James McCudden's Death

[alex_revell]

Retread,
I'm aware of the high prices HITEB fetches these days, but you missed a copy on Ebay recently, which went for $66.00. I'm sure there are some out there that will not make the ridiculous asking prices. You say that you can't remember where you first had the idea that McCudden tried to turn back with a failing engine and stalled, a classic mistake. That theory has been about for a long time. It was put forward again in a book published only last year. That's how misconceptions get perpetuated, I'm afraid. Chris Cole's book is a fine biography, well written and researched and I recommend it wholeheartedly. I had the idea of doing a biography myself in the 1960s as McCudden was the boyhood hero of mine (I'd had a copy of Flying Fury since I was 14 and reread it every year), but when I traced his sister Katheen and went to see her she told me that someone was already writing one and was well advanced. That was Chris. So I dropped the idea. About a month later I had a letter from an American, completely unknown to me, asking if I would like to write a book on 56 Squadron. I thought that was the next best thing and the result - many years later - was HITEB.

[crankcase]

but i recall reading that the circumstances of McCudden's death were considered "embarrassing" to the authorities and therefore he suffered some lack of recognition in death (buried quietly, no honors or fuss...)

is this also factually wrong? and why was no official report issued? was that usual? pls, honorable forum members, to set the record straight!

marc

[alex_revell]

Crankcase,
No, I don't think there has ever been a statement that M's death was embarrassing to the British authorities, although it undoubtedly would have been if there had been a full enquiry into the circumstances of his death. H N Charles, an accident investigating oficer was sent to the scene by Trenchard and reported his finding to T regarding the obsolete air filter having been fitted to the SE5a, in his opinion the cause of the loss of power on take off in a steep climbing turn, but nothing came of this report. I believe that it was hushed up. Yes, M's funeral was thought by many to have been unworthy of him, but I don't think that had anything to do with the coverup. It would only have drawn attention to the fact that something was admiss.
In the accident investigations for July 9 1918 one can find all sorts of reports of people chopping their toes off while digging latrines and such like, but nothing on the circumstances of M's death. I've always thought that very strange.

[crankcase]

i can see the official interest in avoiding a public scandal if it had become widely known that McCudden's death was due to obsolete supplies and his death possibly avoidable...

...hmmm, reminds me of the stories on body armor supplies in iraq...logistics, bureaucracy, etc...
marc

[retread]

I dug up some information on Norman H. Read , who was the student survivor of the flying accident which killed William McCudden.
Read's home of record was Manchester, Massachusetts, a coastal town about halfway between Boston and the New Hampshire border. He attended and probably graduated Yale University.
I found him mentioned unexpectedly in "Horses Don't Fly" by Frederick Libby. After America's declaration of war on Germany ,Libby (also an American in the RFC) was offered an commision in the USAS with an increase of rank , from Captain to Major. Libby left France for England in September 1917. When he arrived he was contacted by Read who was offered the same deal. A couple of weeks later they sail out of Liverpool to New York, arriving Oct. 22. From there they made their way to Washington, D.C.
A couple of days later they have a interview with an officer who Libby identifies only as "the great man", whom I suspect was Benjamin Foulois.
Libby goes on," He is very much at ease when we appear. He has his feet on his desk, with his hands clasped back of his head, evidently perfectly satisfied with his own greatness. He is undoubtedly delighted to see us, for he never moves out of his chair or gives us a handshake or any kind of pleasant greeting such as was always the custom with any major or squadron commanding officer in the RFC. Here we are , both captains reporting to our own country at the request of the adjutant general's office to a major who hasn't got the decency to get off his dead behind and , whether he likes it or not, show some courtesy. We didn't expect him to kiss our bottom, just a small welcome, which we sure as hell rated."
Libby and Read are informed they must first take an oath of allegiance to the United States and then prove their worth by taking a Jenny to 5,000' and performing a deadstick landing to be accepted as junior aviators in the USAS.
" All this without Read or me saying a word. Why we didn't kill the gentleman , I'll never know, except I was too stunned.....But Read comes to life with a bang and , in langauge this bird can understand, tells him to shove the wings, the Jenny and his damn commission where it will do the most good".....Read continued "Your treatment of us today is unbelieveable. Libby has two years in the RFC in four fighting squadrons and has more hours in the air and more enemy ships to his credit than any American."
At this Read returned to Massachusetts for a time , stating he intended to return to the RFC. Without taking the oath of alligance and resigning their commissions the U.S. authorities couldn't touch either him or Libby . They were still officers in the British Army.
Read went hunting in Maine and then headed for Alaska to prospect.At some point he evidently did resign his RFC commission and joined the USAS. As best I can tell he was initially given the rank of Lieut. but made Major shortly afterward. As stated he seemed to have a training role in Texas.
After the war Read was active in Alpine mountaineering, participating in expeditions to the Alps, the Canadian Rockies and Alaska.

[izstew]

I have read all the McCudden books but the most likely explanation - at least to my mind - that he was indulging in a bit of wild flying but had forgotten to take into account [If he ever knew] that the SE5 that he was flying did not have a modified carburetor & the engine would have choked just at the point that he needed the extra power - which had McCudden been flying a plane with the modification as he was used to, would have been there - is in Peter Hart's excellent book "Aces Falling" on page 199.

[retread]

That is in agreement with Cole's book. Based on the accounts of three eyewitnesses it seems probable that McCudden was indulging in a bit of high spirited hot-dogging. A strange twist of fate for a man known for his no nonesense, level headed approach to air combat.
The other side of the coin is that McCudden was known to have put on similar displays once or twice before. My opinion is that he was where he most wanted to be - at the front commanding a squadron- and just let his enthusiasm get the better of him.
To paraphrase an observation he had made himself- a combat pilot finds himself in situations in which afterwards he has no idea how he could have survived. Yet the smallest triviality can be fatal.

[tcrean7828]

Originally Posted by retread

Greg,
No sir. While I am aware of the heavyweight reputation of the book I have found it about as easy to locate as Neal O'Connor's Vol. 1 "Aviation Awards of Imperial Germany". Copies just aren't out there for less than $150.00 and more generally between $200.00 and $300.00+. If I find something for less than $100, or even slightly over I'd probably weaken. No luck yet.

Incidently, really nice link provided by wingedwarrior.

Mate,
Found the book you were looking for at Barns and Noble: Barnes*&*Noble.com - Books, Used & Out of Print, Textbooks, Children's Books, DVDs, Music, Toys


Description Quantity Total Price
Aviation Awards of Imperial Germany in WWI and the Men Who Earned Them, Vol. 7

Neal W. O'Connor - Hardcover
ISBN-13: 9780764316265 copy 1 - Price $55.96

And just received it last week in perfect condition.

ttfn

tom

[alex_revell]

Retread
You say that McCudden was known to have put on similar displays once or twice before. Could you let me have your sources for that, please.

[retread]

Uh-oh. Why do I feel like the mouse who just spotted the cat looking at him. At the risk of ending up a hot historical lunch the source in question would be the end of page 193 and top of page 194 in Cole's book. While I am sure A.R. has access to this I will quote it for the benefit of those who do not,

"In No. 56 Squadron his take-offs and landings were always precise and devoid of showmanship, though he had tremendous self-confidence and when away from the squadron did occasionally indulge in rather flamboyant flying, violating his own rules and those he laid down for his pilots, as shown by this description of his departure after a visit to No. 40 Squadron in October 1917:

McCudden climbed hurriedly into his machine, let his mechanics "suck in" the engine , gave the self-starter one or two turns and took off. The S.E.5 had no sooner left the ground than McCudden turned her round on an almost vertical bank, waved to us and flew off.

Former members of No.3 Squadron remembered an exactly similar take-off when he visited them in a D.H.2"