Orders, Decorations and Medals

Pair: Second Lieutenant John Reginald Stanhope Proud, Royal Flying Corps, late Royal West Kent Regiment, who, as a Pilot of a Martinsyde G.100 ‘Elephant’, was shot down and died of wounds, 6 April 1917

1914-15 Star (2 Lieut.); Victory Medal 1914-19 (2 Lieut.) extremely fine (2) £200-250

John Reginald Stanhope Proud was born on 26 January 1895, the only son of Mr and Mrs T. Proud, of Parkfield, Grove Park, Lee, London. He was educated at Quernmore School, Bromley, Kent, at Merchant Taylors’, 1908-13, and at St. John’s College, Oxford. He was in the O.T.C. in both Merchant Taylors and university. Volunteering for service when war was declared, he was commissioned into the Royal West Kent Regiment on 16 October 1914. He entered the France/Flanders theatre of war in July 1915 and was wounded in January 1916. Shortly after his return to duty he volunteered for the R.F.C. He gained his ‘wings’ in January 1917 and proceeded to France in March.

Serving in No.27 Squadron, he was a pilot of a Martinsyde G.100 ‘Elephant’. On 6 April 1917, in two sorties, the squadron was detailed to attack the railway stations at Aulnoye and Ath. Both sorties were met with enemy aircraft in the form of Halberstadts and Albatross scouts of Jagdstaffel 30. In the two actions, four ‘Elephants’ and two Halberstadts were shot down. Lieutenant Proud, pilot of one of the four ‘downed’ British aircraft, was taken prisoner by the Germans but subsequently died of his wounds. Three of the four ‘Elephants’ were shot down by Leutnant Joachim von Bertrab. He was to gain one more victory (his 5th) before being shot down and wounded on 12 August 1917 by 2nd Lieutenant E. ‘Mick’ Mannock, of No. 40 Squadron.

2nd Lieutenant Proud, R.F.C., was buried in the Tournai Communal Cemetery Allied Extension. Sold with copied photograph and research.