RFC: airman's service record
Lionel Claridge joined the RFC on 2 July 1914 at the age of 21, just over a month before the outbreak of the First World War. After a period in France and two spells of home service, he was dispatched to join the Mesopotamia Expeditionary Force in October 1915. His file notes that he was captured as a prisoner of war by Turkish forces in May 1916 and held at Aleppo. It was not until July 1918 that the War Office sent a letter to Claridge's parents informing them that their son had apparently died of dysentery 'between 1st and 31st May 1916'.
Catalogue reference: AIR 79/17 2 July 1914 - 31 May 1916
Transcript
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
