Volunteers of Essendon and Flemington, 1914-1918

AUSTRALIANS WITH THE ROYAL ENGLISH FLYING CORPS.

The above is a picture of the first Australian boys to join the school of the Royal English Flying Corps. The photo, was taken at Oxford University, where the boys had to finish their course, and was sent by Flight-Lieutenant F. G. Sutton, son of Mr. Walter Sutton, of Suttons' music warehouse, who is seventh from the left in the second top row. The boys are in their cadet uniform in the photo, and the majority of them obtained their commission on 15th March. Digitally enhanced by Kim Phillips, of Spirits of Gallipoli.

"Head of the River"—Public Schools Boat Race. (1917, May 17). Punch (Melbourne, Vic. : 1914 - 1918), p. 20.  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article130059674

Sutton F G            Cleaner    7248    Frederick George           17 ASC    22    Salesman    Single    C of E       

Address:    Essendon, Leslie Rd   

Next of Kin:    Sutton, Walter, father, Leslie Rd, Essendon   

Enlisted:    25 Jun 1915      

Embarked:     A16 Star of Victoria 10 Sep 1915

Prior service: Volunteer Cadets, Melbourne Church of England Grammar School  

Sutton was assigned to be a Driver with the Motor Transport.  He applied for a Commission with the Royal Flying Corps, and upon receiving that commission took his discharge from the AIF in England on 16 March 1917.  His commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the RFC was gazetted in a Supplement to the London Gazette on 8 October 1917, to date from 21 September 1917.

War Services Old Melburnians, 1914-18

War Particulars

F. G. SUTTON enlisted in June and embarked as Driver in 9th A.A.S.C., Mechanical Transport, in  September 1915. He arrived in Egypt in October 1915 and took part in the Western Egypt Senussi Campaign in December 1915. He arrived in France in June 1916 and took part in operations there till  March 1917 when he obtained a commission in R.F.C. Later he was promoted to Lieutenant in R.A.F. and in January 1918 his aeroplane crashed while flying in Scotland causing him concussion and fractured legs for which he was in hospital for six months. He returned to Australia in March 1919  being demobilised in May 1919.

Letters from O.M.'s, 16th May 1918

"F. G. SUTTON writes from No. 2 Auxiliary School of Aerial Gunnery, Royal Flying Corps, Turnberry: “In company with a number of Australians I left France to join the Royal Flying Corps. About 150 came  across, and of that number I’m sure a good ten per cent, were Victorian public school boys, and of that percentage at least 75 per cent. were O.M.’s. At Denham, where we first went for our training, chiefly the manual of military law and King’s regulations, I ran across J. K. FINLAY, R. H. RICHARDSON, LINDSAY MORRISON, STAN GARDINER, C. E. HOWELL and some other O.M.’s whose names I have forgotten for the moment.  JACK WISCHER I met at Hounslow just before he’d taken his wings. He is now, I believe, a prisoner in Hunland, after being "missing" for some time.

From Denham we went to Oxford, where we received theoretical training. For quarters we were in Jesus and Brasenose Colleges, and found Oxford very interesting. It was bitterly cold while we were there, with plenty of snow—still  quite enjoyable. At Oxford we received our commissions and were posted all over England and Scotland for the really interesting part, flying. I personally was sent to Yorkshire, together with FINLAY, where we went through our ‘Rumpity'-as the school buses Maurice Farman Shorthorns are lovingly termed—stage as Huns. In the Flying Corps all beginners are termed Huns owing to the very Hunlike safety helmet they must wear.

Two Australian airmen in a Maurice Farman Shorthorns in Mesopotamia, 1916, showing the proximity of

the pilot and the obeserver/gunner.  

Gad! I’ll never forget my first solo. In any other bus but a Rumpity I would have been ‘napoo,' for I did a most beautiful slow ‘pancake’ from about fifty feet and didn’t hurt a thing. It was a bitterly cold day in March, but, phew! I did perspire! To ‘pancake,’ by the way, is to flatten out too soon, lose your flying speed, and just sink or drop more or less rapidly to old mother earth. It generally means at least a broken undercarriage, but the damage depends on the height and machine. However, all went well, and despite the most scientific ‘lead swinging’ I was sent to an advanced squadron to take my wings. This tremendous undertaking was achieved in due course, and I was among the elite. Anybody in my Hun days that wore wings used to always appear like a little tin god, and for two days I really ‘swanked it.' But the zenith of my pride was reached when a poor Ack Emma (air mechanic) volunteered to come up as my first passenger. I’m pretty certain he only arrived at the squadron that morning. However, he’s still there, or was when I left.

From there I went to a Zepp. strafing squadron for two months, and during that time never heard of one, and of course the day after I left I’m dashed if there wasn’t a raid. At this school I flip poor, inoffensive pupils round while they fire at various targets in the air and on the ground with their machine guns. My duty is to lead them to the targets, and see that they shoot somewhere near it. If they mistake another machine for the target and have a pot at it, I hit them neatly on the head or bring them down. At times there are between sixty or more machines in the air and on the ground, and yet the percentage of collisions is wonderfully small.

A number of Australians pass through each course, and amongst the last I met an O.M., L. BENJAMIN, who was at school, I think, both sides of 1910. He is in the Australian Flying Corps. In London some while back I met STEWART COWEN, ‘BIRDlE’ HERON, who was just on the point of going back to France. ‘Birdie’ is truly a wonderful chap. I saw the elder STRACHAN, CLIVE WILLIAMS, NORMAN DEAN and CYRIL STEELE a few days before he went back to Australia. HAROLD LUXTON was in hospital, rather badly wounded I heard, but was making good progress. He was brought down near ‘Wipers.’ LINDSAY MORRISON was killed on a ‘rumpity’ after a long spell following appendicitis. ARTHUR O‘HARA-WOOD is at the Central Flying School as fighting instructor, and is  reported an excellent pilot. I haven't met him yet, although he flew over us one day in France and dropped a message of good cheer. PAT WOOD I met at Fricourt, and is now, I hear, a brass hat. I was surprised to hear of HONMAN’S death. He examined me for the R.F.C. when he was with the 14th Field Ambulance. ‘ IKE " MAUDSLEY was with that unit, too, together with L. SIMMONDS. I was in the same division as HARRY CUMING in Egypt and France, and used to see him from a  distance. ‘LANG’ JACK I caught a glimpse of just a few days before he was wounded. In yesterday’s list I saw poor old FREDDY MOULE’S name in the killed. His 'head up for three steps and down for three' walk out to the wicket I’ll  never forget. R. H. RICHARDSON was reported missing a short while back, and I’m hoping he will soon turn up as a prisoner. He was in the R.F.C.  GORDON ROSS-SODEN has been wounded, and is now somewhere in England. ROD HEATH has his flight now, and his young brother, Noel, is in the A.F.C. I’m expecting to see Noel some time upon this course. Wishing the School the very best of everything."

War Service Commemorated

Regimental Register