Shuttleworth - 7th October 2012

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An adjusted post from the The Digital Aviator to kick off.

'Had a superb day at Old Warden watching the The Shuttleworth Collection's last display day of the season. The major objective of the day was to bring together all the members of the team with an interest in Arthur's story. Piers, Andrew and Rupert (Dent) were all there along with my friend, colleague and co-researcher, Syd Buxton. Syd spent part of the day with Tony Blackman at a book signing wedged into a chair gripping a pen whilst recounting his very interesting past.

The good news for us was that the SE5a, a Wolseley (Viper V8) engined model that we hoped to photograph, was to fly. Along with the Bristol Fighter, the Sopwith Pup and Triplane, this classic of the conflict on the Western Front was flown beautifully in the early evening light.

 Earlier, whilst the show was in its opening moments Andrew had bumped into a young lady called Tracey Curtis-Taylor, an Old Warden based pilot who was utterly charming and made us feel very welcome. After hearing Arthur's story and looking into his tin chest she swept us into a privileged position near the control tower and introduced us to the guys flying the display. A lucky break for us....

When the SE' returned to earth we were escorted 'up close and personal' to shoot take photographs and try a little alchemy. History takes on an immediacy when one of the principal actors comes alive in front of you, being so close to this living, breathing machine dripping hot oil fresh from flight leaves you on something of a high.

Syd and I returned to my car parked on the flight line and divided up the photographic and written archive of Arthur's life. We have now gone our separate ways to pore forensically through the evidence, record, scan and collaborate on-line. When I last saw the material I gained an impression of the depth of detail available to us; after working more closely with it I now fully realise that the task is deliciously vast.
All of the data will be arranged, appended to a time-line and integrated with other information we have from sources that reach from The RAF Central Flying School through to the principal UK museums dealing with the first great War in the Air. When we see clearly what we have, how it all relates and in turn what it reveals about the man and his time, the story that we want to tell will emerge.

Then the writing begins...

The flower of British Youth

I finished Arthur Rhys Davids story a little while back and have had time to reflect on the tale and all within it. And what a story it is; a peculiar character viewed through today's eyes. Shaped by what looks like a cloistered early life and a rumbustious, demanding schooling at the hands of Eton's masters, Arthur made it easily through flying training to the Western Front to discover his métier - combat flying. He admits to hating the killing and longing to return to the academic world, his first love. It's clear he didn't make friends easily, from the texts this seems to be through choice as he had little time for light banter and the normal run of a fighter pilot's social activity. He was nearer to Ball in this respect I think, though Ball was no academic.
I admire Arthur for his ability to adapt to his surroundings, his obvious courage and sense of duty. I think he would have made a fascinating guest at a small, well chosen dinner table. What a shame that like so many of his contemporaries, he didn't make that dinner gong, nor return to the classics, his first and enduring love. He could have said and done so much more...  Perhaps we should leave regret behind, Cecil Lewis in the company of notable others told their story and left an exquisite record for us all.

Arthur died on October 12th 1917 and has no known grave. He was 'almost certainly shot down by Leutnant Karl Gallwitz, at the time acting Staffelführer of Jasta Boelke' (Revell, 2010). He returned to earth within an area later heavily shelled and fought across during the battles for Passchendaele Ridge.

A scrimmage in a Border Station

A canter down some dark defile

Two thousand pounds of education

Drops to a ten-rupee jezail.

                      Rudyard Kipling

Reference

Revell, A (1984) Brief Glory, the life of Arthur Rhys Davids, DSO MC, William Kimber & Co, London.

Rarified Atmosphere

It has always struck me how our impressions and visualizations of the history of war are coloured by the media that recorded it and the attitudes of those who wrote it. The Great War was, to all intents and purposes, fought in black and white running at 1.25 the speed of reality. What is sometimes difficult to appreciate given the power of this media, is that all wars are fought in Technicolor and full surround-sound with no volume control. Hot is hot, cold is cold and tortured spinning steel has no respect for rank, title or script - as there isn’t one. To get the full benefit and understand it at a visceral level, you had to be there really, which in our case is impossible. Enough of the obvious.

 I am reading Alex Revell's brilliantly researched history of 56 Squadron (Revell, 1995) and his story of the short life of Arthur Rhys Davids, the scholastic RFC SE5a ace who flew with '56' during 1917. All this as background work for a closer look at Arthur Keen about whom little has been written.

A note from another place.

Word in a short while ago from a very knowledgeable follower of the story concerning the Spads.

Norman,
The Spads in the photo. On 29th May 1917, 40 Sqdn were based at Bruay and stayed there until 4th June 1918. In February 1917, 23 Sqdn were re-equipped with Spad VIIs and on 29th May 1917 moved to - guess where - Bruay, staying till 13th June 1917. Interesting?. Unless you have other clues in the material, I would say that the Spads in the photo are of 23 Sqdn. Bruay is slightly south- east of Béthune.

Cheers Alex

Keen's Map

Arthur is still very much with us. Flying open cockpit aircraft always bought new skills and techniques such as pasting a chart to a piece of thin marine plywood. All that to save a blurred flash as your chart gets whipped away by the slipstream during aerobatics.
Some of Arthur's aero's would may have been inspired by sheer exuberance, but the majority probably came from just trying to stay alive. Here is the remnants of his effort after a bullet smashed it during combat.
The Story of the 'hole'.

See The Memorial Flight to look at a very fine SE5a restoration.
Perhaps the best WW1 aircraft restoration website on the web - is there a company anywhere that restores or reconstructs WW1 aircraft better than The Vintage Aviator Ltd?

Time Travel

'Research' for me is a word that evokes stuffiness, bookish tendencies and frankly, a dry as dust well where the spirits sink. At least that was the case until I started doing a little digging myself, it seems quite different now as the mud and metal of Flanders and Arras edge closer.

Left: Capt PCO Riddell (Recording Officer) Centre: Unknown, possibly Padre Keymer, Right: Capt AW Keen

Aviator in the Attic - 3

After relative silence on the subject for a while we seem to have hatched a plan for next year. The proposal is that we three interested parties (Piers, Whitters and yours truly) go across to France during a 'Spring Offensive' to visit the airfields that Arthur flew from with 40 Squadron until the time of his parting.
These airfields include amongst others, Bruay and Bryas. Not much left of the former sadly... We are doing the research as part of the ongoing project into this chapter of Arthur's life and it is proving to be enduringly fascinating. The forum members of The Aerodrome.com and Cross & Cockade have been generous with information and advise during the early stages of the research.
Earlier Post 1 2 3.

Aviator in the Attic - 2

 

I have now had a good look at the material in Arthur's field letter case (the tin box) and it is quite a trove. His MC is there along with other awards and a ton of letters, photographs and papers. Some of his personal effects are quite amazing. For instance, a tubular silver case for just one cigarette with a lighter in one end and a compass at the other. One for smoking in a field whilst waiting to be picked up by the squadron Crossley Tender after the engine stops... or worse. The sense of immediacy is amazing, it's like breathing in pure history - a snapshot of someones life. As Piers and I rooted carefully through the contents we were simply bowled over by the story, most of it yet to unfold.

Note: The Spad above was part of a lineup shown in other pictures in the box. Either the British squadron was co-located, they were visitors, or perhaps Arthur grabbed his camera and popped across for a drink with the French/Americans. I don't think the RFC/RAF operated the aircraft; it shouldn't be difficult to place such a distinctively marked aircraft squadron. 

*It seems that I (we) will now be writing the book with Piers as Head Researcher and Archivist.We have also been joined by Richard and Syd, both motivated and tenacious researchers - and aviators to the core!

The Aviator in the Attic - 1

Piers is a good friend, an aviator descended from a long line of fliers with a keen sense of history . Like many of us he has held a lifelong fascination with all things that make their way around 'up there' be they avian, human or wood and fabric.  Across the last seven years we have shared our interests across Skype while I am away down-route.

Back to the 'long line of fliers: It seems that and one of Piers' ancestors left us  a time capsule. A regulation-sized tin box had  emerged from a family attic during a house sale, it contained the personal effects of a fighter pilot from the Great War, a youthful great uncle, Arthur Keen.  The tin box had probably remained sealed since just after the war when it and consigned to the attic. The key, having been placed in a safe place went the way of many such, other means were used to gain entry.