NINETEEN IN LAST WAR.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 163, 10 June 1940, Page 2

NINETEEN IN LAST WAR.

A POSTHUMOUSAWARD. Nineteen Victoria Crosses were won bv British airmen during the Great War, 1914-18. Below is the first of a series of/records of the deeus which won for flying men Britain’s highest award for gallantry. To Lieutenant Bhodes-Moorhousb belongs the distinction of being the first airman to be awarded the Victoria Cross. Born in London, in 1887, he was educated at Harrow and Trinity College, Cambridge. As early as 1909 he was engaged on monoplane experiments at Huntingdon and was regarded as one of the pioneers of aviation in Britain. He took his flying “ticket” in 1911, and by then he had a reputation as the finest cross-country flier in Britain. The following year he made the first air crossing of the Channel with two passengers, one of whom was his wife. Rhodes-Moorhouse joined the R.F.C. in August, 1914, was .commissioned, and went to France early in the following year. On April 26, 1915, lie was instructed to fly over and destroy an important enemy railway junction at Courtrai. The junction was heavily defended but, disregarding the devastating fire from rifles, machine-guns and anti-aircraft artillery, Rhod°s-Moorhousc volplaned down to a height of 300 ft and dropped his bombs on the objective. So great was the force of the explosion that lie felt his aircraft lurch with the blast.

During the attack he was, wounded severely in the thigh. In spite of his injuries he turned his machine for his base. In order to gain more speed lie descended to even lower altitudes and passed over the German lines* at a height of not more than 100 ft. In doing so he was again woundocT several times. But he continued on his course and reached his aerodrome, where lie made a full repoio of his successful action so prorpptly that Sir John French was able to incorporate the information in his own report that same evening. For his gallantry Rhodes-Moorhouse will live long in history. He was awarded tlie.V.C. posthumously. His body was brought back to England and now lies in the park of his family home, Parnham House, Beaminster, Dorset.