Search Results

Over the past few months I have had several conversations with Ron Workman and Lucille Mole (the children of Dorothy Marks, Leonard Marks’ second daughter) and they have kindly provided me with family photographs and details as to the movements of the Marks family before and after the deaths of their grandfather Leonard Marks and his first-born child Phoebe, both of whom were buried in the Ma’Asker al Raschid RAF cemetery. Ron and Lucille are very keen to see the cemetery restored and have offered to pay for new headstones for both Phoebe and Leonard Marks if that proves to be possible. For more photographs and the full story of the Marks family, see the Old Burial Photos on this website.

This photograph was kindly sent me by Pauline Collins, the grand-daughter of Corporal Mark Cyril Osborne of LXX (70) Squadron, who served in Iraq for two years before dying of heat-stroke and Heart failure in July 1935 and buried in the Ma'Asker Al Raschid RAF Cemetery, part of RAF Hinaidi. Amongst his possessions was a menu for the farewell dinner at LXX Squadron, when new arrivals came from England and others left their Baghdad posting. Note the captions in the top cartoon, " Here we are again " from the new arrivals and " Hard Luck " from the resident Sergeant Major in reply. The menu is signed by the Commanding Officer of LXX Squadron, Wing Commander William Sowrey, DFC, AFC.

Cliff Thornton, who kindly gave me permission to use photographs he had of the headstone to LAC Robert Raw, who died on the 2nd June 1935 in Iraq and was buried at the Ma'Asker Al Raschid RAF Cemetery (click here to see these photos) has found another photograph, this one taken of Robert Raw when he was training in ther UK at RAF Halton before he was posted to Iraq. At the time of his death, LAC Raw (a member of 55 Squadron in Iraq) was stationed at the time in the RAF Aircraft Depot, Baghdad. LAC Robert Raw (55 Squadron RAF)

Parade with pipe band for 6 Squadron Royal Air Force 100th birthday at Leuchars in Scotland.

Flight of Typhoons join the Battle of Britain Hurricane in a flypast over Leuchars to celebrate the 100th birthday of 6 Squadron Royal Air Force. Note that my grandfather's WW1 streamers flew with Sqn Ldr Jim 'Rosie' Lee in the leade Typhoon

To celebrate the 100th birthday of 6 Squadron Royal Air Force, one of the squadron's Typhoons received a unique paint job.

Fresh paint job on the canard wings of a 6 Squadron Royal Air Force Typhoon to celebrate 100 years since the squadron was formed.

After an absence of 96 years, the streamers my grandfather brought back from Belgium have returned in style to 6 Squadron Royal Air Force. My thanks to Squadron Leader Jim 'Rosie' Lee for making it all happen.

In recent weeks I have received several requests asking me to reserach the WW1 activities of airmen who served with 6 Squadron on the Western Front. Rather than keep the information off-line, I thought it would be a good idea to gradually build up a database of brief biographies for 6 Squadron Royal Air Force pioneers and include them on this website. So if you have any information or requests regarding 6 Squadron personnel who served in the Great War, please contact me via this blog or the 'CONTACT' page on this website. Pictured below are the men of the (then) Captain Lanoe Hawker's flight, taken in 1915.

After more than eight years of service, I closed my old website www.forgodenglandethel.com on the 21st January 2016 so that I could concentrate on the www.stevebusterjohnson.com website. Since 2007 I have sold hundreds of books and made many friends from around the world who have found the information contained on my old site useful as part of their own research or asked me to help them investigate family members who served in the Royal Flying Corps and the early days of 6 Squadron Royal Air Force.

Resulting from a query received via my website from Richard Knight, a letter has come to light, written by the temporary flight commander of 6 Squadron's 'A' Flight a little over 100 years ago. The letter, written by 2nd Lt N W Scoles, informs the father of 2nd Lt James Bissett that his son died in battle on 7th January 1917. Richard, the current owner of the letter, has kindly allowed me to reproduce it on my website. For the story of James Bissett, please look at the 'Six Squadron Pioneers' menu selection.

I received a request last week regarding the cockpit instruments that were standard in the Royal Aircraft Factory RE8, one of the mainstays of the Corps squadrons in the Royal Flying Corps / Royal Air Force during WW1. I have reproduced below a photograph of a typical RE8 cockpit and labelled each gauge/instrument to the best of my knowledge.