Hi all,
As my build of the Austro-Hungarian Lloyd C.V is drawing to a close, I thought I'd post my next build.
First of all, I apologize for the length of this introduction, but I think it makes for interesting reading.
It's the introduction to my build log of this model.
This model represents Sopwith 5F.1 ‘Dolphin’, Serial No: C4131 of No.79 Squadron RAF during June 1918, as flown by Capt. Frederic Ives Lord.
Background:Frederic Ives Lord was born on the 18th of April 18, 1897 in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, USA. His parents were Alma Mueller and Alman Ivory Lord. He had two siblings, Lucia Lord and Zayda Lord.
By 1910 he was living with his maternal grandparents Lena Fred Mueller. By 1917 he and his mother and siblings were living in Houston, Texas USA. By 1920 his mother was a widow.
World War One:One version is that he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1917, but was discharged from the 3rd Texas Infantry when it was discovered that he was only 17 years old.
However, in 1917, he would have been 20. Whatever the reason, he went to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where he joined the Royal Flying Corps. He had to renounce his American citizenship on May 25, 1917 as follows:
“I was born in the town of Manitowoc in the state of Wisconsin, one of the United States of America. I have come to the city of Toronto from Houston, Texas, for the express purpose of enlisting
and entering the Royal Flying Corps of the Canadian Army for service overseas. And I do hereby solemnly declare my purpose and intention to become a British subject and I do hereby
renounce my citizenship as a Citizen of the United States of America.”After completing his training in England, he joined No.79 Squadron in France. The squadron had been formed at Gosport in August 1917 and was posted to France in February 1918, equipped with the Sopwith 5F.1 ‘Dolphin’.
Between May and September 1918, he was credited with a total of twelve victories and was one of four squadron pilots to achieve ace status, the others being Francis W. Gillet, Ronald Bannerman, John McNeaney and Edgar Taylor.
Four of those victories were whilst fly C 4131, the subject of this model.
On one notable occasion, the 27th of June 1918, as a Lt (T./Capt), he shot down an Albatros D.V as his third kill. On his return to the airfield, he saw an allied formation engaged with German scouts.
He joined in and shot down a Fokker Dr.I and a second Albatros D.V. For this action he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC).
He eventually became a flight commander, but was wounded in October 1918, ending his operational flying.
Post World War One:Russian civil war:After being released in March 1919 from hospital (from wounds received in October 1918), volunteered for service in Russia. He was given the job of Commanding Officer of the RAF base at Pinega, in addition to flying the RE.8 aircraft operated from there.
He served with RAF forces during the Allied Intervention in Russia in 1919, earning a bar to his Distinguished Flying Cross, when on the 27th of June,1919, he was piloting an RE.8 and located the position of the enemy on the Pinega River
and “attacked the moving columns from a height of 200 feet with such effect that their transport was stampeded and their expected attack broke down, without any casualties being sustained by our forces."
His RE.8 was found to have severe damage caused by enemy fire during this flight.
Mexican revolution: Leaving the RAF in November 1919, he flew as a barnstormer and an aide to the Mexican air force during the Mexican Revolution. By 1927, he was living in New York City and was using the Chrysler Building as his address.
Traveling with him was Constance, who was listed as his wife. However, by July 1937, he was married to a woman named Mildred.
Spanish civil war:He flew Bréguet 19 two seater aircraft through 1936 for the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War, along with Bert Acosta and Eddie August Schneider in the Yankee Squadron.
Comments made during this period:
“I've had a wing fold up at a thousand feet while sitting on a dud parachute. I've been backed up against a wall looking down the rifle barrels of a firing squad.
I've felt the automatic of my own commanding officer poked in my ribs. While being smuggled from Spain into France to visit my wife, I've had a speed boat pilot killed by Fascist bullets in the Bay of Biscay.
I've fought half a dozen German pursuit planes in the air with an orchestra leader as a gunner. And of all places to be during a bombing raid I was there - locked up in jail - and with my wife.
And these events have not been an accumulation of my war service in France, or Russia, or Mexico, but happened during the past few months while serving as a pilot with the Government forces in Spain.
A Spanish pilot, Jose Galarza, bailed out from a crippled ship, during a fight, and landed safely in Franco's line.
But the next day a Junker bomber droned over our field and dropped a box. It contained the chopped up cadaver of Jose.
Lafayette! Pulaski! Rochambeau! Who were they? Glorious foreign volunteers who aided us in time of need. We name bridges, boats, and towns after them now.
Our kids read about them in our histories and over in Spain foreign volunteers are fighting that a friendly democratic nation may survive.
In most instances those volunteers came from the army of unemployed in their countries where they were without hope. In all cases they are highly skilled technical men.
Their hope is a new lease on life, but the usual reward has been a nameless grave”.
World War 2:During World War II, he tried to join the RAF again and it is said he got so far as to be assigned to his old No.79 Squadron before the authorities caught up with him. Instead, he joined the Air Transport Auxiliary that transported aircraft to England.
On January 3, 1941, he wrote to his sister Lucia, discussing his upcoming eye surgery:
“In less than a week now, I get the eye sliced up. And I know it'll be a success. Pray for me at 4pm on the tenth, will you. So here's hoping that when they take the bandages off on about the 20th, my eye will function.
I just ain't got the dough for the hospital on the tenth. If can't get it, - well, then no operation as can't ask the doctor to actually fork out money for me in addition.
So, sister, please see what you can do in addition to the usual ten-spot, will you please? And let me have it by Wednesday."He goes on to explain that he will soon be able to pay her back and will no longer be a financial burden to her “because a group of Chinese saw me today and want to take lessons from me and will even pay for a ship
as soon as the eye is okay. Private flying, govt. jobs, city and state jobs all waiting”.
Death:On the 21st of July 1967 at age 70, Frederic Ives Lord (DFC and Order of Saint Stanislas) was murdered by a vagrant in Apple Valley, California. He was buried in the cemetery at Victor Valley Memorial Park, Victorville, California.
Mike
