 17/09/1916 aged 21

He was the son of Thomas and Alice Rees of Cefn Brynich farm in Defynnog near Brecon. He was a very bright university student who joined the 14th Royal Welsh Fusiliers as soon as his degree was completed. He was the observer in an FE2b whilst flying with Lionel Frank Bertram Morris of 11 Squadron when he was shot down over Villers Plouich. Morris was able to land the aeroplane at Flesquieres before dying. Rees had apparently died in the air. Both were killed by Manfred von Richthofen, the famous Red Baron who was flying that day for the very first time in his Albatros DII with the rest of his squadron, Jasta 2 led by Oswald Boelcke. The Germans buried Rees with full military honours.

liverpool annie · Nov 1, 2009

It always fascinates me that the Germans on many occasions buried the flyers with military honours .... I found this - which seems to explain this one !

On the 17th September 1916 five aircraft from Oswald Boelcke's Jagdstaffel 2 took off with a view to patrolling the area around Marcoing to the south of Cambrai.

At possibly the same moment six aircraft from No 11 Squadron RFC took off ready to escort eight bombers from No 12 Squadron. Their target was the railway station at Marcoing.

Formed at Netheravon on 14 February 1915 from a nucleus provided by No 7 Squadron, No 11 Squadron are considered to be the first ever specifically organised fighter squadron. Five months later they were deployed to France with the Vickers FB5 (Gunbus) in time for the battle of Loos. In May 1916 they would be joined by a nineteen year old called Albert Ball who would go on to be one of Britain's Ace pilots.

Their motto means Swifter and keener than eagles whilst the two eagles represent the twin mounted machine guns.

On this day they were flying the rather ungainly looking FE2b which like its predecessor the FB5 was a pusher styled aircraft. This meant that the engine and propeller were mounted behind the pilot and observer's seats. This allowed the observer who was armed with a Lewis machine gun to fire directly forwards as well as backwards over the top of the wing (and the pilot's head - as he was in the rear seat).

The observer was not strapped in and had complete freedom of movement to use his Lewis gun as well as acting as operating the sights for the bombs and releasing them. When the craft was in combat it was often little more than the air pressure that stopped them from falling out.

By about 1030 hours the British pilots were encountering anti-aircraft fire (Archie as it was known) as they crossed the lines. The bombers dropped their bombs and then all hell broke loose as Boelcke's group swept in. Apart from their commander the Germans were novices but they handled themselves brilliantly driving off the British and accounting for four of the six planes from 11 Squadron and two of the eight bombers from No 12.

One of Boelcke's men was a young man called Manfred von Richthofen and who had just accounted for his first victim.

Richthofen himself recorded -

When patrol flying I detected shrapnel clouds in direction of Cambrai. I hurried forth and met a squad which I attacked shortly after 1100. I singled out the last machine and fired several times at closest range (ten metres). Suddenly the enemy propeller stood stock still. The machine went down gliding and I followed until I had killed the observer who had not stopped shooting until the last moment.

Von Richthofen had been very quick to learn that the weak point of the FE2b was underneath and had come up underneath the plane piloted by 19 year old 2nd Lieutenant Lionel Morris. Both Morris and his observer Captain Tom Rees were mortally wounded though Morris managed a controlled landing.

Quick to ensure that his first success was recorded von Richthofen landed alongside his stricken enemy in time to see Morris being pulled out of the cockpit and taken away to hospital (Where he died of his wounds).

To mark his victory the future Red Baron had a small silver cup engraved with the details. As things turned out the blockade on Germany would ensure that the jeweller ran out of silver before his client ran out of victories.
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http://www.webmatters.net/cwgc/villers_plouich_com.htm

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First Royal Flying Corps aircraft to be shot down by the 'Red Baron'

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First Royal Flying Corps aircraft to be shot down by the 'Red Baron'

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