Capt. Kane Heliopolis 1914

[kelly16]

Hi All,

I just came across this forum and thought this ought to be the place to ask this question. A friend of mine came across an album of photographs which dates back to 1912. In this album there are many photographs of early aviators dated 1914. There are two signed photographs of Marc Pourpe. Another photograph with Samuel S. Pierce and Marc Pourpe with both their signatures. There are also photographs titled Mr. Watts which from my brief research I would assume refers to Oswald Watt. There is another photograph of Pourpe's airplane and Oswald Watt's airplane outside a hanger. There are also two aerial photographs of heliopolis. The final picture however has me stumped. It's a picture titled Mr. Watts (Oswald Watt?) and Capt. Kane. I have searched everywhere to find out who this Capt. Kane is to no avail. He's not piloting the plane in the phot he's behind the pilot. I have very little knowledge of this topic and was wondering if anyone can throw some light on the subject of this Capt. Kane. Is he a know aviator from this time? Many thanks in advance for any help. Also I've asked the guy who owns the album if I could copy them and post them. He's (understandably) very protective of this collection and I'm not too confident he'll let me but I'll keep harping at him!

D.

[Graeme]

kelly16

Perhaps Captain John Francis Aloysius Kane, Devonshire Regiment, who was seconded to the RFC and Gazetted a flying officer effective 3 October 1914, and appointed a Flight Commander effective 11 December 1914.
He was killed (in a flying accident ?) 22 March 1915 and is buried in Kensal Green (St Mary's) Roman Catholic Cemetery. So far I know of no link to Egypt.

Graeme

[kelly16]

Hi Graeme,

Cheers for that. I think your absolutely correct with that one. I came across on another forum someone who had posted that they had recently aquired a photo of officers of the 2nd Battalion Devondhire Regiment in Egypt in 1914. The list of named officers is as follows,

2/Lt. G.C. Vaughan
Capt. J.F.A. Kane
Lt. G. Palmer (Qr. Mr.)
Capt. C.J. Spencer
Lt. J.R. Cartright
Lt. F.J.C. Holdsworth
Lt. A.G.A. Belfield
J.A. Park (rank not specified)
Lt. O.M. Parker
Lt. F.R. Cobb
Capt. A.J.E. Sunderland
Lt. R.B. Featherstone
2/Lt. A.H. Cope
2/Lt. R.P. Bates
Lt. R.O. Bristowe
Capt. G.I. Watts
Capt. W.M. Goodwyn
Major J.F. Radcliffe, DSO
Lt.-Col. J.O. Travers, DSO
Capt. J.D. Ingles, Adjutant
Capt. D.H. Blunt
Capt. C.A. Lafone
2/Lt. H.J.H. Cox

Captain J. F. A. Kane is there alright and to my suprise a Capt. G. I. Watts. So maybe he's the Watts guy in the photo and not Oswald Watt as I thought it might be.
I'm hoping to get my hands on this photo to do a visual match of faces just to be sure. But it can't just be coincidence. Think this one is solved.

Thanks so much for your help Graeme. I would have been happy with only the name but the additional info on J F A Kane is great. I know of the war graves commission site which has details on his date of death etc. But do you mind me asking where you got details on the date when he was gazzeted flying officer and appointed flight commander?

I have to say this has really sparked my interest in ww1 aviation! I think I'm hooked.

cheers again,
Damien.

[Graeme]

Hi Damien

The information comes from various editions of the London Gazette; another of my works in progress is to chart appointments, promotions etc and the bulk of information comes from the Gazette.

If you're going to get hooked on WW1 aviation, you couldn't ask for better company than here on the Aerodrome Forum.

Graeme