My Grandfather, William F Purvis was born in 1898 in Toronto, Canada
At 18, as the "Great War" raged in Europe, he enrolled in the Royal Flying Corps. His friends included the legendary Major D. R Maclaren D.S.O, M.C and D.F.C, Captain W.A Curtiss D.S.C ,Major
Arthur Roy Brown D.S.C. and Lt.Alan Arnett McLeod VC
Bill Purvis served in France with 218 squadron stationed near Dunkirk flying the DH9, one of the first aerial bombers. On June 29, 1918,on his fourteenth mission Purvis and his observer L.H Locke were hit by anti aircraft fire over Zeebrugge Belgium On this final ill-fated mission, the last entry in his logbook, Lt.Purvis managed to glide the crippled aircraft to Holland before ditching in a field. The two men were interred by the Dutch Government and" missing in action" telegrams were dispatched to their families in Canada and England. They were eventually repatriated. The war ended in November.
Remembering him today