213185 Sgt/Obs. James Wilfred Phillips Royal Flying Corps Aerial photographer from:Acocks Green, Birmingham Father said that he joined the Warwickshire Yeomanry at the age of 24 on the day war broke out, claiming that he could ride. He couldn’t. His first job was to collect a string of remounts from Leamington station, which broke away and caused havoc on The Parade. The following day he was down at Chatham with the Royal Engineers. There he was billeted on the families of old regular nco’s and was well regarded by them because he discovered a peacetime regulation - not repealed - which entitled said NCO’s to one shilling (5p) per recruit for marking kit. With the throughput of new recruits at that time, they made a small fortune before the authorities cottoned on!
Recruits were also entitled to an extra 5/- a week if they brought their own motorcycle.
All good things come to an end. Because of a professional knowledge of photography he was seconded to the Royal Flying Corps in June 1915 and helped to pioneer aerial photography (his CO was Lord Brabazon. He organised photographic sections in reconnaissance squadrons for aerial mapping - so vital in trench warfare.
He made aerial maps of various sectors of the Front, for the Zeebrugge raid, East Coast and London defences. As a Sergeant Observer, he was posted to Lincolnshire to set up a camp in the depths of a winter so bitter that their boots froze to the duckboards in the tents. Administration had not caught up with expansion - and he had to arrange a personal overdraft facility with the local Lloyds bank, so that HE could pay the men!
He flew as observer in RE8 twin seater biplanes - Harry Tates' - possibly one of the most vulnerable models of WWI. His pilot was Alex Irving, a farmer’s son from Dumfriesshire.
Father left a substantial collection of aerial photos, including some pretty nasty crashes, plus his old flying helmet. All but the personal photos were given by me in the mid-eighties on permanent loan to the RAF Museum at Cosford.
During WW2, he was in the 44th Warwickshire Battalion of the Home Guard - the Joseph Lucas battalion - where rank was by position in the company rather than military prowess. As Advertising Manager, he was a Lt. - the MD was the Colonel, of course. Father was also involved in tank design, planning war savings promotions and helped set up the Whitehall war rooms.
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