An Irishman in the Royal Flying Corp
My great grandfather James Gerrard Boyd was in the Royal Flying Corp as a gunner. He came from Dundalk. It is possible he came from the cavalry and trained up to the airplanes. We were told at the WW1 roadshow in Trinity College (July 12th 2014) that this was rare for an Irish person but you can see the badge in one of the pics. He continued to serve until after 1920. He doesn’t appear to be in Air 79 or Air 76. Here are some pictures. The badge on the hat in the picture where there are 2 gentlemen we were told was important. Could you give us some information on his army career or please point us in the right direction as there was a robbery in 1990 and we are missing some of the war documents. He was born in 1899 but he lied about his age when he joined up.
He may have also been in the Royal Artillery after the war. He did the course to become an officer and was going to go to India (pic on the horse) but came home to marry my great grandmother Mary Frances Boyd nee Breen. I’m including those pictures as well. There is also a postcard he gave to his mother “Your loving son Jim” which is signed 1922. He then became a fitter turner for GNR when he returned to Dundalk.
A collection of photographs
CONTRIBUTOR
Marcus Howard and Frances Rocks (great grandson and granddaughter)
DATE
1915 - 1923
LANGUAGE
eng
ITEMS
1
INSTITUTION
Europeana 1914-1918
PROGRESS
METADATA
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At the start of the war, my father Charles Beeks was a regular soldier in the King's Shropshire Light Infantry (KSLI) and was sent to the continent with the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). He was attached to Major General Groves and travelled with him a lot. Charles Beeks later transferred to the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and received his pilots wings, though the date of this is uncertain. It is believed that he transferred in 1916 and was undergoing training by 1917. He is believed to have undergone flight training in Egypt (flying an aircraft which I believe was a B2CE) and was confirmed by the Bishop of Jerusalem. He was not wounded in the war but did damage his Achilles tendon pushing lorries through the sand in Cairo. He also caught malaria there and was put in hospital; by the end, he weighed just 6 st. 11 lb. He was decorated and received the Distinguished Flying Medal, but I don't know why. I vaguely recollect that this may be related to putting a smokescreen over enemy trenches but this is uncertain. After the war, he served as the standard bearer for the Oxford branch of the Old Contemptibles Association (of BEF veterans). His standard is now held in the church of St Michael at the Northgate in Oxford. || Charles Beek's Distinguished Flying Medal certificate; certificates relating to his time in the Middle East (confirmation, advanced flying exams certificate).
James Gerrard Boyd closeup picture in Royal Flying Corps
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James Gerrard Boyd closeup picture in Royal Flying Corps