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No. 11 Squadron Royal Flying Corps
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Want to know more about No. 11 Squadron Royal Flying Corps? There are:92 items tagged No. 11 Squadron Royal Flying Corps available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War.
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Those known to have served withNo. 11 Squadron Royal Flying Corps during the Great War 1914-1918. - Atkinson K. P. A.. Major.
- Bryars George Leonard. Lt. (d.16th September 1918)
- Morton MM.. Godfrey Julian. Sgt.
- Rees VC MC MID. Lionel Wilmot Brabazon. Gp Capt.
- Speer Alfred Henry Templeman Lorraine. Lt. (d.9th July 1916)
All names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed,
please Add a Name to this List
Records of No. 11 Squadron Royal Flying Corps from other sources.
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261348 Sgt. Godfrey Julian Morton MM. No. 11 Squadron Royal Flying Corps  Godfrey Morton was awarded the Military Medal. He enlisted in the Royal Flying Corps on the 14th of November 1914 as a rigger. He went over seas with 11 Squadron on the 23rd of July 1915. He qualified as an Observer on 31st of January 1916 and was listed as missing on 17th of September 1916. He was awarded the Military Medal on 20th of October 1916. He had been taken as a Prisoner of War and a message reached Britain from an unofficial but reliable source on the 24th. On 17th of October it was reported that he was at Kunberg in Bavaria and had been wounded in left foot and right thigh. He had been admitted to the POW Hospital for treatment by the 4th of October 1916. By 14th of September 1917 he was at Lietfield POW Camp. He was repatriated to Ripon Camp on the 17th of December 1918 and was discharged in February 1919 with a Silver War Badge due to the wound to his foot. He was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War and Victory medals.
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255803 Major. K. P. A. Atkinson 11 Squadron This is a commemorative propeller of Christmas 1916 from 11 Squadron RFC.
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255623 Lt. Alfred Henry Templeman Lorraine Speer 11 Squadron (d.9th July 1916) Harry Speer was my mother's great uncle, born in 1897. He was the eldest son of Doctor (of Music) Speer, and educated at Malvern College, and went up to Trinity College in Cambridge.
At the outbreak of war, he enlisted from Cambridge into the Public Schools Battalion, and from there was commissioned into the Royal Artillery. He had some western front service, and volunteered for the RFC. After training in England he was posted to 11 Squadron RFC in late 1915 or early 1916. He flew with the Squadron on the Western Front, flying FE2b planes. He was shot down on 9th of July 1916, apparently by six Fokkers, and along with his Observer, is buried in London Cemetery behind the Somme Battlelines.
He has his name on three memorials in the UK, at Malvern College, as an old boy, at Trinity College in Cambridge as a student, and in a church in south London.
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249296 Lt. George Leonard Bryars 11 Squadron (d.16th September 1918) George Bryars was a 19 years old Mexborough lad, son of a boot and shoe merchant. Killed in action only eight days after entering the fray. Hew as an Observer with 11 Squadron.
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209517 Gp Capt. Lionel Wilmot Brabazon Rees VC MC MID 11 Squadron  Lionel Rees was born in Plas Llanwnda, Castle Street, Caernarfon in 1884. Rees attended Eastbourne College before entering the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich. He was commissioned in 1903 with the Royal Garrison Artillery. In 1912 he learned to fly at his own expense, receiving his Aviator's Certificate (no. 392) in January 1913. By 1913-14 Rees was attached to the West African Frontier Force when he was seconded to the Royal Flying Corps in August 1914, initially as an instructor at Upavon. He first saw action flying the Vickers Gunbus with No. 11 Squadron RFC in the summer of 1915, earning a reputation as an aggressive pilot and an above average marksman.
Rees was awarded the Military Cross for his actions in 1915, gazetted as follows:
For conspicuous gallantry and skill on several occasions, notably the following: On 21st September, 1915, when flying a machine with one machine gun, accompanied by Flight-Serjeant Hargreaves, he sighted a large German biplane with two machine guns 2,000 feet below him. He spiralled down and dived at the enemy, who, having the faster machine, manoeuvred to get him broadside on and then opened heavy fire. Despite this, Captain Rees pressed his attack and apparently succeeded in hitting the enemy's engine, for the machine made a quick turn, glided some distance and finally fell just inside the German lines near Herbecourt.
On 28 July he attacked and drove down a hostile monoplane despite the main spar of his machine having been shot through and the rear spar shattered. On 31 August, accompanied by Flight-Sergeant Hargreaves, he fought a German machine more powerful than his own for three-quarters of an hour, then returned for more ammunition and went out to the attack again, finally bringing the enemy's machine down apparently wrecked. By this time he had claimed 1 aircraft captured, 1 destroyed, 1 'forced to land' and 5 'driven down'.
Rees was 31 years old and a Temporary Major in No. 32 Squadron RFC, when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
In the first hours of the Somme Offensive, Rees was on patrol, taking off in Airco DH.2 No. 6015 at 0555 hours. His attempt to join a formation of "British" machines brought an attack from one of the Germans. He shot up the attacker, hitting its fuselage between the two aircrew. As it dove away, Rees attacked a Roland. Long range fire from three other Germans did not discourage Rees from closing on it; it emitted a hazy cloud of smoke from its engine from the 30 rounds Rees pumped into it, and it fled. Rees then single handedly went after five more Germans. A bullet in the thigh paralysed his leg, forcing him to break off his assault. As the shock of the wound wore off, he was able to pursue the German formation leader, which was leaving after dropping its bomb. He fired his Lewis machine gun empty. In frustration, he drew his pistol but dropped it into his DH.2's nacelle. Meanwhile, the German two-seater pulled away above him. The German formation was shattered and scattered. Rees gave up the futile chase, and returned to base. Once landed, he calmly asked for steps so he could deplane. Once seated on the aerodrome grass, he had a tender fetched to take him to hospital. The valor of his actions earned him the Victoria Cross. The citation reads:
On 1st July 1916 at Double Crassieurs, France, Major Rees, whilst on flying duties, sighted what he thought was a bombing party of our machines returning home, but were in fact enemy aircraft. Major Rees was attacked by one of them, but after a short encounter it disappeared, damaged. The others then attacked him at long range, but he dispersed them, seriously damaging two of the machines. He chased two others but was wounded in the thigh, temporarily losing control of his aircraft. He righted it and closed with the enemy, using up all his ammunition, firing at very close range. He then returned home, landing his aircraft safely.
For the remainder of the war Rees commanded the Air Fighting School at Ayr.
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Albert Ball VC Chaz Bowyer
In the 1st World War the daring exploits of pilot Albert Ball caught the imagination of the British public like no other. Ball acquired his wings in the RFC in January 1916 and was first posted to France in February of that year. Then he joined No 13 Squadron and for a six-week period in March 1916 saw almost constant action flying the Squadron's Bristol Scout. Moving to No 11 Squadron in May 1916, Ball's score quickly accumulated. He had acquired a reputation as a tenacious scout pilot, often flying alone in his Nieuport and invariably returning to base with a near empty fuel tank. In August he returned to No 11 Squadron and soon after became the highest scoring scout pilot of the time. Waging his solitary aerial war, Ball became a true inspiration to the RFC when its squadrons were being mauled. But his life was to prove tragically short and he was killed in action just before his 21st birthday leading a patrol of SE5's. He had accounted for forty-four German aircraft and was posthum
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