Next month a memorial stone will be laid at the Shepherd’s Bush war memorial on Shepherd’s Bush Green in memory of First World War recipient of the Victoria Cross and native of Hammersmith, L/Sgt Frederick Palmer.
Palmer was born in Hammersmith in 1891. After the end of the war he joined the Royal Flying Corps, then moved to Malaysia to work. He returned to England at the outbreak of WW II and joined the RAF flying in the Battle of Britain and retiring as a Wing Commander. Many men would have thought they had done their bit in one war and leave it to a younger generation next time.
Set into the wall of Knightsbridge Barracks I noticed a much older memorial to a recipient of the VC, Matthew Fontaine Maury Meiklejohn. He served in the Gordon Highlanders in the Second Boer War where he was awarded the VC for his actions in the Battle of Elandslaagte. Here is his citation.
At the Battle of Elandslaagte on the 21st October, 1899, after the main Boer position had been captured, some men of the Gordon Highlanders, when about to assault a kopje in advance, were exposed to a heavy cross-fire and, having lost their leaders, commenced to waver. Seeing this, Captain Meiklejohn rushed to the front and called on the Gordons to follow him. By his conspicuous bravery and fearless example, he rallied the men and led them against the enemy’s position, where he fell, desperately wounded in four places.
His arm had to be amputated but in spite of this he remained in the army. He was killed in a riding accident in Hyde Park as the memorial records.
Frederick William Palmer VC was a heroic soldier in WW1 (Royal Fusiliers) who joined the RAF VR (Volunteer Reserve) in 1940 but there is no record of his name as one of the 2936 Battle of Britain ‘few’. In any event, and even allowing for his illustrious war record, would he not, at the ripe age of 49 been deemed far too old for active air battle? He retired from the RAF RV in 1945 as acting Wing Commander and died in 1955 aged 64.
That is an apposite comment and I agree with you. I took as my source Jack Dixon writing in the free Hammersmith weekly newspaper that I don’t usually read. He wrote that “he rejoined the RAF, flying in the Battle of Britain and earning the rank of wing commander” which misled me.
W/O Ernest Mayne born Newcastle upon Tyne January 2 1901 died March 24 1978 is recognised as the oldest squadron pilot flying in the Battle of Britain on 74 Squadron. His logbooks and other bits and pieces can be seen at the museum at Manston. But let us not forget the colourful character, F/O Sydney ‘Timbertoes’ Carlin MC DFC DCM born 1889, the wooden legged 10 victory ‘Ace’ of the RFC who volunteered for service in the Battle of Britain and became an air-gunner in 264 Squadron. He had two jackets, one with RFC wings on, the other had Air Gunner wings sewn on and would amuse everyone in the squadron by wearing a different jacket each day. Although not actually flying during the Battle, he is known to have hitched several rides in Wellington bombers and it is rumoured that he was often the 2nd pilot on these jaunts.
On the 9th May 1941 during a bombing raid at Wittering whilst steadily making his way to his Defiant, a stick of bombs fell close to him, blowing off one of his arms and bringing instant death.