On February 27th, 1916, Flight-Lieutenant Harold Rosher died in a flying accident at the Dover Aeroplane Station. Most of the letters he wrote to his parents while on duty have been quoted here over the past year.
Quote:
Three days after the date of the last letter Harold was killed. On 27th February, Major Risk, the C.O. of the Dover Aeroplane Station being away on duty, Harold, as second in command, was in charge. Among his other duties he had to train new pilots on fast machines, and he would always personally test a new machine or a newly-repaired machine before allowing anybody else to try it. On that Sunday morning he ordered a number of machines to be brought out of the sheds for practice flights. Among them was one which had just been repaired after a mishap three weeks earlier. The pilot had already got into his machine. Harold told him to get out as the machine was untested, and himself took it up for a trial flight of eight or ten minutes. Everything seemed to go right until Harold began the descent about a mile away from the Aerodrome. Then, at a height of 300 feet or less, the machine suddenly made a nose-dive and crashed to the ground. Harold was killed instantly. The disaster occupied seven seconds. At the inquest nothing was ascertained as to the cause of the accident. One theory is that the controls jammed. Harold was buried on the 2nd of March at Charlton Cemetery, with full naval honors.
Harold was twenty-two when he died at work.
-With The Flying Squadron - from the introduction by Arnold Bennett
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Praise for Harold Rosher from those who knew him:
"You have the consolation of knowing his splendid record at Dunkirk. He was among the finest pilots I ever had out there, always cheerful and ready for his work."
-Wing Commander Aurthur N. Longmore, R.N.
"Harold, or Rosh as we always used to call him, was one of my very best pals and a very fine officer and First Lieutenant. Every one loved him. He was an absolute 'Sahib', a very good pilot, hard-working, and absolutely trustworthy.
-Major Charles E. Risk, Squadron Commander
"He returned with some of the others from abroad last autumn, and very shortly afterwards I selected him from a large number of officers to become Executive Officer of the Dover Air Station, which was then starting. Although quite young, he immediately displayed great organising abilities, and also possessed the gift of command of men, which in unusual without previous training, and fully justified my selection. At his own request he was shortly proceeding abroad in command of a Flight, and would undoubtedly have gained his promotion in the near future. I have said little as regards his skill as a pilot, since this was probably well known to you, but he was undoubtedly in the first flight."
-Captain Charles L. Lamb
If you would like to read the whole book, it is in the public domain and available for download.
http://www.forgottenbooks.com/books/...ron_1000900064