15 replies to this topic

[Andrew Smith]

G'day All,

In Captain Thomas Piper's (RNAS RAF) unpublished biography he writes of a 20+ Gotha raid over Sheerness around June July of 1917, just before his posting to the Agean.

He was in a military tailors "Geeves" ordring his Khakis when the first bombs hit blowing out a wall in the shop. His best mate was killed in the shop and another invalided out of the service.

Can anyone tell me the date of this raid so i can track down Pipe's mates names.

Thanks,

Andrew.

[Dolphin]

Andrew

I think that he must be referring to the 22-Gotha raid on 5 June 1917.  13 were killed and 34 injured, while 62 defensive sorties were flown.

I hope that this helps.

Gareth

[Andrew Smith]

Andrew

I think that he must be referring to the 22-Gotha raid on 5 June 1917.  13 were killed and 34 injured, while 62 defensive sorties were flown.

I hope that this helps.

Gareth

Thanks Gareth,

Do you know if a casualty list was published for the raid, I assumed Pipe's mate was RNAS but he could have been RN or RNVR etc

Andrew.

[Dolphin]

Andrew

Sorry, but no.  The airborne aspects of the raid are well covered in The Air Defence of Britain, buty I don't know about a detailed casualty list.  Perhaps the local paper might be the best source, if you can arrange for someone to have a look for you.

Regards

Gareth

[kin47]

Do you know if a casualty list was published for the raid, I assumed Pipe's mate was RNAS but he could have been RN or RNVR etc


Hello

There were no naval (RN, RNVR, RNAS, etc, etc) deaths for this date to bombing.

All best

don

[MikeW]

Andrew,

you have a typo there mate - Geeves should be Gieves - very famous!

Mike

Attached Files

•  gieves.jpg   60.36K   0 downloads

[Andrew Smith]

Andrew,

you have a typo there mate - Geeves should be Gieves - very famous!

Mike

Thats it I will never trust a blokes memory who writes his biography who is 96 years old or over .

Thanks for the correction Mike.

Hello

There were no naval (RN, RNVR, RNAS, etc, etc) deaths for this date to bombing.

All best

don

If it helps Tom Piper wrote that his best pals body was recovered the next day, so would the date of death be the 6th??

Regards,

Andrew

[Jonathan Saunders]

This might help - taken from A GLINT IN THE SKY by Martin Easdown.

Tuesday 5th June 1917.  Raid on Shoeburyness and Sheerness involving 22 Gothas dropping 74 bombs.

At Sheerness there was 3 civilian fatalities, including Edward Perry the manager of Gieves and a customer, Samuel Hawes, a CPO of HMS Actaeon.  There were 10 military killed in all.

Other civilian killed was George Frier and Herbert Lucas, both of whom appear dockyard workers.

In addition 9 civilians and 25 military personnel were wounded.

1 Gotha was shot down!

[kin47]

Thanks Jonathan on correction on Hawes.

HAWES SAMUEL H. CHIEF ARMOURER 340704 (Ch) ACTAEON 05/06/17 BOMBING

He had been uncorrectly attributted to illness in my dbase.

don

[johnbarleycorn]

Martin Easdown, the author of A Glint in the Sky, is mistaken in claiming that Samuel Hawes RN was killed at messrs Grieves.
Local news paper reports of the time, June 1917, while censored, make this clear.
The Guardian & East Kent Advertiser in a January 18 1919 round up of Kent air raids states-
'Chief armourer S Hawes RN....... was killed outright near Cavour Road, whilst on his way home from the Masonic club'.
Cavour road is around 1 mile from Grieves.
I am fairly certain the person killed at Grieves, alongside the manager, was Herbert H Gandy RN.
I have posted excerts from local papers, a list of deaths and other info at..bomb damage bluetown under the name herb collector.

[Andrew Smith]

Martin Easdown, the author of A Glint in the Sky, is mistaken in claiming that Samuel Hawes RN was killed at messrs Grieves.
Local news paper reports of the time, June 1917, while censored, make this clear.
The Guardian & East Kent Advertiser in a January 18 1919 round up of Kent air raids states-
'Chief armourer S Hawes RN....... was killed outright near Cavour Road, whilst on his way home from the Masonic club'.
Cavour road is around 1 mile from Grieves.
I am fairly certain the person killed at Grieves, alongside the manager, was Herbert H Gandy RN.
I have posted excerts from local papers, a list of deaths and other info at..bomb damage bluetown under the name herb collector.

Thanks John,

Gandy certainly looks like the chap I was trying to track down, I contacted Gieves in 2008 but they had no record of the bombing

Regards,

Andrew

[domsim]

And from Common wealth War Graves Commission:

Name: GANDY, HERBERT HOWARD
Initials: H H
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Gunner
Regiment/Service: Royal Navy
Unit Text: H.M. Torpedo Boat No 7.
Age: 26
Date of Death: 05/06/1917
Additional information: Son of Mr. and Mrs. Ripley Gandy. Born at Brighton.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: E. 126.
Cemetery: HOVE OLD CEMETERY

Cheers
Dominic

[per ardua per mare per terram]

His Officer's service record:
Name  Gandy, Herbert Howard
Date of Birth:  17 September 1890
Rank:  Acting Gunner
Date [opened] 04 November 1916
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documen...p;resultcount=4

Register of Seamen's Services:
Name  Gandy, Herbert Howard
Official Number:  237503
Place of Birth:  Shoreham, Sussex
Date of Birth: 17 July 1890
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documen...;resultcount=21

Note dicreprency over DoB, possibly a data entry error.

[per ardua per mare per terram]

A belated welcome to the forum johnbarleycorn,
His Registers of Seamen's Services is online:
Name  Hawes, Samuel Henry
Official Number:  340701 [not 340704 who was Humphries, Thomas Henry]
Place of Birth:  Coventry, Warwickshire
Date 18 February 1876
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documen...p;resultcount=5

[per ardua per mare per terram]

File at the UK National Archives:
AIR 1/639/17/122/180 Report of enemy air raid on Sheerness. 1917 Sept. 3 [was this a different raid or slow reporting?]

[Aspern]

File at the UK National Archives:
AIR 1/639/17/122/180 Report of enemy air raid on Sheerness. 1917 Sept. 3 [was this a different raid or slow reporting?]

Yes, different raid. It was the first night time raid on England by Gotha bombers. Target was Chatham but bombs hit Chatham, Sheerness and Margate.One bomb on Chatham hit a drill hall which was being used as accomodation by naval recruits. The bomb killed 130 and wounded another 88.

Ian