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Aviation History
1916
1916 - 0890.PDF
I/DCHT] VM, and to the second'soo of Mr. John William" Sowrej, of Staines, Deputy-Chief Inspector of Taxes at Somerset House. II. was educated at King's College School. Wimbledon, and King's College, London. He was studying for the Indian Civil Service, but on war being declared was granted a com mission in the Royal Fusiliers, He saw service in France with bis regiment, and was wounded in the Loos attack in Sep tember last year. Mr. Sowrey was wonnded afterwards at Ypres, and invalided home in November. He joined the Royal Flying Corps last January, took his pilot's certificate in June, and has been night flying since. He had flown during three raids before that on which he recently brought A Desert Tragedy. A propos of Km lines written by John Drinkwater in tfett Saturday Review in memory of " Riddles," a nickname by which Second Lieut. Stewart Gordon Ridley was known in thi K.F.C., the Morning Post gives the following details of this officer's tragic end :— He landed in Egypt at the beginning of June of this vear, and was soon sent down to an oasis in the Libyan Desert. In the middle of the month he went out singly on a machine as escort to another pilot, who had with him a mechanic, named J. A. Garside. The work they had to do was at a considerable distance, and a camel patrol had been sent out in advance t<> form a temporary landing place or station, from which they had to operate. They left on Thursday afternoon, June 15th, and after flying an hour and .1 h.ili—half-an-hour longer than they should—they failed ti> IIIKI the camel patrol. " As it was getting dark they came down and encamped for the night. The following morning the weather was not very suitable, and Ridley, having the light machine, suggested that he should try to find the proper track of the camel patrol. It was, however, found that his engine would not work. It had been giving him trouble the previous afternoon. " Thr other pilot then decided that it was necessary that Hi hutild go back at once to the base (leaving his water and provisions) and find the exact position of the landing ground. Ho arranged that he should return on the following day (Saturday) and take Ridley and the mechanic (Garside) separately to the landing ground. He got back to the base, .md found that, as the aviators had not turned up, the camel patrol had returned to the base. The pilot and the captain of the Camel Corps returned to the landing ground, and on the following morning (Saturday) the pilot began a search for the other two. " After some time he reached the place where he had left them, but the mechanic (Garside) and Ridley had gone. They left some odds and ends behind them, but no note. The pilot and his companion returned immediately to the base, and when it was ascertained that Ridley and Garside had not come back, search parties, consisting of camel patrols, motor cars and aeroplanes were at once sent out. " Nothing was discovered until the Sunday afternoon, when, 25 miles away from the spot where the first night had been spent,, a second place was fonnd. There the missing ones had landed, but they had again flown on after having patched up the machine. On the Tuesday afternoon the machine and two dead bodies were found by a motor party. During the search the pilot came across the footprints of two men walking. These were overtaken by a hostile camel patrol, and for a time it was thought and hoped that Ridlev and Garside had been captured. "It was, however, found that Stewart G. Ridley shot himself at half-past 10 on the Sunday night. The captain of the Imperial Camel Corps said that from what he discovered he formed the opinion that Ridley had done this in the hope of saving the mechanic, and the commanding officer of the R.F.C. also states : ' There is no doubt in my mind that he did this act of self-sacrifice in the hope of saving the other man.' "After Ridley died Garside had kept a rough diary, of which the following is a copy :— ' Friday.—Mr. Gardiner left for Meheriq. and said he would come and pick one of us up. After he went we tried to get the machine going, and succeeded in flying for about JS minutes. Engine then gave out. We tinkered engine up again, succeeded in flying about 5 miles next day (Saturday), but engine ran short of petrol. OCTOBER 12, 1916. down a Zeppelin in Essex, and was flying with his friend. Lieutenant Robinson, V.C., when the latter brought down the raiding airship at Cuffley a month ago. Lieutenant Sowrey has two brothers, also in the Royal Flying Corps. The elder, John, is a Flight-Commander, also engaged as a night pilot in aerial defence, and the younger, William, is serving as a pilot with the Expeditionary Force. The will of Mr. CYRUS CINCINATO CUJJF.O, artist, aged 37, who died on July 21st, of Uxbridge Road, W., who did con siderable work in the Illustrated London News and illustrated Rider Haggard's stories, and whose aviation pictures have attracted considerable attention, has been proved at £13,639. " ' Sunday.—After trying to get engine started, but could not manage it owing to weakness, water running short—only half a bottle—Mr. Ridley suggested walking up to the hills. Six p.m. (Sunday) : Found it was further than we thought; got there eventually; very done up. No luck. Walked back ; hardly any water, about a spoonful. Mr. Ridley shot himself at 10.30 on Sunday whilst my back was turned. No water all day ; don't know how to go on ; got one Very light; dozed all day, feeling very weak ; wish someone would come ; cannot last much longer. " ' Monday.—Thought of water in compass, got half bottle ; seems to be some kind of spirit. Can last another day. Fired Lewis gun, about four rounds ; shall fire my Very light to-night; last hope without machine comes. Could last days if had water.' " A party with a chaplain went out on Sunday, June 25th, and buried the two in the desert, and erected a cross with their names on it over the heap of stones covering the bodies. " On his father's side Ridley came of a well-known Northum brian family or clan, and the name of his residence, Willi- moteswick, takes one back to that old fortified farmhouse in Northumberland, where was born Bishop Ridley, who with Latimer at Oxford ' played the man.' His mother was born in Derry. where her own mother belonged. To this city Lieut. Ridley's maternal grandfather had come some years before from Newton Stewart, in Galloway." H H H H CORRESPONDENCE. Lady Smith-Dorrien's Hospital Bag Fund. • [1928] May I crave your assistance in an effort to obtain a further large supply of hospital bags by allowing this letter to appear in your columns. The utility of these small bags for the personal possessions of the sick and wounded admitted to hospital has proved so great that the demands of the Director-General of Medical Services, the Director-General of Voluntary Organisations and the Red Cross have, in conse quence of heavy casualties, become overwhelming. Since April 10th, 1915, my Fund, thanks to the generous support which my previous appeals have met with, has been able to de^atch 970,000 hospital bags to the various theatres of war, hospitals in England, hospital ships, the French Red Cross and those of our other Allies. Never before has the Fund been unequal to supplying all demands, but now the last reserve has gone, and there is an order from the Front for 40,000 which I cannot meet at present. It is estimated that some 80.000 will be needed for each of the next two months. I should like to emphasise that not only the wounded but also the sick require the bags, which will explain the enormous numbers needed. They should be made of cretonne or good strong unbleached calico, measuring not less than 10 ins. by 12 ins. when finished, with a double draw-string of tape and a glazed calico label 4 ins. by 2 ins. (for the patient's name) sewn flat in the centre of one side. I have secured a large consignment of cretonne at 6d. a yard (wholesale), and suitable labels at 4\d. per too, and can supply at those prices on application. Address :—Lady Smith-Dorrien, 5, Belgrave Place, London, S.W. All parcels of above will be sent " carriage forward." It will greatly facilitate packing for the Front if bags may be tied in bundles of 10 and not folded. As there are considerable expenses in packing material. carriage, postage. Ac, I should be very grateful for small donations towards them. Such expenses for the 16 months since the Hospital Bag Fund was started have amounted to- £314 2s. i\\d. OLIVE SMITH-DORRIEN. 886
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