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Issue 80 – June 2018 Chairman’S Column

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Issue 80 – June 2018 Chairman’S Column THE TIGER The Frank Brock Memorial Window, St Saviour’s Church, Raynes Park, London THE NEWSLETTER OF THE LEICESTERSHIRE & RUTLAND BRANCH OF THE WESTERN FRONT ASSOCIATION ISSUE 80 – JUNE 2018 CHAIRMAN’S COLUMN Welcome again, Ladies and Gentlemen, to the latest edition of The Tiger. One of the pleasures of researching those who served in the Great War is the continuous number of avenues of exploration one discovers and, if an “opportunist” approach is adopted, the number of contacts one can acquire along the way. One recent experience will allow me to explain further. In preparation for a forthcoming presentation, I attempted to discover if any memorials existed to a Wing Commander of the Royal Naval Air Service by the name of Frank Brock. Brock, a member of a family whose business had produced fireworks since 1698, was regarded by many as a “pyrotechnical genius” and certainly made a considerable contribution to the War effort, for which he was awarded an O.B.E. in early 1918. Brock had originally joined the Royal Artillery, being commissioned as a Temporary Lieutenant in October 1914. Within a month he was transferred to the Royal Navy and later joined the Royal Naval Air Service in January 1915. He was also a member of the Admiralty Board of Invention and Research and founded, organised and commanded the Royal Navy Experimental Station at Stratford. Regarded by the Admiralty as possessing an “extensive knowledge of Chemistry and Physics, together with Good Invention and experimental ability” Brock also displayed an “exceptional talent for devising and perfecting new devices for use during war”. Amongst his many inventions were the Dover Flare (used in anti-submarine warfare) and the Brock Incendiary Bullet or Anti-Zeppelin Bullet, the first bullets to Wing Commander Frank Brock successfully shoot down enemy airships. Brock’s finest hour was unfortunately one of his last. A volunteer for the Zeebrugge and Ostend Naval raids in April 1918, he devised a chemical smokescreen intended to mask the approach of the vessels concerned. This ingenious "artificial fog" was injected under pressure into the hot exhausts of small craft such as motor torpedo boats or the hot interior surface of the funnels on destroyers. At Chatham the larger ships were fitted with tall welded contraptions for carrying solid cakes of calcium phosphide. Once dropped into containers of water, this reacted to produce toxic smoke and flames, which could be dispersed by a type of windmill. According to one source, when Brock boarded H.M.S. Vindictive, he brought with him a box marked “High Explosive – Do Not Open”. This actually contained bottles of vintage port, which were later drunk by his men. He was also prepared to lead by example and joined the first wave of “Bluejackets” assaulting the formidable sea wall at Zeebrugge (known as “The Mole”). Dressed in khaki and armed with two revolvers and a cutlass(!) Brock was determined to reach a German observation shelter containing a range finder he was particularly keen to examine. A German Marine Officer would later write: He was without arms, but did not seem to mind anything. He rushed straight at the firs gun and with his fists he struck out at the gunners, knocking down four of them and putting the rest to flight. The brave British Officer and his men were on top of us and had overpowered our gunners before they could do anything. I saw clearly that it was this daring Officer who was our greatest danger and I ordered my men to fire on him. It is true 2 there was some danger of hitting our own men, but it was important to knock out the brave British Officer and if that end was achieved, I did not care about anything else. Brock successfully fought his way to the outhouse and inspected the range finder. His thoughts, however, were never recorded as, continuing his advance, he fell in particular swash-buckling circumstances, apparently engaging a German Marine in a cutlass duel in which each man mortally wounded the other. In the confusion following the assault, Brock’s body was not identified and, although he is believed to be one of two unidentified British Officers buried in the German plot of Zeebrugge Churchyard, officially he is one of four men commemorated on a “Memorial to the Missing” in the wall of the same churchyard. One of his close friends paid the following tribute: He was a big, powerful, broad-shouldered, typical Englishman and a good all-round sportsman, excelling at boxing and a good rifle shot. He was the sort of man who would never dream of going back. I can imagine him being on the Mole at Zeebrugge and if he lost his revolver, fighting on with his fists . During the course of researching Frank Brock, I became aware of a Memorial Window erected in his memory at St Saviours Church, Raynes Park in London. With the Internet for once failing to provide the necessary image, I telephoned the Church Office to enquire if the window could be photographed and offered to make a donation to their current “collection”. The result of this request appears as our cover photograph. The Brock Memorial Window in situ St Saviours Church, Raynes Park, London Having received a polite “Thank You” letter from the Church, I was pleasantly surprised to receive a telephone call a fortnight later to tell me that Frank Brock’s great-niece had called at the Church to view the same window, had been advised of my interest and was happy to be contacted to discuss Frank and the Brock family with me if I would care to ring. Maximising this opportunity, I now know that Frank had five brothers who all survived their service in the Great War and am awaiting further contact from Frank’s grandson, who is also currently writing his biography. Another voyage of discovery is therefore waiting to be launched, which hopefully can be shared with our readers in a future edition of The Tiger. D.S.H. 3 PARISH NOTICES FORTHCOMING BRANCH MEETINGS The Elms Social & Service Club, Bushloe End, WIGSTON, Leicestershire, LE18 2BA 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. (Approx.) 28th May 2018 Guest Speaker: Derek Seaton Captain Robert Gee, VC, MC, MP A Remarkable Soldier & Politician Leicester-born Robert Gee served as a Captain in the Royal Fusiliers and was awarded a Victoria Cross for his gallantry during the Battle of Cambrai. Gee’s biographer and W.F.A. Member, Derek Seaton, relates both the military and political careers of this remarkable warrior. 25th June 2018 Guest Speaker: Nigel Atter, MSc 2nd Leicesters in Mesopotamia A founding Member of our Branch, local military historian and author Nigel Atter recounts the story of the 2nd Battalion of our local Regiment in the distant battlefields of Mesopotamia, a campaign only now beginning to receive the attention it merits . 30th July 2018 Guest Speaker: John Stanyard Under Two Flags – The Salvation Army in the Great War At the outbreak of the First World War The Salvation Army’s official policy was to refuse to pass judgment or make formal comment of any kind on the warring parties. Their contribution in that conflict was, however, substantial, as explained by Retired Corps Sergeant Major John Stanyard from Kettering Salvation Army Church. 4 OTHER DATES FOR YOUR DIARY . PLEASE NOTE THE ON SUNDAY, 3RD JUNE 2018 HAS NOW BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO ONGOING RENOVATION WORK AT THE VENUE YOUR BRANCH WILL BE AMONGST THE ATTENDEES 5 THE SIGN OF THE BLACK HORSE by David Humberston A little under two months after the death in action of Germany’s highest scoring “ace”, Baron Manfred Von Richthofen, another nation mourned the passing of their leading Great War airman. Whilst, one hundred years later, the name of Francesco Baracca is certainly not as well-known as that of his German counterpart, the symbol that adorned his aeroplane most certain is . The son of a wealthy landowner and an Italian Countess, Baracca was born in May 1888 and studied at a private school in Florence before Francesco Baracca entering the Military Academy of Modena in October 1907. A passionate equestrian, he became a cavalryman with the prestigious Piemonte Reale Cavalleria (Piedmont Royal Cavalry) when gaining his commission in 1910. In April 1912, Baracca applied for a transfer to the embryonic Italian Aviation Service and, with several other Officers, travelled to Reims in France to learn to fly. Within nine weeks he had obtained his license and was posted to the Aviation Battalion. In the spring of 1915, the Italian Army purchased a number of Nieuport 10 aeroplanes from France to strengthen their fledgling Air Force and Baracca spent two months in Paris training to fly these machines. During this time Italy entered the War. Initially declaring itself neutral in August 1914, despite existing Alliances with Germany and Austro-Hungary, Italy finally joined the conflict in May 1915. Many readers may have heard of the lengthy series of Battles fought along the River Isonzo, but perhaps not the other battles waged along the whole of the Italian Front, which are shown on the map to the left. Baracca was in action from September 1915, scoring his first victory on 7th April the following year when he shot down an Austrian Aviatik. By late November, his “score” had risen to five, making Baracca an “ace”. The Fuselage of his plane was now emblazoned with a black prancing horse, the animal appearing on his family coat of arms and also indicating his connection to the Italian Cavalry.
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