On 03 August 1914 the Squadron, as an element of the British Expeditionary Force, assembled at Dover before crossing the English Channel to fly into action. It was 9 days later that the first aircraft, piloted by Lieutenant Harvey Kelly, landed in France; the first British aircraft to touch down on the continent to fight the Great War. The Squadron then undertook a series of moves which advanced the modern concept of an expeditionary air force to the extreme. In six weeks the Squadron relocated fifteen times before finally establishing itself near Fere-en-Tardenois. One month later it relocated again, to Saint Omer, where the Squadron operated for five weeks. Finally, it established itself at Merville where it remained for eight months.
During this intense period of operations the Squadron continued to develop its tactics and began the tactical bombing of enemy railways and road communications. In pursuit of this role four aircraft of II Squadron on the 26th April were detailed to bomb enemy junctions. One of the pilots tasked with the mission was Lieutenant William B Rhodes Morehouse who had been briefed to attack the railway junction at Courtrai.
Rhodes Moorhouse had been a keen flyer for many years. (Note: He had deliberately un-hyphenated his name in order to legally inherit his Grandfather's estate.) Long before he joined the RFC he and a friend, James Radley, had built their own aeroplane - the Radley-Moorhouse monoplane. He had travelled to the United States where he participated in many race meetings, broken many records and even flew through the archway of Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Back in England he had flown the first passenger flight across the Channel with his wife and a newspaper reporter. Following the declaration of war, he joined the RFC and was posted to No. II Squadron, at Merville Aerodrome, on 20 March 1915.
One of his first combat encounters involved flying reconnaissance sorties during the first battle of Ypres. On 24 April German troops began reinforcing the troops lost during the long and bloody battle. Allied intelligence, behind the German lines in Ghent, reported that this town was one of the major rallying points for German troops and equipment on the way to the front. At 1550 hours, Rhodes Moorhouse took off from Merville. He carried no observer because the single one hundred-pounder he carried was almost too heavy for his aircraft. On approaching the target, he dived to 300 feet to maximize the accuracy of his attack and released the bomb. Immediately he became the target of an intense barrage of rifle and machine fire which tore open his thigh inflicting a terrible wound and severely damaged the aircraft. Resisting the temptation to land and face capture, Rhodes Moorhouse decided to attempt the return to Merville and there to report the result of his attack. He turned his aircraft around and went down to 100 feet to increase his airspeed. Again he ran the gauntlet of intense machine gun fire and was hit for a second time. One bullet tore open his abdomen and another hit him in the hand.
Losing blood and fighting to remain conscious he flew for another half-hour before landing at Merville some 35 miles distant. He made a perfect landing and allowed his aircraft to come to a standstill by which time Rhodes Moorhouse was virtually unconscious and covered with blood. Ground crew and fellow officers ran to his aircraft. One of them, a fitter by the name of PE Butcher saw his friends lift Rhodes Moorhouse out of the aircraft. Although severely weakened he refused to be taken to a Dressing Station until he had finished his sortie debrief. It was only then that he allowed the orderlies to take him to the Casualty Clearing Station at Merville. Butcher was to remember the young aviator in a book and he wrote, “We were not altogether surprised to learn of his death shortly after, as his fitter had counted ninety-five holes in his BE-machine.
On 27 April 1915, William B Rhodes Moorhouse died with his Flight Commander Blake and Padre Chavasse at his bedside. On 22 May 1915 the London Gazette announced the award of the Victoria Cross to the brave airman. He was the first to receive the highest recognition the country could give for bravery in the air.
It was his expressed wish for his body to be buried in the grounds of his family estate at Parnham House, Netherbury in Dorset. His wish was granted and the arrangements were made personally by Hugh Trenchard.
A poignant post-script to this saga was that William Rhode Moorhouse's son was to join the Royal Air Force some years after and to become a pilot flying with 601 Squadron during the Battle of Britain. On the 6th of September 1940 whilst on patrol over Tunbridge Wells a Messerschmitt BF109 shot down his Hurricane and he perished. He was buried alongside his father.
During this intense period of operations the Squadron continued to develop its tactics and began the tactical bombing of enemy railways and road communications. In pursuit of this role four aircraft of II Squadron on the 26th April were detailed to bomb enemy junctions. One of the pilots tasked with the mission was Lieutenant William B Rhodes Morehouse who had been briefed to attack the railway junction at Courtrai.
Rhodes Moorhouse had been a keen flyer for many years. (Note: He had deliberately un-hyphenated his name in order to legally inherit his Grandfather's estate.) Long before he joined the RFC he and a friend, James Radley, had built their own aeroplane - the Radley-Moorhouse monoplane. He had travelled to the United States where he participated in many race meetings, broken many records and even flew through the archway of Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Back in England he had flown the first passenger flight across the Channel with his wife and a newspaper reporter. Following the declaration of war, he joined the RFC and was posted to No. II Squadron, at Merville Aerodrome, on 20 March 1915.
One of his first combat encounters involved flying reconnaissance sorties during the first battle of Ypres. On 24 April German troops began reinforcing the troops lost during the long and bloody battle. Allied intelligence, behind the German lines in Ghent, reported that this town was one of the major rallying points for German troops and equipment on the way to the front. At 1550 hours, Rhodes Moorhouse took off from Merville. He carried no observer because the single one hundred-pounder he carried was almost too heavy for his aircraft. On approaching the target, he dived to 300 feet to maximize the accuracy of his attack and released the bomb. Immediately he became the target of an intense barrage of rifle and machine fire which tore open his thigh inflicting a terrible wound and severely damaged the aircraft. Resisting the temptation to land and face capture, Rhodes Moorhouse decided to attempt the return to Merville and there to report the result of his attack. He turned his aircraft around and went down to 100 feet to increase his airspeed. Again he ran the gauntlet of intense machine gun fire and was hit for a second time. One bullet tore open his abdomen and another hit him in the hand.
Losing blood and fighting to remain conscious he flew for another half-hour before landing at Merville some 35 miles distant. He made a perfect landing and allowed his aircraft to come to a standstill by which time Rhodes Moorhouse was virtually unconscious and covered with blood. Ground crew and fellow officers ran to his aircraft. One of them, a fitter by the name of PE Butcher saw his friends lift Rhodes Moorhouse out of the aircraft. Although severely weakened he refused to be taken to a Dressing Station until he had finished his sortie debrief. It was only then that he allowed the orderlies to take him to the Casualty Clearing Station at Merville. Butcher was to remember the young aviator in a book and he wrote, “We were not altogether surprised to learn of his death shortly after, as his fitter had counted ninety-five holes in his BE-machine.
On 27 April 1915, William B Rhodes Moorhouse died with his Flight Commander Blake and Padre Chavasse at his bedside. On 22 May 1915 the London Gazette announced the award of the Victoria Cross to the brave airman. He was the first to receive the highest recognition the country could give for bravery in the air.
It was his expressed wish for his body to be buried in the grounds of his family estate at Parnham House, Netherbury in Dorset. His wish was granted and the arrangements were made personally by Hugh Trenchard.
A poignant post-script to this saga was that William Rhode Moorhouse's son was to join the Royal Air Force some years after and to become a pilot flying with 601 Squadron during the Battle of Britain. On the 6th of September 1940 whilst on patrol over Tunbridge Wells a Messerschmitt BF109 shot down his Hurricane and he perished. He was buried alongside his father.
