Lieut. Ronald Stonehouse (RAF)

After a considerable period of painful waiting, the casualty lists in the papers of those lost in the battles of the end of March are now revealing the scale of our losses – over 1000 notified on the Roll of Honour of officers killed, wounded or missing in the last two days.

Our fliers have also been actively engaged and we have now been informed that one of their casualties was Ronald Stonehouse, on April 1st.

Ronald flew as an observer and his pilot has written to the family to explain the most unfortunate circumstances which led to his death: “He and I were great friends and had been together ever since he joined the Squadron, and had done many trips together over the lines, lived in the same hut or billet and had many pleasant times together…

On the night of March 31st, he and I had made two trips together over the lines.  Just as daylight was breaking, we had landed and were walking together to report to the Major. He turned back to get something he had forgotten. Half a minute later 6 or 7 bombs fell on the aerodrome, and we found him lying under the machine. He was killed instantaneously.”

Ronald took off on the evening of March 31st as a member of the RFC, but landed in the early hours of April 1st a member of the newly formed RAF – becoming, quite possibly, the RAF’s first casualty  (the RFC and the RNAS having been combined to form the RAF on April 1st).

Ronald had first joined the Army Service Corps, as he had injured one of his ankles in his early training and could not march. In August 1917 he joined the RFC and, after his training in aerial gunnery and as an observer, went out to France where he was working on a night-bombing aeroplane with 101st Squadron.

During the short time he was with us at the OPS, his manly, independent nature and his sense of humour endeared him to us all. ‘Public opinion’ meant nothing to him. His was of a most affectionate nature, and he never forgot old friends.

Neither shall we forget him.