LEST WE FORGET

Second Lieutenant William PARKES 

Service No: 3246
Born: Creswick VIC, June 1892
Enlisted in the Army: 4 August 1915
Unit: No. 7 (Training) Squadron, Australian Flying Corps
Died: Injuries from an Accident, England, 1 September 1918, Aged 26 Years
Buried: Leighterton Church Cemetery, Leighterton, Gloucestershire,
CWGC Additional Information: Son of William and Selena Parkes, of North Creswick, Victoria
Place of Association: Creswick VIC
Remembered: Panel 188, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT

On 1 September 1918, Second Lieutenant Parkes was killed in the crash of RE8 aircraft D/4975 at Tetbury, Gloucestershire.  At about 1800 hours, his aircraft was gliding in to land with its engine cut, when at about 300 feet appeared to abort the landing and opened up the engine and turned to the left.  When over the aerodrome, he turned further left down-wind, his machine stalled and went into a left spin.  He regained control but over corrected and spun to the right, crashing just outside the airfield boundary.  The Court of enquiry concluded that the accident was due the machine stalling owing to the Pilot’s attempt to do a turn with the engine on and the tail plane adjusted to the “right-back” position. Immediately the machine stalled, the nose went down and the machine commenced to spin.

References:

Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record B2455, PARKES WILLIAM

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