Lieutenant
C.W. BLAIN, AFC.
Royal Air Force
22nd January 1919
Lieutenant C W BLAIN
Regiment & Unit:…………Royal Air Force
Date of Death:…………….22 January 1919
Buried or commemorated at IPSWICH OLD CEMETERY
Grave:…………………….BA. I. 79.
Awards Air Force Cross
Source: www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/...
His RAF records shows that he was Cecil William Blain. Next of kin was father A. C. Blain who lived at Ashfield, Bromborough, Cheshire. Cecil joined the Special Reserve of the Royal Flying Corps and by the 6th December 1915 was recorded at Northholt.
On the 13th December 1915 he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant.
On the 17th January 1916 he was posted to the 11th Reserve Squadron. On the 17th February 1916 he was confirmed in his rank of 2nd Lieutenant, having been appointed Flying Officer.
On the 16th June 1916 he was posted to 70 Squadron, moving to France on the 29th June 1916.
The squadron was formed on 22 April 1916 at Farnborough, and was equipped with the Sopwith 1½ Strutter. The squadron was posted to France
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._70_Squadron_RAF
To No 70 Squadron (1½ Strutters). With his Observer (2nd Lt C D Griffiths) plus Capt W D S Sanday + Lt C W Busk and Lt Mase + ? claimed two Albatros two-seaters forced to land on 6 August 1916. With Griffiths, shot down and taken prisoner 7 August 116 in Strutter A380.
www.theaerodrome.com/forum/showthread.php?t=40874
Cecil was reported missing on the 7th August 1916. By October 1916 he was known to be a Prisoner of War.
Cecil has multiple record cards held at the International Committee of the Red Cross. He was captured unwounded at Caudry.
grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/File/Details/277823/3/2/
The circumstances of his capture, his subsequent imprisonment, failed escape attempts and final succesful “home run” are covered in “Beyond the Tumult”, by Barry Winchester, published in 1972. In the preface the author states he has drawn extensively on Cecil’s own notes, which he believes were written in anticipation of writing his own book until death intervened. The book can be read on Archive Org, There is a picture of Cecil before captivity on page 105, while his picture on an I.D card made to assist one of his escape attempts can be found on page 122. Along with two other successful escapers he is photographed in the clothes and disguise he finally managed to escape Germany on page 157. He used a tunnel at Holzminden camp, with 10 of the 29 escapers making it back to England, He is pictured with other successful escapers at a quarantine camp in Holland on page 177. archive.org/details/beyondtumult00winc/page/176/mode/2up?...
While still a Prisoner he was promoted Lieutenant on the 1st September 1917.
He escaped imprisonent in Germany and made it back to England. By October 1918 he was on leave before being posted to the Air Experimental Station. The RAF Census on the 7th November 1918 would find him there.
On the 22nd January 1919 he was killed as a result of an aero accident.
He was flying Sopwith Camel F.1 serial number C158 from the Aeroplane Experimental Station at Martlesham Heath. The cause of the crash is not clear – it is believed part or parts of the machine nust have collapsed in the air. www.rafmuseumstoryvault.org.uk/archive/blain-c.w.-cecil-w...
Other sources have the serial number as C1588.
Oddly his death is not registered in England & Wales, nor does it seem to feature on records of air crashes. Contemporary newspapers don’t appear to have him or a coroners inquest recorded either. Speculation at this stage, but wonder if he came down at seawould then fall outside the normal civil registration \ coroners inquest systems depending on where the body was recovered.
The Ipswich War Memorial website shows genealogical details and that he attended Loretto School – Cecil appears in their Roll of Honour. archive.org/details/lorettorollofhon1925lore/page/8/mode/...
It also has copies of the newspaper coverage of the funeral which took place a few days after Cecils’ death, www.ipswichwarmemorial.co.uk/cecil-william-blain/
