Orders, Decorations and Medals

The Great War M.C. group awarded to Sopwith Camel Ace Captain A.W. Franklin, No. 3 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps, who fought in the 'Red Baron's' last successful combat

MILITARY CROSS, G.V.R., the reverse engraved (Captain, R.F.C. 24 March 1918); BRITISH WAR AND VICTORY MEDALS (Capt., R.A .F.); DEFENCE AND WAR MEDALS, together with the recipient's original Flying Log Book, covering the period August 1917 to September 1919, very fine (5)

M.C., London Gazette, 22 June, 1918. The following information was taken from an official source: '2nd Lieutenant Franklyn has almost every day during the past three weeks, when on low bombing patrols, done consistently good work in attacking enemy infantry, batteries and transport, with his bombs and machine-guns, on 21 March 1918 silencing an active battery at Pronville. He has on numerous occasions successfully attacked enemy infantry on the ground, and by his direct hits and accurate machine-gun fire inflicted heavy casualties amongst them. On 22 March 1918, 2nd Lieutenant Franklyn shot down an E.A. which crashed south-east of Havrincourt.’

Captain Adrian Winfred Franklyn, M.C., was born in Hounslow, Middlesex in April 1899 and commenced pilot training at Northolt aerodrome in August 1917. He made his first solo flight early the following month and was then posted to No. 94 Squadron for a conversion course on Avro and Sopwith Camel aircraft. On 6 October, while in a spin from 5000 feet, his engine cut out. Franklyn made a forced landing in a ploughed field ('Tipped on nose, broke skid ...'). Despite such mishaps, he was posted to No. 3 Squadron in France in January 1918. His first patrol, which lasted just over an hour, was flown in Sopwith Camel 6710 on 23 February. Thereafter, for several months, as his Flying Log Book confirms, he was constantly engaged on Combat Offensive Patrols (COP's), low-bombing missions and Balloon attacks.

Franklyn's Log Book entry for 20th April reads simply 'C.O.P. Fight with R's Circus. Lost Major.' The events have a greater significance than at first might be apparent. Two flights of six machines, each from No. 3 Squadron set out, but owing to heavy cloud the two flights became separated. It was 'C' flight which Richthofen and his Flying Circus had spotted, led by Captain D. Bell, but including as a flight member the Commanding Officer, Major R. Raymond-Barker. In the ensuing dogfight Richthofen himself shot down in flames the Camel of Major Raymond-Barker and, minutes later, that of 2nd Lieutenant D.G. Lewis, his 79th and 80th accredited victories. More importantly these were the last victories of Germany's, and the World's, most famous Ace for on the very next day Rittmeister Albrecht Manfred von Richrhofen met his death.

By the time he was posted back to the U.K. for instructional duties in November 1918, Franklin had been officially credited with 6 kills, three enemy scouts, each a different type, and three two-seaters. His personal victories comprised an Albatros DV on 22 March, south-east of Havrincourt (as per his M.C. citation), a Fokker Dr. 1 on 4 September, and a Fokker DVII the following day. In his Combat Report on 4 September Franklyn stated, 'Whilst leading my Flight on COP. I saw 8 Fokker Bi-planes diving down on us from the East. There was a general fight, after which the enemy aircraft turned East.6 Fokker Tn-planes then came down on us and seeing two on the tail of a Camel I opened fire from about 50 yards range, and the E.A. turned into a spin and then pulled out upside down, and started to switch back on its back. I was unable to follow him down owing to other enemy aircraft being above,' Added to the end of his report is the comment, '1 Tri-plane was seen to crash near this point by Lieutenant Hubbard.' On the following day he claimed his third solo victory, afterwards reporting, 'Whilst leading my Flight on COP. I saw a fight going on between Fokker Biplanes and Camels of another Squadron. We climbed above the fight and I picked out one E.A. and dived to within 50 yards of him. After firing 300 rounds at the E.A. he burst into flames, and large clouds of black smoke poured out of the fuselage. The machine began falling into a steep side-slip. I was unable to follow him owing to another E.A. attacking me. Franklyn's last engagement would appear to be an inconclusive strike on an enemy balloon in early October. He did, however, have the satisfaction of seeing its observer take to his parachute.

Franklyn remained in the Royal Air Force after the War, but it would seem his future appointments were administrative. The Air Force List records his promotion to Squadron Leader in August 1935 and an appointment as 2 i/c of H.Q. Unit, H.M.S. Furious, but for armament duties'.