For Valour : 2nd Lieutenant William Barnard Rhodes-Moorhouse VC
26 September 1887 – 27 April 1915
April 26th 1915, over France
Lieutenant Rhodes-Moorhouse has the distinction of being the first aviator to be awarded the Victoria Cross.
Rhodes-Moorhouse’s VC
On the ground, fighting on the Western Front had been static since late 1914, with set piece battles by each side achieving gains measured in yards against casualties counted in the tens of thousands. In 1914, air power was virtually non-existent – aircraft barely able to support the weight of their pilots. As the aircraft slowly evolved, so did their military use. First use was for reconnaissance – ‘what is over the next hill?’ – by the pilot taking paper notes. And artillery spotting, dropping target corrections to the artillery. Then adding bombs to these observation aircraft.
Mechanic about to swing the propeller of Royal Aircraft Factory BE2b,
c 1916 (RAFM P031251)
On 20 March 1915, Rhodes-Moorhouse was appointed to No. 2 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps, based at Merville, France and equipped with BE 2 aircraft. This was a safe and stable machine but its 70 hp Renault engine limited speed to a meagre 70 mph; it could carry an observer or 100 lb bomb. But not both.
BE2b of 4 Squadron, close-up of cockpit interior, St Omer (RAFM P001878)
On 22 April 1915, German forces deployed a new and terrifying weapon for the first time, during the first battle of Ypres: chlorine poison gas. French troops fell back in disarray and German troops were identified as assembling at rail heads to exploit any breaks in the front line. Thus, on 26 April, 2 Squadron was ordered to attack the railway station at Courtrai. Rhodes-Moorhouse was flying BE2b serial 687.
The London Gazette Friday 21st May 1915
‘2nd Lieutenant William Barnard Rhodes-Moorhouse, Special Reserve, Royal Flying Corps. For most conspicuous bravery on 26th April, 1915, in flying to Courtrai and dropping bombs on the railway line near that station. On starting the return journey he was mortally wounded, but succeeded in flying for 35 miles to his destination, at a very low altitude, and reported the successful accomplishment of his object. He has since died of his wounds.’
All RAF Transport Command VC 10 aircraft carried the name of an RFC/RAF VC winner; this is XV 108 (Photo courtesy of East Midlands Aeropark Aviation Museum, where this nose section is on display)
That particular edition of the London Gazette listed no fewer than 5 Victoria Crosses so the entry is perhaps more brief than usual. More details can be found in ‘For Valour’ by Chaz Bowyer, a copy of which may be viewed in the RAF Museum’s Reading Room in Hendon (see Bibliography).
He is buried in a private grave at Parnham House, near Beaminster, Dorset
His VC is held by the Imperial War Museum, London.
Credits:
- Citation: The London Gazette Friday 21st May 1915
- Additional biographical details: For Valour: The Air VCs Chaz Bowyer, Grub Street Publishing.
