Cedric Howell
Cedric Ernest Howell was born in Adelaide, South Australia, on 17 June 1896. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in 1916 for service in the First World War. He was posted to No.45 Squadron RFC in France during October 1917; two months later the unit sailed to the Italian theatre. Howell spent eight months flying operations over Italy, conducting attacks against ground targets and engaging in sorties against aerial forces. In 1919, Howell was killed while taking part in the England to Australia air race.
About Cedric Howell in brief
Cedric Ernest Howell was born in Adelaide, South Australia, on 17 June 1896. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in 1916 for service in the First World War. In November 1916, he was accepted for a transfer to the Royal Flying Corps. He was posted to No.45 Squadron RFC in France during October 1917; two months later the unit sailed to the Italian theatre. Howell spent eight months flying operations over Italy, conducting attacks against ground targets and engaging in sorties against aerial forces. In one particular sortie on 12 July 1918, Howell attacked, in conjunction with one other aircraft, a formation of between ten and fifteen German machines; he personally shot down five of these planes and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order. In 1919, Howell was killed while taking part in the England to Australia air race. He attempted to make an emergency landing on Corfu but the plane fell short, crashing into the sea just off the island’s coast. Both Howell and his navigator subsequently drowned. He had previously been awarded the Military Cross and Distinguished Flying Cross for his gallantry in operations over the front. Howell had been trained as a sniper during his service with the 46th Battalion. He married Cicely Elizabeth Hallam Kilby in a ceremony at St Stephen’s Anglican Church, Bush Hill Park on 12 September, 1918.
Howell became a lieutenant in the new branch of the Royal Air Force on 1 April 1918, with personnel from the former services transferred to form the Royal Naval Air Service. He died in a plane crash on the island of Corfu, Greece, on 4 July 1919. He is buried at the Royal Australian Cemetery in Melbourne, Victoria, where he was buried with his wife and their three children, aged between 11 and 17 years old. Howell was nicknamed ‘Spike’ due to his tall, thin appearance; he was nicknamed after a cartoon character of the same name from the 1930s and 1940s. He also served in the Second World War as a second lieutenant in No.1 Royal Flying Officers’ Cadet Battalion at Durham for his initial instruction. In October 1917, he joined No.17 Reserve Squadron in April, where his rank was made substantive. On 1 April, he became a flight officer and was attached to the Central Flying School for duties. In December, he moved to the squadron in Italy, operating over the Italian Front in late December. Howell died in an air crash on 25 July, 1919, while flying a Martinsyde A1 aircraft over Corfu. He left behind a wife and two children, who he had married in 1913. Howell also had a son and a daughter, both of whom were born in Australia.
You want to know more about Cedric Howell?
This page is based on the article Cedric Howell published in Wikipedia (as of Oct. 29, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
