[Nick Forder]

Tomorrow we will remember Lieutenant Alan Thomas Reed, London Regiment and RAF, the first pilot to be killed at RAF Upper Heyford.
Alan Thomas Reed was born on 9 April 1897 in Battersea, London, the third son of Henry Richard and Emily Reed. Henry Reed had married Emily Fenn at St Luke’s Church, Battersea, on 4 June 1889. Alan was baptized in the same church on 8 May 1897. Henry had been born on 28 April 1866. Emily was older, having been born on 24 September 1858. They lived at 19 Hillier Road, Battersea, London SW11, along with Alan’s older brothers Harold Henry (born 1891) and Frederick (born 1893). A fourth son, Leonard Arthur, was born on 15 August, 1899. Unfortunately, he died on 7 September.
Henry Reed worked for the Post Office as a Telegraphist and regarded himself as a civil servant. By 1911 the Reed family was living at 19 Hillier Road still, but Frederick lived at home no longer. He was to die in New South Wales, Australia, in 1924 and so may have been one of those attracted to the prospects and opportunities of a new life overseas. Harold, then aged 20, regarded Hillier Road as home, although he was employed as a commercial traveller in the lace trade. Harold was registered to vote at 19 Hillier Road in 1918. Alan was still at school.
When war broke out in 1914, assuming Frederick was overseas, only Harold was old enough to enlist. Even if he did not volunteer, he would have been conscripted in 1916. So far, it has not been possible to confirm which unit Harold served in but he may have been 381948 Private Reed of the 25th Battalion, The King’s (Liverpool Regiment). This unit went to Calais in May 1918 as a Garrison Guard Battalion.
Alan, meanwhile, had started work as a clerk at the Prudential Insurance Company at Holborn Bars, London. He worked there until April 1916, when it is likely that he was conscripted. Alan served, initially, in the ranks of the 2/4th Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment). This was a training unit which remained in England.
Alan applied to be an officer cadet, and, on 21 January, 1917, he was commissioned as a Temporary Second Lieutenant in the London Regiment (Territorial Force). He was posted to the 17th Reserve Battalion, a training unit, formerly the 3/17th (Poplar and Stepney Rifles), stationed at Winchester. He qualified as a 1st Class Instructor on the Lewis Machine Gun on completion of a course at Bisley on 17 August.
While at Winchester Alan applied for a posting to the Royal Flying Corps. He was successful and arrived at No 1 School of Military Aeronautics at Reading on 15 October, 1917. As a commissioned officer Alan would have avoided ‘square-bashing’ drill much detested by cadets. On 21 October he went to Hendon, now the site of the RAF Museum, to learn to fly.
Flying training was provided by private companies employing civilian instructors. Alan joined the Ruffy-Bauman School, completing his flying training on a Caudron biplane at Acton when the School moved out of Hendon. He passed the Royal Aero Club tests on 29 January 1918 and was issued with ‘Ticket’ 5601.
On 1 February Alan was posted to Harling Road aerodrome in Norfolk to join 94 Squadron. This unit had been formed at Gosport at the end of July, 1917, from a nucleus taken from 55 Training Squadron. At Harling Road training was continued pending equipment with the Sopwith F1 Camel. A move was made to Shoreham in July, 1918, and then to the newly opened RAF Upper Heyford from 19 August. Meanwhile, Alan graduated as a ‘Aeroplane and Seaplane Officer’ on 26 May and was promoted Lieutenant on 25 July.
Re-equipment with the RAF S.E. 5a began in September when the first aircraft arrived from 10 Aeroplane Acceptance Park at Brooklands. By 2 October S.E. 5a E6032, marked ‘B’ on the fuselage sides and starboard wing upper surface, was one of a number of scouts equipping 94 Squadron.
On 1 November 1918 while taking off from RAF Upper Heyford in E6032 Alan attempted to turn too soon. The S.E. stalled at about 100 feet and crashed on the airfield. Lieutenant Alan Reed died of injuries sustained in the crash. He was aged 21.
Henry Reed died in 1928 and his wife Emily died in 1944. They are both buried in a family plot with their sons Leonard and Alan at Morden Cemetery in Battersea.

[Paul Hare]

Hi Nick,
A most interesting article, as usual.
But as someone born in much the same part of Battersea I have one tiny nit-picking correction; Morden Cemetery is not in Battersea, Battersea New cemetery is in Morden, a few miles, and a complicated bus journey away/ I know because my family are there too.
Paul.

[Nick Forder]

Morden Cemetery was renamed Battersea New Cemetery (for reasons unknown, as, as you say, it isn’t in Battersea) although it was Morden when Alan Reed was buried there on 9 November 1918. The census returns suggest it was all Wandsworth at the time, but I can only guess at possible boundary changes during the last 100 years. The family had links with St Luke’s, Ramsden Road, SW12, but, presumably, there wasn’t room there ? There are 80 WW1 graves at Morden, and more than twice as many WW2 graves.

There are other discrepancies in records: the SE 5a is noted as D6032 also (presumably because it was recorded as ‘6032’, and both D6032 & E6032 were SE 5as ?); Reed’s army units are recorded as 4th Buffs (not 2/4th), 16th Londons (‘Queen’s Westminsters’ on CWGC – 16th Londons were the Queen’s Westminster Rifles) and 17th Londons (Popular & Stepney Rifles) (implying 1/17th or 2/17th – both overseas in 1917 and not 17th Training Battalion), and Reed’s record of service notes him posted to 49 Squadron at Harling Road and not 94 Squadron.

[Nick Forder]

I have another ‘Heyford fatality’, who seems to escaped the C&CI Dolphin book, possibly because he died on 1 December 1918 and so isn’t included in Hobson’s ‘Airmen Died’.

Lt Wilfred John Victor Sampson, a ‘Canadian’ born in Fulham, was ferrying a Dolphin (probably from 4 TDS at Hooton Park) to Upper Heyford, for 1 Squadron Canadian Air Force, when he became lost in heavy mists, attempted to land in a field, hit the lower port wing tip on a tree, and hit the ground with the engine full on. He was taken to Somerville Hospital, part of the Oxford University College forming Southern General Hospital adjacent to Radcliffe Infirmary. Sampson died of concussion and is buried at Botley.

Although I have listings of Dolphins based at Heyford, and with 4 TDS (& some with both), I have yet to identify the Dolphin Sampson was flying.

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