2017 Battlefield Tour
Introduction: In September 2017, four DLOY veterans embarked on a WWI Battlefield Tour. Reports and photographs were posted on 'A' Squadron DLOY Facebook (closed site.) Thirty-two web pages are presented here as a summary of the Facebook record and form an excellent and well-informed guide to anyone wishing to organise a similar tour. Thanks and credit are heartily expressed to Spanners, PK, Nobby and Loll.
Our first port of call on the battlefield trip was a DLOY grave at Proven near Poperinge in Flanders, Belgium.... It belonged to Lt. Henry Richard Morgan DLOY. He was from Liscard on the Wirral, son of Ebenezer Richard and Elizabeth E Morgan. He enlisted into the Denbighshire (Hussars) Yeomanry, service number 5104, when reaching the rank of Sgt he applied for a commission. He was gazetted on the 15th September 1915 as a 2Lt into the DLOY... It soon became apparent that cavalry were of no use in modern trench warfare and in 1917 the DLOY along with numerous other cavalry regiments were dismounted and retrained as infantry. Some officers opted for intelligence duties or aircrew. Henry went down the aircrew route and was attached to 7 Sqn Royal Flying Corps as an observer in RE8 2 seater aircraft. The Sqn was based at Proven East aerodrome along with 9 Sqn. Their role was primarily artillery observation and reconnaissance. On the 8th November during the Battle of Paschendaele his aircraft was hit by our own artillery fire which crashed killing him and his pilot Lt. E S Livstock. Henry was aged 28 and is buried along with his pilot in Mendinghem Military Cemetery, Grave No. III.AA.32..... Nobby laid a poppy cross in remembrance.......RIP
