Image: First flying and administrative officers of the Royal Flying Corps RAE-O790

Description: A group of officers of the Royal Flying Corps. These men were among the first flying and administrative officers of the RFC, and some of the first pilots ever qualified by the Royal Aero Club (RAeC certificate numbers and dates in parentheses).[1] Front row, seated (left to right) Lieutenant (later Captain) Geoffrey de Havilland (No. 53, 7/2/1911)[1]:118 Captain (later Air Commodore) Robert Gordon, R.M.[2] (No. 166, 6/12/1911)[1]:113 Major (later Air Chief Marshal) Robert Brooke-Popham (No. 108, 18/7/1911)[1]:148 Major (later Major-General) Frederick Sykes, first Officer Commanding the Military Wing of the RFC, later Chief of the Air Staff (No. 95, 20/6/1911)[1]:163 Commander (later Air Commodore) Charles Samson, R.N., first Officer Commanding the Naval Wing of the RFC (No. 71, 25/4/1911)[1]:155 Lieutenant Basil Herbert Barrington-Kennett, Grenadier Guards (first adjutant of the RFC, killed while serving in the Guards, 18 May 1915)[3] (No. 43, 31/12/1910)[1]:127Rear row, standing (left to right) Captain (later Lt-Col.) George William Patrick Dawes, D.S.O, Legion d'Honneur, Croix de Guerre[2][4][5] (No. 17, 26/7/1910)[1]:102 Lieutenant (later Captain) Vivian H. N. Wadham[2] (killed in action 17th January 1916)[6] (No. 243, 16/7/1912)[1]:168 Lieutenant (later Air Marshal) Patrick Playfair (No. 283, 3/9/1912)[1]:148 Lieutenant Ronald L. Charteris[2] (founded ABC Motors) (No. 197, 12/3/1912)[1]:95 Lieutenant Alexander Ernest Burchardt-Ashton[2] (Resigned commission in RFC because drunk while flying at Brooklands; transferred to Dragoon Guards. Re-enlisted in 22 Bn. Royal Fusiliers, Lance-Corporal; killed near Ypres 10/11 July 1916.)[7][8][9] (No. 201, 16/4/1912)[1]:82 Lieutenant (later Commander and Lt-Colonel) Cecil L'Estrange Malone, R.N. (No. 195, 12/3/1912 - same day as Charteris)[1]:136 Lieutenant (later Lieutenant-Colonel, RAF) Spenser D. A. Grey, R.N.[2] (No. 117, 17/8/1911)[1]:114 Lieutenant Alan Geoffrey Fox (died of wounds sustained while flying, May 1915)[3] (No. 176, 30/1/1912)[1]:109References: ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Aviators' Certificates 1910–1930. Royal Aero Club of Great Britain. ↑ a b c d e f Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1913, pp. 34, 35 ↑ a b Aeronautical Journal, April-June 1915, p. 79 ↑ George William Patrick Dawes. Grace's Guide. ↑ "Steady, Colonel" ↑ Captain V H N Wadham, RFC ↑ Great War forum ↑ Alexander Ernest Burchardt-Ashton. Graces's Guide ↑ "Alexander Ernest Burchardt-Ashton". Great War Commemoration.
Title: First flying and administrative officers of the Royal Flying Corps RAE-O790
Credit: http://media.iwm.org.uk/iwm/mediaLib//176/media-176251/large.jpg Original caption reads: "A group of named officers of the Royal Flying Corps. These men were the first flying and administrative officers of the RFC. The officers are (left to right) Lieutenant de Haviland, Captain Dawes, Captain Gordon, Lieutenant Wadham, Major Brooke Popham, Lieutenant Playfair, Lieutenant Charteris, Major Sykes, Lieutenant Ashton, Lieutenant L'Estrange Maloney, Commander Sampson, Lieutenant Spender Grey, Lieutenant Barrington Kennett, Lieutenant Fox." This is photograph RAE-O 790 from the collections of the Imperial War Museums.
Author: Unknown authorUnknown author
Permission: This image was created and released by the Imperial War Museum on the IWM Non Commercial Licence. Photographs taken, or artworks created, by a member of the forces during their active service duties are covered by Crown Copyright provisions. Faithful reproductions may be reused under that licence, which is considered expired 50 years after their creation.
Usage Terms: Public domain
License: Public domain
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