Horace Wilfred Girdlestone, a2b2

Born in Heidelberg when his (English) parents were living there, when father Harry (Henry Clapcott) working as a school master at Neuenheim College. Moved to Cape Town with parents and siblings at some point after 1900.

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Details of WW1 flying records found in attachment under Sources, extracted from http://www.airhistory.org.uk/rfc/people_index.html. This details his ranks and squadron movements. Says that after training he was in Royal Garrison Artillery, then 15 Squadron from early 1917, then 4 Squadron sometime between Sept 1917 and March 1918. Killed in a collision with another English pilot, Lt. R. Homersham, flying an RE8.

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Received by email from Serge Comini, President of the A.B.E.S.S. association, who has been working on the archeological site of a Cistercian abbey at La Gorgue, France. (http://www.cister.net/abbeys/en/66/beaupre-sur-la-lys/ and see attachments uner Sources)
The site was occupied by a R.F.C. aerodrome. Records show a Lieutenant Horace Wilfred Girdlestone born June 4th, 1897, died April 30th, 1918. He likely would have been at La Gorgue with No. 15 Squadron, (equipped with Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Aircraft_Factory_R.E.8) from about 7 July to 17 August 1917.
In addition, this site gives more details and dates of the various squadrons at La Gorgue: http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/4094607/1

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Record for Horace from the Imperial War Museum here: https://livesofthefirstworldwar.org/lifestory/1354712 Rank: Lieutenant, Corps: Royal Garrison Artillery; Rank: Second Lieutenant, Corps: Royal Flying Corps and Royal Field Artillery. (See attachments under Source tab for details of medals.)

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This war memorial site says he was in the 4th Squadron and killed in an aero accident: http://www.southafricawargraves.org/search/print.php?id=8227 Buried at Grave Reference: V. A. 83. Cemetery: LONGUENESSE (ST. OMER) SOUVENIR CEMETERY Locality: Pas de Calais

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CWGC record here: http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/20233/GIRDLESTONE,%20HOR... (The record for the man who was killed with him in the same aero accident when their planes collided, Ronald Homersham, is shown here: http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/20507/)

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Remembered in school magazine, 2016: http://www.bishops.org.za/magazine/Mar2016/OD.pdf

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Memorial plaque (attached) for Horace and his father Henry Clapcott Girdlestone (who died a few years earlier) is in St Mark's Church at Pennington, Lymington, Hants. Photo provided by kind permission of the church.

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Some general information about Squadron No. 15: http://holum.net/snhweb/gen/squadron15.htm and http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/bombercommandno15squadron.cfm.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._4_Squadron_RAF
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._15_Squadron_RAF

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