Military Pilots of Hull - Raymond Radge Woodcock (1917-1968)

Our Glider Pilots were not only very high-grade airmen – I believe that the Glider Pilot Regiment was the finest body of soldiers that the British Army produced in World War Two. [Brig. Gen. Hackett, Commander 4 Para Brigade, Peters & Buist, Glider Pilots at Arnhem]

Raymond Radge Woodcock was born in Hull on 6 July 1917 to parents, Herbert and Hilda M. S. Woodcock. His father worked for the Danish Bacon Company on Hessle Road (later as a Slater & Tiler). The family lived on Estcourt Street in East Hull for most of Raymond’s childhood, where he attended Southcoates Lane School.

Image: Southcoates Lane School, 1913. [L RH/3/515] 

The family later moved to Portobello Street and then to the more well-off area of Bilton on the outskirts of Hull, by the mid-1930s.

After leaving school in 1933, Raymond attended Hull College of Art where he took signwriting. Here he won several prizes during his time, including in letter work.

Image: Prospectus, Hull College of Art & Crafts. [L.378.997]. 

By 1934 he was working as an apprentice for Littlefield’s decorating and signwriting business based on Holderness Road. In the same year he was awarded a Gold Medal from the Yorkshire Master Painter’s    Association, he was clearly very talented. [HDM Newspaper Collection, 22 Mar 1934]

In January 1939 he married Lavinia Sanderson at St Peters Church, Bilton. A month later enlisted into the Worcestershire Regiment. After more than two years with his regiment, he volunteered for the newly formed Glider Pilot Regiment in 1942. [Information from Army Flying Museum]

The regiment was formed out of the successes of the German military in using troops transported by wooden gliders to capture enemy positions quickly. The British government saw the possible advantages immediately. Where parachute troops could only carry a certain amount of kit, they would also be spread over a large area when deployed, whereas the glider was able to deliver a platoon of soldiers and equipment to a precise location, silently with the element of surprise.

After passing his entrance exams Raymond was posted to one of the Elementary Flying Training Schools (EFTS). Here he would learn the basic principles of flight, navigation, weather, etc., flying a Tiger Moth biplane. He then moved to the Glider Training Schools (GTS) where he would get his first chance to fly the Hotspur training glider. Upon completion he would have been sent to one of the Heavy Glider Conversion Units (HGCU) flying the larger Horsa glider. The training was no picnic, and many hopefuls were returned to their units or died in flying accidents.

Images: (Left) Hotspur gliders in freefall over Oxfordshire. [©IWM (CH 6030)] (Right) A Horsa glider on tow behind an RAF bomber. [©IWM (CH 13084)]

The pilots were also trained in infantry combat in order to become “Total Soldiers”. This concept was far different to the RAF or American pilots and meant that on landing the British GPs were immediately expected to fight on the battlefield. By January 1944, Raymond had returned to Hull on leave but the following month was back in the air at RAF Thruxton near Andover, Hampshire with the Operation and Refresher Training Unit (ORTU) where he refreshed his flying skills. [The Eagle, Vol. 6, No. 2, April 1989, p. 7]

This would be much needed as a few months later, on 6 June 1944, Raymond took part in the D-Day landings, specifically Operation Mallard, part of the larger Operation Overlord. Mallard was preceded by Tonga and a Coup de Main force of 95 gliders whose main task was to capture and hold the two bridges that spanned the River Orne and Caen Canal. This was vital to stopping any German reinforcements to the Normandy beaches. Raymond’s aim along with the other 250+ gliders for Mallard was to deliver personnel and equipment intact to reinforce the 6th Airborne to hold the bridges and stave off any German attacks. The glider pilots had to be successful!

Raymond was part of ‘E’ sqn of the GPR who were to set off from RAF Down Ampney in Gloucestershire. His co-pilot was Major B. H. P. Jackson, commander of the squadron. Towed by Dakota bombers from no. 271 sqn RAF, the combinations would take off in 37 Horsa and 30 Hamilcar gliders headed for Landing Zone (LZ) ‘N’, less than a mile West of the Caen canal bridge. They would land around 21:00pm, in darkness after a 3-hour flight. The journey across was however, no easy feat.

The Horsa weighs almost 7 tons fully loaded and much of the time it was overloaded. It had no engine and the pilots did not have a parachute. They had to land without a runway in fields and open countryside, in total darkness without lights. The gliders themselves were built mostly by furniture manufacturers and had a tow speed of around 150mph and a recommended landing speed of around 60-80 mph, though they frequently landed at speeds in excess of this. Raymond’s glider was carrying men of the 1st Ulster Rifles.

An account of the glider landing from one of the RUR men reads: 

I felt the nose go down as we began our glide into the Landing Zone. Leaning forward, I suddenly saw streaks of light flashing past the nose of the glider and I realised that this was ack-ack fire from the ground. We took up our landing positions…and waited - with a prayer for a safe landing. Suddenly the familiar crunch and rumble as the landing gear touched the ground. On and on we seemed to go as the pilot fought to steer the glider away…then we were still. 'Under fire' shouted the pilot, and we all released our seatbelts and dived for the door, jumping four or five feet to the ground and then taking up the defensive positions previously rehearsed so often. [Capt Sheridan, 1 RUR. Royal Irish website]

The gliders were supposed to land in specific areas but due to wind changes they often landed haphazardly with some collisions on the ground, as seen in the below photograph.

Image: Some of the gliders landed on LZ ‘N’, Jun 1944.
[©IWM (HU 92976)]

Of the 144 gliders that took part in MALLARD, 112 landed according to plan. Upon landing the GP’s, including Raymond had to help unload their gliders. This was not always an easy task with many bent and buckled by the landing it meant that the equipment they carried had to be hacked out or explosives used to blow the tail or doors from the gliders, all done under mortar and shell fire from the Germans who saw the reinforcements arriving. Afterwards, they were tasked with helping secure the LZ, occupy defensive positions, and carry out offensive patrols during the night. Fighting as regular soldiers they also had to deal with intermittent sniper fire and enemy attempts to infiltrate the landing areas. Maj Gen Gale, commander of the 6th Airborne later wrote that: 

It is impossible to say with what relief we watched this reinforcement arrive. [Maj Gen R.N. Gale, Biography, ParaData.] 

The following day orders came for the GP’s to be evacuated from Normandy. This was generally the practice just in case they were needed to fly in anymore personnel or equipment. On their way to the beeches, again under sniper and mortar fire, they were evacuated by Landing Craft to Newhaven, Sussex before making their way back to their bases.

The following two months involved more training in preparation for the next big airborne offensive. In September, Raymond, along with more than 650 other glider pilots would be taking part in Operation Market Garden. The Allies plan was to cross the River Rhine and advance deep into German territory. To do this, key bridges had to be taken in and around the city of Arnhem, and Nijmegen, Netherlands which could only be accomplished by a surprise initial attack followed by enormous reinforcements by air and land. There would be 3 lifts of gliders taking off from various airfields in southern England on the 17-19th September. 

Raymond would take part in the first lift and was paired once again with Maj B. H. P. Jackson. Setting off from Down Ampney just before 10am headed for LZ ‘S’ at Wolfheze, 6 miles west of Arnhem. They were towed again by a Dakota from 271 Sqn and carried 9 men of the Kings Own Scottish Borderers (KOSB) a Jeep and a Trailer. The glider landed without issues in a stubble field with no enemy interference. 

Image: View from a Horsa glider heading over the Dutch coast
for Operation Market Garden, 17 September 1944.
[©IWM (BU 1160)]

On landing Raymond’s co-pilot noted that: 

…There was one gentleman who did not appear to be in the least disturbed by the whole affair and that was an elderly Dutchman. He was sitting on a wall placidly smoking…which was removed from his mouth long enough to say ‘Good morning’…just as though he had spent most of his life watching glider landings. [Peters & Buist, Glider Pilots at Arnhem, 2014]

After landing and unloading ‘E’ sqn along with others were to hold defensive positions, mainly in slit trenches around the LZ in preparation for the gliders landing the following day. The sqn were involved in a heavy fight with the enemy in the evening but were able to keep them at bay.

Once the second lift of gliders had arrived ‘E’ sqn made their way to Oosterbeek, 3 miles east encountering some resistance from the Germans. The Allied forces had not made the progress hoped for and were held up in Oosterbeek, hoping to be reinforced by 30 Corps. By the 19th a perimeter had been established around the town and many of the sqn were positioned on the northeast edge, fighting to defend the Division HQ. On the 20th the Germans began applying more pressure with continued bombardment across the town using, artillery, mortar and grenade attacks. In addition, infantry were probing the perimeter along with tanks and armoured vehicles, with little Allied reinforcements the defensive line gradually shrunk. ‘E’ sqn were forced out of position retreating to a nearby wood and were joined by men from a few other regiments, they were heled by the addition of a 6 pound anti-tank gun and a Vickers machine gun. The following day some progress was made against the Germans but at a significant cost in lives. On the 22nd heavy mortar and shell fire continued, causing the front lines to become dangerously thin. [No. 2 Wing GPR, War Diary, Pegasus Archive]

Using tanks and flame throwers the enemy forced them to abandon the position, and to withdraw into houses in which the defence of the Northern sector of the perimeter now concentrated.  The houses were systematically destroyed by S.P. guns and tanks at point blank range: the remaining pilots were, cut off from the main body of the Div by an open park of some 200 yards...Snipers became very active, but the position was held during the night and the next day - Monday the 25th. The remaining P.I.A.T.S. kept the tanks at bay...

On the 25th orders came to evacuate from Oosterbeek, reinforcements were too far away to hold out any longer. The survivors had to make their way south and cross the Rhine to Driel. 40 Glider Pilots were killed from ‘E’ sqn during Market Garden and many more captured as PoW’s, including Raymond. He was unable to go with the retreating forces. He had been wounded, likely in the attack of the previous day. He was reported missing on the 25th and his fate was initially unknown to his family back home.

In December word arrived that he was being held in Germany. Specifically, at Stalag 11B, located east of the town of Fallingbostel in north-West Germany. Conditions were not pleasant, a lack of food, clothing, blankets and medical equipment was consistently reported by the Red Cross. The camp held almost 7,000 British and American PoW’s when it was liberated on 16 August 1945. More than 1,000 of these were in hospital and several thousand more suffering from starvation that “should have been in hospital in any civilized country. [Delafore, The Fourth Reich and Operation Eclipse, p.204]

Image: POWs at Stalag 11B welcome their liberators,
16 April 1945 [©IWM (BU 3661)]

When the Queens Hussars arrived, it was noted that:

The Airborne beret predominated…And under each one was such a look of happiness and thankfulness that made us as happy to be the cause of it. It was a quiet crowd that thronged around us; they had had their cheer, and now when the moment came for words, few words came, mostly they were too moved to speak, men could only grin broadly and clasp your hand as the tears ran down their cheeks. [Museum of the Queens Own Hussars: The Liberation of Stalag XIB]

Raymond was held at the camp for 7 months and in April the following year he was transferred to the reserve and left the services. Returning to Hull, he lived at 238 James Reckitt Avenue with his wife and worked as a manager at a hardware dealers in the city. He died aged 50 on 19 February 1968 and was cremated at Chanterlands Crematorium. 

Military Pilots of Hull - Herbert Bradley Warburton (1916-1999)

Image: H. B. Warburton, No. 6 AOP Course, c.1942
[Army Flying Museum]

‘Warby’ as he would later be known was born in Amersham, Buckinghamshire on 26 July 1916, to parents Bradley and Alice Maud Warburton. The family moved around somewhat during Warby’s youth, living in Suffolk, West Yorkshire and eventually arriving in Hull by 1925, whereupon the family lived at the Grosvenor Hotel on Carr Lane where Bradley Warburton was the manager.

Image: The Grosvenor Hotel,
Hull, 1913. [L RH/1/185] 

In 1929, aged 13, Warby enrolled at Hymers College, being placed in Brandesburton House. Alongside his academic classes he excelled at sports, taking part, primarily in rugby, but athletics, swimming and cricket also. In 1935 he was a well-established member of the rugby first team being described as: 

H. B. Warburton (Forward) – A very useful, sturdy and keen forward who has been of great service to the side. Has played in the middle of the back row. Dribbles with control and is a strong tackler. Does his fair share of work in the scrum and has good positional play in the loose. Sound out of touch and takes his passes well. Has done good work for the team during this season and led the pack with success. [L.373 HYM, Vol. 22, No. 125, 1935]

Image: Hymers College, Hull, n.d. [LRH/3/487]

He finished his studies in 1936, at which time the family had moved to North Ferriby, living at the Duke of Cumberland Hotel. When the Civil Air Guard formed in 1938 (to prepare civilians for potential flying duties in case of war) Warby joined, having previously joined the Hull Aero Club whilst at school. He obtained his flying license with the club in April 1939, at the time he was working as a motor salesman. [HDM Newspaper Collection, 13 Apr 1939]

Image: Hull Aero Club rules and
bylaws booklet, c.1934 [C DFWT/5/15]

Later that year he enlisted into the Royal Artillery (RA) and was later commissioned into the 52nd Anti-Tank Regiment. In late 1941 he volunteered for the Air Observation Post (AOP). It was a newly formed unit, operating light aircraft which were piloted by RA officers who had been trained by the RAF to fly. The thinking was that artillery personnel would be far better experienced to gauge and understand how artillery was being used from the air as well as how to communicate and direct the units on the ground for maximum affect.

He passed his flying training in May 1942 and was posted to no. 651 AOP Squadron based at Old Sarum in Wiltshire. Only 6 months later he was disembarking from a ship in Algiers and flying an Auster aircraft to Bone (now Annaba) 300 miles along the north African coast.

The reason for this was Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa by the US and British forces. The aim was to prevent the Germans taking control of the French territories, which would ultimately give the Allies a southern route into Europe via Italy.

Warby and the AOP’s role was to direct the artillery fire, reconnaissance, and liaison flights. The role was an essential but dangerous one. The Auster’s were slow, unarmed aircraft and were regularly attacked by German fighters. The push eastwards meant that by June 1943 the squadron were south of Tunis and had taken part in various battles with members receiving an array of decorations for their efforts. 

Image: Auster of 651 Squadron AOP under camouflage
in Tunisia, North Africa. [© IWM (CNA 3965)] 

Nicknamed “The Artful Dodger” for his ability in evading enemy aircraft during the campaign Warby was awarded the French Croix de Guerre for his efforts in supporting the 1st Moroccan Division. He had achieved a:

...certain amount of audacious and successful tasks, in spite of heavy hostile aircraft interference...[with another describing him as doing some] cracking work...[HDM Newspaper Collection, 13 July 1943]

With the campaign in North Africa over there was little rest for 651 as they were next off to support the invasion of Sicily, deemed by Churchill as Europe's soft underbelly. The Allies invaded via sea and air in July 1943, codenamed Operation Husky the aim was to take the island, using it as a platform to enter Italy. Warby stayed behind in North Africa joining the unit again in October.

The squadron, now in Italy continued to support the artillery in reconnaissance and offensive shoots, but the Axis forces made it difficult to advance, using Italy’s natural geography to slow any progress. Despite this the AOP squadrons were immensely effective, it was reported from intelligence sources that: 

…the Germans have a great respect and dislike for the Air OP. They have in fact issued orders that no movement or firing will take place while the aircraft is in the air [so as not to give away their position]…[G. Warner, First in the Field: 651 Squadron Army Air Corps, 2011, p. 46].

In November he took over command of 651 Squadron just before their next big offensive, The Battle of the Sangro River in which a number of the men under his command were decorated. In early 1944 Warby was posted back to the UK where he qualified as a flying instructor.

He returned overseas in 1945 whereupon he was posted to 656 AOP Squadron who had a supporting role in Operation Zipper, the retaking of British Malaya (now Malaysia) which had been in Japanese occupied hands for the last few years. In late 1945, he had returned to the UK and started a new business in Hull called Warby’s Wine Store. Initially located in Paragon Square, opposite the train station, a second store was opened on Beverley High Road. Warby would return to service in May 1946, this time taking over command of 656 AOP Squadron who were now based in Java, the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). Their role was to help quell the anti-Dutch/occupation forces that were calling for Indonesian independence. During this time the squadron worked with the RAF and ground forces carrying out reconnaissance, aerial photography and casualty evacuation. Warby and the rest of the squadron, though no longer wary of German fighters did have to contend with ground fire which resulted in the pilots’ taking things into their own hands. He noted that: 

Pilots had their own choice of weapons – some chose the Sten Gun, others preferred the Bren Gun, fired through the camera port… It was not long before the opposition were treating our Austers with more respect. [Malaya, Java, Sumatra 1945 – 1947, 656 Squadron Association]

In November 1946 the squadron moved out of the area and back to Malaya where they were stationed at Kuala Lumpur. It is here that Warby showed his flying skill once more, this time not in combat: 

…sharing an airfield with a Spitfire squadron, he was somewhat annoyed by the bragging of a young fighter pilot who claimed that soldiers flying Austers would not stand a chance against a well handled fighter. Warby challenged the young man to a ‘duel’ and in a ‘dazzling display of evasive flying’ made a complete fool of him in front of an appreciative crowd of spectators on the ground. [Ibid]

In January 1947 the squadron disbanded, as they were no longer required. Warby moved on to briefly join his old squadron, 651, near Tel Aviv (then Palestine) in March. The role of the squadron was reconnaissance of suspected enemy areas, military passenger flying, air cover and search operations. Warby returned to the UK before mid-year and left the services in September.  For his role in Malaya and the Dutch East Indies he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for:

...gallant and distinguished services in the Netherlands East Indies. [The London Gazette (Supplement), 26 Jun 1947. p. 2923]

Image: HDM Newspaper Collection,   
16 Dec 1948.

    Returning to Hull he ran the family shop for the        following few years.  

     Not content, however, he returned to service in             September 1951 after the Korean War broke out.         Posted to no. 1903 Independent AOP Flight which      began flying operations in August 1951 from             Busan, South Korea. The war was one of the             bloodiest in recent  history. Post Second World             War a struggle for control led to Northern Korea,         backed by the communist forces of China and the        Soviet Union invading South Korea who were             supported by the US and later British forces.             Despite the harsh Korean winters, which meant         special clothing, engine heater tents and heaters         were required for the aircraft to even work, their         role, whilst based out of Fort George, was                     to observe, and direct artillery fire in support of the UN forces. At the end of 1952, before the war ended, Warby was posted out to command his own flight, no. 1907 in Malaya. The Malayan Emergency began in 1948 as a fight between the communist Malayan National Liberation Army which sought independence and the British Empire which fought to protect its interests in the region. The role of the flight was largely to identify enemy activity using flares for bombing/ground assault and propaganda leaflet dropping to encourage surrender.

Despite his role as flight commander, he flew almost 1000 hours in more than 700 operational sorties, identifying almost 150 enemy camps.  It was for his role as a leader that Warby was awarded an MBE in 1954. 

…Throughout this time he has set an outstanding example of personal skill and determination, whilst maintaining at the same time an exceptional standard of all round efficiency in his flight….His unfailing co-operation with the Army and Police Forces he supported and his determination to cause the maximum damage to the enemy on all occasions were an inspiration to those around him….He made the greatest possible use of his own skill and experience to teach younger pilots, and in this respect too he has made a notable contribution to the campaign in Malaya…[National Archives, WO373/132/110].

This was the end of Warby’s tours of duty. By 1955 he was back in the UK, this time commanding no. 663 AOP Squadron. He spent the following few years here before being posted to the Fort Waters, Texas, USA for helicopter training. The British had only recently began experimenting with the helicopter for military purposes, but the US had been doing so since the late 1940s. In September 1957 the AOP ceased and Warby was transferred to the newly formed Army Air Corps (AAC). Upon his return in mid-1958, he joined the Joint Experimental Helicopter Unit (JEHU) based at Middle Wallop, which had just returned from the Suez Crisis. He flew and helped test Sycamore and Whirlwind helicopters and their equipment for Army use. 

Image: Example of a Sycamore helicopter.
[© IWM (MAL 65)] 

Warby would go on to help bring a number of helicopters into service with the British Army whilst in charge of helicopter trials. Upon retirement in 1971 he took up a position at Ferranti Helicopters as their flight operations manager based at Gatwick, also working with British Caledonian and British Airways.  He passed away aged 82 in 1999. [Obituary, 656 Squadron Association]

For more information on the military service of Warburton or any other RFC, AOP, or GPR servicemen contact the Army Flying Museum: https://armyflying.com  

Military Pilots of Hull - David Arthur Stewart (1890-1924)

Image: David Arthur Stewart in his
flying coat and helmet, c.1915-1918.
[HDM Newspaper Collection,  27 Dec 1924] 

…he became one of Hull’s champion cyclists, and many prizes were gained locally and elsewhere. His nerve was always great and his brilliant career as an airman has caused a feeling of admiration amongst those who know him. [HDM Newspaper Collection, 27 Mar 1918]

Image: 44A Goodwin Street. [C THD.3.74.30]

Arthur as he would be known was born on 8 March 1890 at no. 44 1/2  Goodwin Street, to parents David J. Stewart, a coal dealer (former Mariner) from Canada and Ann Elizabeth Foster. He grew up with his adopted family who took him in aged 7 months. His mother passed away in 1891 and father, afterwards, with the rest of the family split up amongst relatives. His adopted mother, Louisa Stewart (no known relation) ran a private laundry business from their home on Day Street, called Dewar’s. Here Arthur worked as an errand boy before working his way up to manager. [HDM Newspaper Collection, 26 Dec 1924] 

Aged 17 he had already won a number of local competitions and trophies in cycling and came to wider prominence when he broke the record for the Hull to York and back cycle route, which he completed in 3 hours 49 mins.


By 1911 he had joined the Hull Thursday Road Club, whose membership required riders to cycle 100-miles in 11 hours! He was regularly competing in both road and track competitions. In June he competed at Herne Hill Velodrome in London as part of a 6-hour 100-mile pace race, he also joined the London Vegetarian Cycling Club.

Image: Arthur listed as holder of the Thompson
and Swift Trophies in 1910-1911 [L.796.6]

In November 1911 he turned his attention to running in the winter months joining the Health and Strength Harriers to keep his fitness. Going on to beat several English and Olympic champions and winning most of his races. He even competed to make the British cycling team at the Stockholm Olympics but was beaten to it by fellow Hull Cyclist J. W. Kirk. In 1913, he was living on Lister Street and worked as a tallyman when he married Dora A. Sharpe at St. James Church, Hull. Afterwards they moved in with her parents on Melrose Street.

Image: St James Church, Hull, c.1880s.
Demolished in 1957 [L.726.5 SJA/1]

In January 1915, shortly after war was declared Arthur enlisted at Pryme Street into the Royal Flying Corps (RFC), aged 25. His occupation at the time was a motor engineer. The aircraft was a relatively new invention and even more so to uses in war and as such the maintenance of them was an essential component to their success. Arthur joined up as a 2nd Class Air Mechanic (2/AM), given his occupation this likely meant he worked as an engine fitter or mechanic, though Air Mechanics carried out a plethora of other roles too.

From Hull he went to Farnborough, in Hampshire where the aircraft of the RFC were built and assembled. Here he would have been given some basic army training but primarily would have worked on the aircraft. After 7 months, in August, he was posted to France but was still keeping fit. Writing to his fellow sportsmen in Hull, he notes:

As sports follower you will be interested in learning that I won the 220, 440, and one mile flat events at a meeting organised by our squadron Royal Flying Corps, somewhere in France within sound of the guns. Kind regards, etc. Just a glimpse of old-time form, eh. Shall we ever get going again in England? What a hope? [HDM Newspaper Collection, 17 Sept 1915]

In April the following year he was promoted to 1/AM and had joined 20 Squadron based at Clairmarais, near St Omer, France, in the Ypres Sector. The squadron operated Bristol FE2B and later FE2D aircraft and Arthur would have been expected to help maintain them. 

Image: FE2D of no. 20 Sqn RFC, c. 1917
[ARCH-20A-003, Army Flying Museum]

     Moving up through the ranks he was         then selected for observer training.         This involved returning to England         to carry out various tests in                     navigation, weather, positioning,             wireless operation, aerial photography,      and aerial gunnery. By early May             1916, he had returned to his squadron      and was back flying. On the 19th he         was on an offensive patrol over                 Passchendaele and a German aircraft         appeared above him and his pilot.             Arthur fired up at it, the enemy aircraft      dropped its height and attacked, at             which point he fired another 3 drums      into the aircraft. However, at 10,000         feet his fingers were so cold he fumbled the next drum, and it flew back into the propeller, damaging it. The pilot had no choice but to break off and bring the aircraft back to British lines. He afterwards passed his observer training later that month. [R. A. Sellwood, Winged Sabres: One of the RFCs Most Decorated Squadrons, 2018, ch.4.]

In July the squadron played a supporting role at the Battle of the Somme, carrying out constant patrols from British lines to Lille to occupy the  enemy and stifle their ground reinforcements. Arthurs first aerial victories came at the start of August 1916, where he shot down two enemy machines, a brief account of the second can be seen below:

...while carrying out a height test, sighted a hostile machine over Ypres and attacked it. The fight lasted 10 minutes the F.E. firing 12½ drums of ammunition. The hostile machine was driven down from 11,000 to 5,000 feet, when it appeared to be out of control and it finally crashed to earth in a field near Gheluwe. [T. Donovan, Royal Flying Corps Communiques, 1915-1916, p.208]

On 26 August he was promoted to Corporal and having shown his skill in the air he was selected to carry out pilot training. He returned to England shortly afterwards and eventually took his test in December 1916 at the military training school at Brooklands, Surrey. 

His squadron was one of the most successful on the Western Front, however, it came at a cost. Between July and December 1916, the RFC lost almost 500 pilots and observers, and another 500 injured, such was the aggressive nature of the British plan to fight over enemy lines. 

Arthur then moved to the Central Flying School at Upavon on Salisbury Plain where he was officially awarded pilot status in February 1917. He was also promoted to Sergeant and attached to no.19 Reserve Squadron as an instructor, the unit was tasked with defending London from further air raids. 

He was only with this squadron for a few months before being commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant at which time he was posted to no. 18 Squadron, based at Auchel, west of Bethune, France. At the time the unit were involved heavily with day bombing raids. 

By November he was flying DH4’s, and when on the way back from a bombing run with a number of others his aircraft began having engine trouble and he could not stay with the formation. After dropping altitude, he spotted an enemy aircraft and despite his engine issues, dove on it, firing his front Lewis gun. The enemy fired back but after a short conflict fled, Arthur could not follow and returned. [AIR 1/1219/204/5/2634/81, National Archives]

Image: Example of a DH4 aircraft flown by Arthur with 18 Sqn RFC.
[Army Flying Museum, B43b]

In March 1918 came an aerial battle that would see Arthur awarded the Military Cross. On returning from a bombing run near Lille, he was intercepted by 30 enemy aircraft, at 4,000 ft and recalled that: 

...I attacked the leader of the nearest formation….saw him go down out of control…then found myself being attacked from all directions, principally from behind. My Observer shot down another…at very close range…I saw something fall out of the machine, probably the pilot…I stalled under another…after a burst of about ten rounds from my front gun…this machine dived out of control….My Observer was in the meantime engaged with four E.A. [enemy aircraft] on our tail. I did a climbing turn to enable him to have unrestricted fire…the other two attacked from above and below….[One] shot my Observer in the chest. He fell back but regained his balance & continued firing at the E.A. who had come in very close….the pilot of this machine was hit…and his machine fell out of control. My Observer fell back in the cock-pit & I was again attacked by 10 machines, having my aileron controls, one side of elevator control & other wires, etc., shot away, I spun down…and dived for our lines...[AIR 1/1219/204/5/2634/79, National Archives]

Unfortunately, his Observer, Lt. Mackay, died on route to hospital. Later that month he was promoted to temporary Captain and made a flight commander, meaning he was now responsible for several aircraft within the squadron. He continued to fly and shot down more enemy aircraft and in June 1918 he was awarded another MC for his continued efforts and valuable intel. By this time the squadron’s role had changed slightly and they were now carrying out evening reconnaissance, photography runs and low-level attacks. Arthur took part in several aerial combats over the ensuing months, and in November was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) and was described as:

...An able leader, conspicuous for initiative and dash...[The London Gazette (Supplement), 1 Nov 1918. p. 12973]

After the war, Arthur remained in the RAF where upon he served in the Middle East, but he frequently returned to Hull and East Yorkshire, returning as a member to the Hull Thursday Road Club.

In January 1919, he was instructing at No. 1 School of Navigation & Bomb Dropping based at Stonehenge. A year later, he was posted to No. 216 Squadron RAF, based at Kantara, Egypt, near the Suez Canal. The squadron was carrying out mail delivery, route flying and survey work. Specifically, Arthur was delivering mail across the middle east, a duty which, on the 17th resulted in near catastrophe, when his DH10 aircraft lost power in the port engine, causing the aircraft to swing wildly out of control. Luckily Arthur and his co-pilot survived the ordeal. [Casualty Card. RAF MuseumStoryVault] He returned to England in February 1922, after receiving his next award, the rare Air Force Cross. This he was awarded for: 

…skill and courage in flying duties on the Cairo-Baghdad and Baghdad-Amman Air Routes...[AIR 30/46, National Archives]

He spent the next few years with the RAF on short term commissions, posted to no. 7 Squadron, Bircham Newton, Norfolk, a heavy night bomber squadron. He left the RAF in August 1924 to become a commercial pilot and began flying for Imperial Airways from Croydon airport, in Surrey. 

He had flown the Croydon to Paris route a number of times but on Christmas Eve 1924 his aircraft, after take-off was seen flying low and nosediving into the ground shortly after take-off, at which point it burst into flames. He, along with 7 passengers were all killed. The accident led to the first Public Enquiry for a civil aviation accident in the UK. The verdict of which was a malfunction of the aircraft, and the pilot was cleared. His body was transferred to Hull, arriving at Paragon Station amidst large crowds. It was reported in the newspaper that:

The plain oak coffin, bearing the remains…was covered with flowers, and open hearse, draped in purple, carried the remainder of the tributes…Among the mourners was Capt. Stewart’s little son, wearing his father’s war medals. [Air Crash Victim, Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer, 31 Dec 1924, p.3.]

He was buried on 30 December 1924 at Hull Western Cemetery.

Image: Burial register entry [C TCB/6] 

If you would like to find out more about Stewart, or any other RFC, AOP or GPR servicemen contact the Army Flying Museum at: Home | The Army Flying Museum 

Kyle Thomason, Librarian/Archivist

The Welcome Kindness of Strangers

In this blog post we hear from Dr Jo Stanley, one of our lovely researchers, who has kindly agreed to tell us about her research and experience of using Hull History Centre. She's been working with our Mission to Seafarers collection and has made some fascinating discoveries...

Dr Jo Stanley

I’m used to using archives looking for the oddest things. And sometimes I find even odder surprises. They’re a joy. They put the colour and quirkiness into social history. Such successes make me wish every archive had a stash of champagne to help us researchers celebrate the weird needles in haystacks we find - thanks to archivists.

Interested in maritime mental wellbeing, in Spring 2024 I was questing for information relating to strangers’ kindness. Specifically I sought historic evidence about tender-heartedness in relation to an unusual gender situation. I was hoping that in the Missions to Seafarers’ records stored in the belly of Hull’s beautifully whale-like History Centre I’d find out about an un-named woman.

Who was she? A domestic, not spiritual, worker in London’s Queen Victoria Dock Road Mission in the 1950s. 

And why did she matter? Because her kindness in a supportive letter to a trans ex-customer had heartened him in the depths of his despair the other side of the world. This Buddhist ship’s surgeon, Dr Michael Dillon, is thought to have been the first UK person to transition to male, in the 1940s.

All I knew about her was a line in Michael’s memoir. I’d read it when looking for seafarers who’d been brave enough to seek surgical help in becoming what they truly felt themselves to be, long before the NHS made it possible. 

In Out of the Ordinary Dr Michael refers to the trauma of being outed by the Sunday Express, while he was working aboard Ellerman's City of Bath in Baltimore, May 1958. Then the relief: 

Letters started coming now from my oldest friends, offering their sympathy and saying what they thought of the press. Sir Harold Gillies [his pioneering surgeon] also wrote, and the Lady Warden from the Mission to Seamen, and of course [his guru] Lobzang Rampa … One and all they all wrote encouragement. (p.217)

Surely it was going to be impossible to find out, 66 years later, who this broad-minded loyal woman was. But I could try. How?

By fluke I happened to know that the mission had made its records publicly available. They were in Hull, a city I love to visit. I wrote to the Hull History Centre. The diligent archivist, who’d been sorting the Missions to Seafarers’ documents for four years and thereby become an expert, replied welcomingly. She told me where I might start looking: in the Queen Victoria Dock Road Mission folders.

I went. And it turned out that the archivist was right about the trove that would be most fruitful. I had flipped through only a hundred or so flimsy and yellowed sheets before I found the Lady Warden in spring 1958. She was Mrs CE Harvey. Elizabeth. Bingo.

An earlier document showing the Lady Warden to be Mrs Elizabeth Harvey, Dec 1956

And in the ensuing pages I found that Mrs Harvey was a force to be reckoned with: ultra confident, competent, and working in the mission between 1951 and 1960 at least. All for £350 pa.

A report submitted by Harvey to headquarters documenting activities at the institute under her wardenship, Jul-Aug 1960

There was no carbon of her letter to Michael, of course. She must have written hundreds to her ex-residents. And it wasn’t that she was some sort of early trans ally. But there she was, looking after all the seafarers and benefactors who came through the doors. I even found where she’d lived on the premises: flat F, phone extension 99. Unfortunately there was no photo. (Nor could I later track her down using family history websites).

Extract from a fire regulations showing Mrs Harvey's address at the institute, 1960

What has this find given me? Fascinating gender-aware cultural knowledge about context. A mission could be so much more than beds and bibles. And I really see that a hospitality worker could be more than a sort of house-mistress: a true companion in adversity whose kindness could help stop someone from suiciding. 

I’m going on to write articles and give conference papers, thanks to this important gift the archive has accidentally bestowed upon me.

If you are a newcomer who imagines archival exploring to be daunting, please rethink. You can ask your intended archivists for guidance. Their leads are always invaluable – and as kind to strangers as Elizabeth Harvey’s letter was to Michael.

Dr Jo Stanley

To read more about Michael Dillon's story see Jo's blogs:

• Transitioning, the sea and surgery: Dr Michael Dillon
• The first ship’s doctor to transition