Lieutenant
G.E. CUSHING
Royal Flying Corps
29th December 1917 Age 19
Lieutenant GEOFFREY EDGAR CUSHING
Regiment & Unit:…………………Royal Flying Corps
Date of Death:…………………… 29 December 1917
Age:………………………………19 years old
Buried or commemorated at IPSWICH OLD CEMETERY
Grave:…………………………….BA. I. 72.
Additional Info Son of Charles and Lily M. Cushing, of 555, Mount Pleasant Avenue, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Source: www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/...
The Medal Index Card for Second Lieutenant Geoffrey Edgar Cushing, Royal Flying Corps, is held at the National Archive under reference WO 372/5/138901
As an officer his medals had to be applied for – something which was done by his mother, in 1922. Mrs C. Cushing gave her contact address as 555 Mount Pleasant Avenue, West Mount, Quebec, Canada.The card notes that he was killed on the 29th December 1917.
Other than administrative references there is no additional information on the card.
Source: discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D2055470
He qualified for the British War Medal only.
His Officers Long Papers are held at the National Archive under reference WO 339/82141. They are not digitised. discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C1135969
The death of a 19 year old Geoffrey Edgar Cushing was registered in the Woodbridge District in the January to March, (Q1) quarter, of 1918.
The RAF Museum StoryVault holds a Casualty Card relating to the incident that would claim Lieutenant Cushings’ life. It shows he had graduated as a Flying Officer on the 30th April 1917. No specific unit is mentioned although the incident report originated from “Testing, Ipswich”. Flying Sopwith Camel B3888 on the 29th December 1917, the court of inquiry concluded that he lost control in cloud and when he came out he had insufficient height to regain proper control, nose-diving to earth. www.rafmuseumstoryvault.org.uk/archive/cushing-g.e.-geoff...
The Ipswich War Memorial website shows genealogical details. www.ipswichwarmemorial.co.uk/geoffrey-edgar-cushing/
The award of the British War Medal only would be appropriate for someone who served with the armed forces of a country of the British Empire, (including the UK) outside the relevant country but not in a Theatre of War. Thus members of the British Army and Air Force who served in the UK only did not qualify for any service medals, but Australians, Canadians, South Africans who came with the Expeditionary Forces from those countries but only got as far as the UK would receive the British War Medal. Given the rank shown on the Medal Index Card and the service medal award I suspect he may have originally arrived as an Officer of the Canadian Expeditionary Force before being accepted by the Royal Flying Corps. However so far no evidence found to confirm that.