Lieut K W Murray & 2nd-Lieut H L Wilson

[rlaughton]

From Graeme 1 July 1918 we have:

Lieut K W Murray (Kia) & 2nd-Lieut H L Wilson (Kia), 13 Sqn RAF, RE8 C5090 – took off 07:45/08:45 and K Battery reports a machine crashed in enemy lines west of Monchy, believed hit by A.A. on patrol; also suggested as Ltn d R Rudolf Stark, Js35, 7th victory [north-east of Arras at 09:07/10:07] ? Monchy-le-Preux is 9 Km south-east of Arras

I happened to come across their COG-BR in the records of the Cabaret ROuge British Cemetery:

[josquin]

More about Lts Murray and Wilson, 13 Squadron RAF:

Lt Kenneth William Murray (CEF 196th Battalion (Western Universities Bn, British
Columbia Company) 911864 Pte & RFC/RAF Lt) born 16 March 1897, Victoria, British
Columbia, Canada; resident of Vancouver and a student when he attested, at
Vancouver, 10 May 1916; attached to RFC 4 August 1917; to 13 Sqn 30 January 1918

2Lt Horace Levick Wilson (General List & RFC/RAF) born 7 July 1899, Lewisham, London, 1901 & 1911 residence, same; joined RFC 1 July 1917, to be Probationary T/2Lt 14 March 1918 (LG 8 April 1918); embarked to EF 13 May 1918, to 13 Sqn 14 May 1918

Josquin

[R Gannon]

Hi

I got behind trying to provide insights from my logs in regards Graeme’s worthy 100 year ago project and the middle of 1918 threads were locked down before I could get to them.

Of course it is seductive to link the loss of 13 Sqn’s C5090 to the ‘RE8’ claim of Rudolf Stark, the SF of Js 35, as we see in the 1990’s Grub St wisdom. However as can be seen in the loss blurb provided by Graeme (also TSTBF II), it was believed that the said RE8 was hit by AA and went down OOC to crash EAST of the line to west of Monchy, which as Graeme rightly notes is 9km from location given for the Stark claim. Now in his book 'Wings of War' Stark notes that it was a day ‘full of hanging clouds’ supporting a point I have made in regards attacks on Corps machines by the Jagdstaffeln. According to Stark four Corps planes were working near Arras, and he and his men happened upon one in the clouds, whereupon Stark delivered a short burst and the RE went down in a spin, then it caught itself, before going into a fast spin and apparently crashed on a meadow on north-west edge of Arras beside the Saint Catherine road – which implies 4km British side and indeed the claim was given as jenseits (other side).

Now the map reference for where their bodies were found much later is indeed about 2km west of Monchy (as implied in the casualty report) and which would then have been 3km inside German lines. The crew of course was listed as missing. Pointedly there is an ‘RE’ claim this day by FlakBttr 711 in N’blatt, but no location is given.

Whilst I don’t doubt Stark engaged an RE8, I wonder if he and his wingman Sgt Scmidt, fell prey to auto-suggestion in believing the ‘RE8’ which Stark engaged crashed. He would not be the first, or last airman, to lose sight of a plane close to the ground and call it as a ‘crash’.

Cheers Russ