February 1917 - Letters of condolence

In the Melbourne Grammar publication 'War Services Old Melburnians, 1914-1918' (compiled and edited by J. Beacham Kiddle, 1923) Athol's accident is recounted by his fellow officers:

'...the engine was heard to stop, and the machine dived from a height of about 100 feet to earth, becoming a total wreck. The pilot was not suffering much from his injuries, but Athol was unconscious, and died soon after. He was accorded a military funeral. The official enquiry resulted in a verdict of accidental death. 

'His Captain writes: "The Flying Corps have lost not only an officer popular with all he met, but one who gave promise of making a good and valuable pilot". 

'Another officer writes: "I could not have wished for a better officer; he was keen and full of zeal in all his work, and I, as well as the CO was looking forward to the time when he would join the squadron as a pilot, which would have been in a very few days but for his untimely end".'

I do not have copies of the letters referred to in this book.

Unfortunately I don't have access to the British records, in particular, the RFC unit war diaries, so I cannot set out the contemporaneous account of the accident.

From Athol's log book we do know, that at the time of the accident, there was another pilot in the plane as an instructor. That airman was Flight Lieutenant George Charles Henry Culley, RFC. I thought it might be interesting to find out a little about Athol's co-pilot, George.

George Culley was born on 25 April 1893 and educated at Norwich Grammar School and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, where he studied law. After his studies George was articled to H. H. Cole, of Norwich. However, his studies were interrupted by the war. Like Athol, George enlisted in the first month of the war. He signed up on 24 August, 1914, as a 2nd Lieut., in the Norfolk Regiment. He was sent to Gallipoli in 1915 and gazetted Lieutenant in April 1915. In 1916 and 1917 he served in Egypt where he was transferred to the Machine Gun Corps. He was promoted to Captain in June 1916. That same year he joined Royal Flying Corps in September.  In 1918 he was transferred to France.

After the war George returned to the law. He passed his solicitors' Final Examination in October 1919 and was admitted to Supreme Court of England and Wales in 1920. He first practiced with Gordon Rice in Cardiff, Wales, but in 1942 enlisted again to serve in World War II in the Royal Air Force. After the war he lived at Little Shelford Cambridge until 1957. He died on 12 December 1982, aged 88.

How sad that no one from Athol's family was able to contact George to find out a little more about Athol and the fatal accident.

In 2005, George Culley's medals came up for sale at Bonhams auction house. They were sold for about £364 pounds. The sale catalogue describes the medal set as:

"1914-15 Star (Lieut. G.C.H.Culley Norf.R.); British War and Victory Medal (Capt. G.C.H.Culley. R.A.F.); 1939-1945 Star; Atlantic Star; Defence Medal; War Medal."

Ref: http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/11927/lot/123/
and https://cms.lawgazette.co.uk/Uploads/2014/06/17/c/y/l/recordofserviceo00soli.pdf This record also notes Culley 'crashed at Aboukir, Egypt, in aeroplane Feb. 19, 1917'.