Bernard Wilfred Wright 1895 to 1918

BERNARD WILFRED WRIGHT 1895 – 1918

Bernard’s birth took place in Watford on the 24th September 1895 with his christening on the 15 Dec 1895.  He was the first child to Isabel and Robert of 204 High Street Watford. The family was completed when Hilda followed by Robert were born both in Watford.

Isabel Sharp came from an agricultural family in Colney Street, Frogmoor, St Albans who by 1891 was working at Langley Park, Hempstead Road, Watford for John Edward Dawson a Civil Engineer as the family cook when she and Robert married towards the end of 1893.

Robert having served an apprenticeship took his trade from his own father as both worked with wood. As a Coach builder and self employed Robert found a workshop and home to his liking in Leverstock Green, taking up residence at Leverstock House around 1902 with the workshop right outside the front door. In the village he would be the wheel right, Undertaker and in later years the Parish Clerk. This semi detached property was demolished in the 1960s to make way for the new shopping centre.

Bernard’s schooling began at the village school under Mr Ford, the head master. Leaving in 1908 to attend a Higher Elementary School, in Derby Road, Watford, for a further three years. He was also a member of the Village Boy Scouts organisation which had started in 1908.

By 1915 and working in Hitchin, Bernard aged 20 volunteered on the 13th November to enlist for the duration of the war. His trade was a bank clerk for Barclays Bank, where he had worked since 1914; he was 5 feet 7 inches tall.

His first posting was to the Royal Fusiliers, 28th battalion. It took 68 days to acquire his first promotion on 19th January to Lance Corporal. 17th June saw promotion to Corporal. Having completed the basic training with the battalion Bernard was transferred on 1st September to F company 104th Training Reserve Battalion based in Edinburgh.

On 1 September 1916, a considerable reorganisation of the reserve infantry battalions took place. Before this date, most of the infantry regiments contained one or more reserve battalions of the regular and new armies. Recruits would be posted to these battalions for basic training, before they were posted to an active service unit. With the introduction of conscription, the regimental system simply could not cope with the large numbers of men. The local nature of recruitment for infantry regiments was abandoned and the entire system centralised.

Two days after his transfer to Scotland Bernard is taken ill and admitted to the 2nd Scottish General Hospital in Edinburgh for 11 days, before a move to Kelso for a further 21 days treatment for enlarged Tonsils.

After his discharge on 4th October a small oversight on Bernard’s part brought him into trouble with the Army authorities by over staying his leave, from midnight of the 13th October until 8.30 a.m. of the 17th, a total of 80 hours. He was arrested and the following day brought before a Captain Bradley, Charged with “Absent without leave” and sentenced to forfeit 4 days pay with all leave stopped for 1 month.

In early November, Bernard applied for an officer’s commission in the Machine Gun Corp. On the application form he states his father is a coach builder, and his own job was that of a Bank clerk and he could ride a horse. The vicar of Leverstock Green gave a reference for good moral character, stating he had known Bernard for the past seven years. This date seems strange as both had lived in the village since 1902. The headmaster of his old school in Watford stated Bernard had attended the school from 1908 to 1911. Secondary education was a requirement of the army for its officers. His commanding officer and the Brigadier of 24th Training Reserve Brigade duly signed the form. Past fit Bernard was accepted for admission to number 2 Officer Cadet Battalion stationed at Pirbright on 1st February 1917. After initial training at Pirbright came a transfer to No 6 Cadet Battalion, Oxford in the middle of May.

Three months later and Bernard is selected by the Royal Flying Corp for training as a pilot, with instructions to “report to the school of Military Aeronautics, Reading for instruction in aviation”. On Bernard’s Royal Air force records is states, he applied to join the newly formed Tank Corps and must have been found unsuitable. The Tank Corp were originally part of the Machine Gun Corp. At the end of August Bernard is promoted a Second Lieutenant. Such was the need for pilots by 1917 that almost any officer would be taken even the medically unfit. On selection by the Flying Corp the new cadet officer pilots were given a dose of square bashing at the hands of the army’s infamous drill instructors before moving onto the school of Military Aeronautics.

There were two Aeronautic schools in England, one at Reading the other at Oxford. The army having taken over the university’s colleges for military training. This course at the ground school was a concentrated university course compressed into six weeks.

Courses would include, aerial observation and wireless telegraphy, aneroid barometers, manufacture of engine parts, Lewis guns etc, also a course in mess room etiquette.

The candidates were considered cadets and badges of rank were forbidden to be worn and to indicate their status a white band only was worn around the cap. All cadets were under parade discipline at all times while being instructed and had to salute an instructor when speaking to him regardless of his rank. Each cadet received £50.00 to purchase a uniform and 7 shillings and sixpence a day pay. After graduating from ground school the daily rate pay went up 4 shillings flying pay.

On leaving ground school the cadets moved onto a primary training squadron, Bernard went to 31 training squadron, at Wyton, Huntingdonshire, their after a few hours of dual instruction the cadet would be flying solo. Some cadets only received 2 hours instruction before their solo flight. The duration of a solo flight would be for 15 to 20 minutes flying around the airfield. After having spent around 15 hours in the air the cadet moved on to higher training squadron, in Bernard’s case 62 squadron stationed at Swingate Down, Dover in Kent, here flying was encouraged every day. At these squadrons flying was much broader by flying higher and over long distances and aerial gunnery was performed by the cadets firing at a target towed by a very brave pilot in a tow plane.

In 1915 Swingate Down airfield consisted of a few wooden hangars and huts, however it was expanded in 1917 and five large hangars, a General Service Aircraft Repair Shed and various other buildings were built.

While stationed at Swingate Downs, Bernard married 19 year old Elizabeth Elford at Hutcham Park church, Greenwich on 16th February 1918. His profession on the marriage certificate was given as “Active service” although he was still not a qualified pilot.

After having flown a variety of aircraft Bernard qualified as a pilot on 26th March 1918. During his training Bernard managed to return home on a number of occasions sometimes with fellow trainee pilots.

 The gazette carried an article on 5th January that “2nd Lieutenant Wright RFC was recently home on two days leave”

 Olive Seabrook living in the Leather Bottle and Bernard grow up together with his home only next door it may have been that Olive had a soft spot for Bernard as he is the only local boy to have signed her autograph book and on two occasions. One was a full page sketch of his abilities to fly and the second was when he came to the Green with a number of friends from the training school.

1st April 1918, April fool’s day, the army’s Royal Flying Corp is amalgamated with the Navy’s Royal Navy Air Service forming the Royal Air Force. Also this day Bernard is promoted Lieutenant. Now after two and half years in the services the war for Bernard is moving forward fast. On the 13th Bernard’s posted to No 4 Squadron Australian Flying Corp, an operational squadron based at Bruay, on the western front. Flying camel scouts.

April was to become the worst month of the war for losses in the air force. The Germans had moved around 1680 aircraft against the British on the launch of their 1918 offensive.

Bernard was still training with his first appearance in the squadron logbook on 20th April showing him as “Practice and Gunnery” on the 30th the squadron flew to a new airfield at Clairmarais, this was due to the airfield coming under threat by the German advance. Bernard’s first operational flight came on 2nd May and lasted for 1 hour 5 minutes, but with low clouds visibility was poor. His second operation was worse with visibility classed as bad.

On the evening of May 5th, at 5.30p.m. Bernard in the second of two flights consisting of 11 aircraft the squadron took off for an offensive and bombing patrol. Clairmarais, northeast of St Omer was untouched by the war but for these pilots this would soon change with the squadron flying an easterly course towards the Germans. By 6.p.m.the squadron was engaged in a dogfight with seven German Albatross aircraft. In the ensuring fight, two German aircraft are recorded destroyed. One shot down completely out of control, the other forced down to land. The Australians also had a casualty “Last seen at 6-05  p.m. Shot down in flames” between Bailleul and Merville, Australian records.

The rest of No 4 squadron carried on with the patrol and dropped bombs between Vieux Berquin and Neuf Berquin. This was Bernard’s 3rd operational flight. By the end of May of the 11 pilots engaged on this patrol 3 would be dead.

Burning was all too often the fate of pilots defeated in a fight. The reason was due to the fuel tank mounted as close to the engine as possible and on most aircraft the magnetos were geared to the propeller shaft by direct drive. A bullet that struck the engine would rupture one part of the fuel system spurting petrol over the canvas and wooden airplane, with the revolving propeller keeping the magneto sparking, fire was the inevitable result. As pilots were not allowed to wear parachutes the end result was never in doubt.

MEMORIAL

 Bernard aged 22 years was included on the order of service for the parish church at Easter 1919 and named on the memorials for Leverstock Green, Hemel Hempstead and the Village school. He is buried next to an unknown soldier in Outersteene Communal Cemetery.                      Plot IV, Row. B. Grave 1

For some reason Bernard was not originally included on the Leverstock Green memorial, but added later, after the unveiling ceremony.

During September 1918 at Greenwich, Bernard’s wife Elizabeth gave birth to a son whom she named Bernard W Wright she also placed the following entry,                        

From the National Roll of Honour for London

He joined September 1916 in following year drafted to W front were he rendered valuable service whilst engaged as a pilot and made many flights over the German lines.

He died the noblest death a man may die fighting for god and right and liberty.

Just what Bernard had previously told Elizabeth we will never know?

The Sopwith Camel flown by Bernard was a legendary machine, the best of the British single seater fighters. More enemy aircraft were claimed to have been destroyed by this aircraft than in any other, around 1294 in total. With a top speed of 115 M,P.H. and an effective ceiling of 19000ft. There were twin Vickers machine guns firing forward and four 25lb bombs could be carried for nuisance raids over enemy trenches. The name Camel came from the humped fairing over the twin machine guns.

Five months before the end of the First World War, a question was tabled in the British House of Commons, to be answered by the Secretary of State. He was asked to explain the extraordinarily high death rate of fighter pilots in training before being sent to their Royal Flying Corps squadrons in France. The figures showed that 8,000 out of a total of 14,166 pilot deaths had occurred before those pilots ever flew against the enemy. In fact the British training system was killing more pilots than the Germans.

The Secretary of State's answer was indicative of the casual and lethal methods the RFC employed up to 1917. He attempted to blame the high number of training deaths on the pilots themselves and referred to their youthful lack of discipline as the primary cause. By comparison, the German figures for fighter pilot deaths in the First War while training was about one quarter of the British. It wasn't lack of discipline, but a lack of effective training plans, good instructors and reliable airplanes which were killing off new pilots.

Many thanks go to Eileen Freeman for the photo of Bernard and Elizabeth

And Jill Ray for  use of her mother's autograph book. 

I have just discovered this site and all the detail about my Great uncle and name sake - Bernard Wright.

I used to visit Bernard's sister Hilda, in Curtis Road, Leverstock Green when I was a boy. His brother, William, was my paternal grandfather but I never knew him because he died before I was old enough.

Thank you so much for providing this information. I knew nothing beyond the fact that Bernard had been killed flying in the First World War.  I now find it strange that the family never shared any of this but its too late to find out why that was.

Thank you again.

Bernard Wright