Lieutenant Grahame Heath

Grahame’s great grandfather was Charles Heath, a farmer, born in the Parish of Broadway Worcestershire around 1801.i The 1841 census records that Charles and his wife Sarah lived at Springfield West Lodge, near Broadway with their six children the eldest of whom was William, born around 1828.

William married Eliza, daughter of Henry Amphlett, a labourer, on 19th October 1865 at St Peter’s Church, Minsterworth, Gloucestershire.ii Eliza was born in Minsterworth around 1842 and was fourteen years younger than William. At the time of her marriage she was a servant and William a gardener. William had been married previously but had been widowed.

The 1871 census records that Eliza and William lived at Hill End in the Parish of Marlborough, Worcestershire which is where their first son, William, was born in 1872. By the time their second son, George Frederick, was born on 19th August 1876iii the family had moved to Shirley, Solihull, Warwickshire.iv The 1881 census confirms their residential address in Shirley as 13 Bills Lane. Eliza had taken up work as a dressmaker to assist the family finances.

By the time of the 1891 census, William had died leaving just George living with his mother in Church Lane, Shirley. Aged fourteen, George was working as a gardener.

On 3rd July 1895, George enlisted for Short Service with the 6th Dragoon Guards (seven years with the Colours and five years in Reserve). His attestation records that he was a postman and nearly nineteen years old, His medical notes record that he was 5’ 7½’’ tall, weighed 123 lbs, was of a ‘fresh’ complexion and had brown hair and eyes. His mother’s address was given as 1 Endwood Place, Ladywood Road, Ladywood, Birmingham. George joined his regiment 5 days later in Manchester. Private G F Heath, No 3375 must have had second thoughts about his decision to join the army, as twenty seven days later he bought himself out for the payment of £10 and was Figure 1: 6th Dragoon Guards discharged on 29th July.

In early 1899, George married Florence Amina Jones. Their first child Graham was born on 15th November 1899. The couple were recorded as living at 4 Highfield Place, Anderton Road, Ladywood, Birmingham (see map leftv) when Graham was baptised on 21st January 1900 at St Marks Church,Ladywood.

By 1901, George and Florence lived at 83 Great Colmore Street, Ladywood with Graham aged one and a lodger. George was still a postman.

FigureFigure 3: 2St: StMarks Mark’s Church, Church Ladywood. It was Figure 3: Great Colmore Street, c1953 demolished in 1947

Around 1904, George established a cycle and motor cycle business called Heath’s Garage Ltd located in John Bright Street, Birmingham. The first mention of the business in the Birmingham Mail on 15th December 1904 was, unfortunately, not an auspicious one

Figure 4: Newspaper cutting relating to Heath’s Garage Ltd in 1904 Despite this initial setback, George went on to become not only one of the first motor car dealers in the Midlands but also a dealer in agricultural tractors and implements. In 1908 foreseeing the importance of flying, George bought two planes from France and when his new garage premises were built for him in John Bright Street in 1909 he had them designed with a view to planes landing there in the city centre. Finding planes incapable of such a performance he took off from his new building in a balloon and was the first and possibly the last person to do so within a quarter of a mile of the Town Hall. Between 1913 and 1914 George won many trophies as a racing motorist. Among his friends were Henry Ford, Andre Citroen and Mathis, the French racing driver.vi

Figure 5: (Above) Newspaper article on George Heath Motors Ltd, 1924 (Right) Advert for George Heath Motors Ltd, 1925

In matters domestic, the family had grown to five children with the birth of

Doris, Harold and Winifred in 1902, 1905, 1910 and Barrie in 1916 respectively. In 1911 the family lived at 121 Bristol Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham assisted by two domestic servants. By 1917 they had moved to ‘The Mount’, 17 Park Hill, Moseley, Birmingham. George found time to relax away from business and family and was well known as a game shot. He was among the best shots at clay pigeon contests and held the presidency of the Midland Game Club. He was also a keen fly fisher and ornithologist.vii At the age of thirteen, in 1912, George’s eldest son, Graham, was admitted to the Royal Grammar School in Worcester where he stayed until 1914.viii From there he went to Cheltenham College, commencing in January 1915.

After leaving the college, Graham became a fitter in the aeronautical section of the Sunbeam Motor Co, Wolverhampton.ix

Graham’s employer was none other than Louis Catalen one of the company’s directors. After the war, Sunbeam suffered from financial problems, partly from a slump in the motor industry, and partly from non-payment of some war contract work. As a result the company amalgamated with Darracq and Talbot in 1920 to form the S.T.D. group (Sunbeam, Talbot, Darracq) with Catalen in overall charge of design.x

Figure 6 (Left) Advert for Sunbeam Motor Co, 1917 (Top Right) Assembly floor for engines at Sunbeam Motor Co,1918 (Bottom right) Plan for the Main Entrance, Sunbeam Motor Car Co, Upper Villiers Street, 1915

On 28th October 1917, two weeks before his eighteenth birthday, Graham joined the Royal Navy Air Service (RNAS) at Greenwich as a Temporary Flight Officer. His Service records note that he had ’experience with the internal combustion engines of all types’. It is interesting to note that Graham acquired an ‘e’ to his first name from this point. Two months later, on 12th December, Graham was posted to Vendome in France where he spent the next fourteen months learning to fly. The aircraft he flew included the Caudron, Curtiss, Avro, B.E., Bristol, Sopwith Pup, Sopwith 1½ strutter and Sopwith Camel.’xi

Figure 7: RNAS used the Caudron G.4 from Figure 8: The British used the Curtiss JN-4 1915 to 1917 as a bomber, receiving 55, of (Canadian), along with the Avro 504, for which twelve were licence built by the their primary World War I trainer British Caudron Company

Figure 10: Used in France from August Figure 9: Avro 504’s were used as trainers 1916 to March 1917, the Royal Aircraft and from 1917–18 to equip Home Defence Factory B12 was vulnerable to attack by squadrons of the RFC superior German planes

Figure 11: The Bristol F2 Fighter was equipped with a Rolls-Royce Falcon V12 Figure 12: The Sopwith Pup entered engine and proved to be an agile aircraft service with the RNAS in October 1916. With pleasant flying characteristics and good manoeuvrability, the aircraft proved very successful.

Figure 13: The Sopwith 1 ½ Strutter was in Figure 14: The Sopwith Camel provided service from February 1916 until October for a high level of manoeuvrability to an 1917. It was the first RNAS aircraft to have a experienced pilot. The 2F1 variant was synchronized machine gun used to operate off the flight deck of aircraft carriers

On 9th February 1918, Grahame was posted to Cranwell, Lincolnshire where he received Officer Training. Just a few days after the RNAS was merged with the Royal Flying Corps to form the Royal Air Force on 1st April 1918, he was promoted to Second Lieutenant.xii He remained at RAF Cranwell until 17th May 1918 when he was posted to HMS Furious xiii, serving as a RAF Fleet Patrol Station in its camouflaged form, one of the earliest air craft carriers.

Figure 15: HMS Furious. The text on the front of the postcard reads: "This huge light- draught armoured Cruiser with a speed of over 30 Knots once carried 18-in guns but during the War she was converted into a floating aerodrome and aeroplanes can go up from her or land on her vast platforms. The extraordinary "camouflage" painting makes her difficult to be seen by the enemy."

Figure 16: Views onboard HMS Furious

On Wednesday 19th June, Grahame was called into action when enemy aircraft had been spotted coming in the direction of HMS Furious. The diary of Jack McCleery RNAS, RAF who was on board at the time records that: Two more Huns over at 12.15. One dropped its bombs, big ones from 3000 feet and they all hit within 30 yards of our starboard side. F/S-L Heath from Cranwell went up and brought one down intact with a shot in his radiator. Lovely machine. We passed within twenty yards of it. Passengers picked up by TBD Valentine xiv in which Heath was. Other Hun escaped OK. Machine had to be sunk by gun fire owing to us receiving a signal to retire north as fast as possible. We made 24 knots all afternoon. A camel was kept ranged at readiness on the deck of Furious. The German sea plane shot down by Lt Grahame Heath was the Friedrichshafen FF 49c, 1746 flown by Leutnant der Reserve Werke and Fluzuemaat (NCO Aeroplane Mate) Schirra. The FF49c was an advanced variety of this highly useful and widely used patrol aircraft.xv

The Evening Despatch relates the same incident in June, reporting that Grahame had: … singlehandedly, and after a fight lasting an hour, brought down a Friedrichshafen sea plane and was picked up by a destroyer after thrilling adventures.xvi

Grahame received a ‘Mentioned in Despatches’ for his courageous feat.xvii Figure 17 The Friedrichshafen FF.49 was a German, two-seat, single- engine float-plane that went into service in 1917 Figure 18 (Left) HMS Valentine, a torpedo boat destroyer (TPD) that picked up Grahame (Right) Newspaper report of the Tondern Raid in the Taunton Courier

Grahame was on board HMS Furious when the raid took place but was not one of the named pilots that carried out the raid on 19th July 1918.

Figure 19 (Left) Camel 2F1’s on the deck of HMS Furious (Right) Map showing the position of Tondern, Denmark

The modifications to HMS Furious allowed the RAF to at last mount a raid within the range of the new Sopwith Camel 2FA aircraft (the Ship’s Camel). Tondern was one of the biggest Zeppelin bases comprising three hangars the largest being 730ft long, 220 ft. high and 130 ft wide. It could house two of the biggest Zeppelins which were 600ft long and 72ft wide. The smaller two sheds were 603 feet long and able to house one airship each. The initial training for the mission took place at Turnhouse airfield (now Edinburgh Airport) where the layout of the hangars had been marked out onto the grass. In the early hours of the 19th July, Furious took up position approximately 12 miles from the coast, 80 miles northwest of Tondern. The weather was not entirely ideal but there were no further storms and soon after 03.00 the aircraft started to leave the ship with the last departing around 03.20 hrs. Each of the seven aircraft carried 2 Cooper 50 lb bombs on racks below the cockpit. The raid was seen as great success and Tondern ceased to be a Zeppelin base as a result of it.

Figure 20 (Left) Tondern Zepplin base (Right) One of the smaller sheds after the raid showing a burnt out Zeppelin after the raid

The Sopwiths had to be regularly serviced and maintained due to the difficult conditions the plane was made to work under and the corrosive effects of salt. This work was carried out at Turnhouse, Lothian, 5 miles from Edinburgh. It had become a fleet practice station and aircraft repair shop in 1916. Graham was testing out a Camel F1 No E4414 there on the morning of Wednesday 20th August 1918, when the engine failed and in endeavouring to land he crashed into a building near the aerodrome and was killed instantly. He was just eighteen years old.

After a choral service at St Anne’s Church Moseley, Grahame was buried with full military Figure 21 honours at Brandw o od End Cemetery, Birmingham Lieutenant Grahame Heath on 23rd August 1918.xviii

Grahame is also commemorated at St Mary’s Church, Moseley and is on the Roll of Honour at the Royal Worcester Grammar School and Birmingham’s Hall of Memory but not, for some reason, at Cheltenham College.

Figure 22 (Top) Grahame’s headstone at Brandwood End Cemetery, Kings Heath (Above left) Cross of Sacrifice, Brandwood End cemetery (Above right) WW1 memorial board at St Mary’s Church, Moseley Grahame’s youngest brother, Barrie served in the RAF in WW2 as a Wing Commander. His father George gave a Spitfire to the nation during the Battle of Britain naming it the ‘Grahame Heath’ in memory of his eldest son. It was allotted to Barrie’s squadron.

Figure 23: Newspaper cutting on the death of George Frederick Heath 3rd November 1955

The family never forgot Grahame and every year posted a memorial message in the local paper on the anniversary of his death. George Frederick Heath died in 1955.

Researched and written by Edwina Rees Moseley Society History Group Permission to copy subject to acknowledgement The Moseley Society History Group carries out its own research and publishes the results on its website and in booklets, posters and written reports. It also responds to individual enquiries as far as it is able. The History Group grants permission to quote from any of its published research material and any responses to individual enquiries for non-commercial and educational purposes, but only on condition that the History Group is acknowledged as the source of the information used, together with the author where specified, and on the understanding that the History Group cannot guarantee or accept liability for the accuracy of its material. Use for commercial purposes is not permitted unless terms have previously been agreed with the History Group.

Endnotes

i Gloucestershire, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1938 ii Gloucestershire, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1938 iii 1939 Register iv Anderton Street, Old Ladywood http://www.oldladywood.co.uk/andertonastreet.htm v Anderton Street, Lost Ladywood http://www.oldladywood.co.uk/andertonastreet.htm vi Birmingham Daily Post 4th November 1955 vii See vi viii National Schools Admission Registers and Log Books 1870-1914 ix RNAS/RAF Service Records x Sunbeam: The supreme Car http://www.historywebsite.co.uk/Museum/Transport/Cars/Sunbeam/STD.htm xi RNAS/RAF Service records for Grahame Heath xii RNAS/RAF Service Records for grahame Heath London Gazette 11.6.1918 xiii Illustrated London News , 30th November 1918 xiv TBD, Torpedo Boat Destroyer

xv Warner, Guy. 2011. World War One Aircraft Carrier Pioneer: The Story and Diaries of Jack McCleery RNAS, RAF. Pen & Sword, Barnsley, pp 202, 203 xvi Evening Despatch, 23rd August 1918 xvii Birmingham Daily Post, 24th September 1918 xviii Evening Despatch, 23rd August 1918

Illustrations

Figure 1 6th Dragoons MJarch Past, 1905 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carabiniers_(6th_Dragoon_Guards)

Figure 2 St Mark’s Church, Ladwood. Image courtesy of maxamcards.co.uk

Figure 3 Great Colmore Street, Ladywood. The photograph was taken by Phyllis Nicklin (1953). Scanned by the Chrysalis project in 2004, from original 35mm slides held at the University of Birmingham. http://epapers.bham.ac.uk/295/

Figure 4 Birmingham Daily Gazette, 29 November 1924 Figure 5 Birmingham Daily Gazette, 29 November 1924 Birmingham Daily Gazette, 27 August 1925 Figure 6 Advert for Sunbeam Motor Co Ltd, Grace’s Guide https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/File:Im1917RACHbk-Sunbeam.jpg Sunbeam Motor Co Ltd engine workshop, Grace’s Guide https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/File:Im191808AE-Sunbeam.jpg Façade plan for Sunbeam Motor Co Ltd http://www.wolverhamptonhistory.org.uk/work/industry/motor

Figure 7 Caudron G4 http://acepilots.com/wwi/ger_udet.html Figure 8 Curtiss JN4 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtiss_JN-4 Figure 9 Avro 504 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_504#/media/File:504_at_Old_Warden.jpg Figure 10 Royal Aircraft Factory BE 12 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Aircraft_Factory_B.E.12 Figure 11 BristolF2 Fighter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_F.2_Fighter

Figure 12 Sopwith Pup, 1917 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sopwith_Pup#/media/File:Shuttleworth_Flying_Da y_-_June_2013_(9124616838).jpg Figure 13 Sopwith 1½ Strutter http://www.aviation-history.com/sopwith/one-half.htm Figure 14 Sopwith Camel https://www.airforce.gov.au/sites/g/files/net3736/f/minisite/static/1469/RAAF museum/exhibitions/interactive/sopwith.htm Figure 15 HMS Furious photograph with the kind permission of William Casey http://www.tondernraid.com/furious.htm Figure 16 Sopwith Pup landing on HMS Furious August 1917 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sopwith_Pup Landing deck of HMS Furious with the kind permission of William Casey http://www.tondernraid.com/images/furious%20landing%20deck.jpg

Figure 17 Friedrichshafen FF-49C https://nimh-beeldbank.defensie.nl/memorix/04acde05 -4022-eb6b-434e- b419946bd008 Figure 18 HMS Valentine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Valentine_(L69)#/media/File:HMS_Valentine _(1917)_IWM_SP_699.jpg Taunton Courier and Western Advertiser, 24th July 1918 Figure 19 Sopwith Camels on board HMS Furious. Wikipedia https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tondern_raid. Original source the Imperial War Museum Ref No Q20627 Map of the Tondern Raid from ‘The Story of the Tondern Raid’ with the kind permission of William Casey http://www.tondernraid.com/tonder.htm Figure 20 The Story of the Tondern Raid with the kind permission of William Casey http://www.tondernraid.com/tonder.htm. Original source, the Zeppelin and Garrison Museum , Tønder Figure 21 The Sphere, 5th October 1918 Figure 22 Photograph of the headstone of Lt Grahame Heath by Julia Griffin, Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the friends of Brandwood End Cemetery Birmingham Figure 23 Daily Post, 4th November 1955, p 28 Birmingham Daily Post, 9th November 1955