LIEUTENANT EDWIN RHODES BOTTOMLEY, ROYAL FIELD ARTILLERY (ATTACHED ROYAL FLYING CORPS).


LIEUTENANT EDWIN RHODES BOTTOMLEY, ROYAL FIELD ARTILLERY (ATTACHED ROYAL FLYING CORPS). KILLED IN ACTION, 2nd JUNE 1917, AGED 22


On August 5th 1914, Edwin Bottomley and his older brother George, went to the drill hall on Leeds Road, Ilkley to enlist in the 4th West Riding Brigade, a territorial unit of the Royal Field Artillery. This units 'D' Battery of Howitzers was based in Ilkley and many men from the town were members. 


Edwin Bottomley was born in Bradford on 23rd February 1895 but as a child he came to live with his parents and brother at 'Fieldhurst' on Denton Road, Ben Rhydding. He began his education locally, but at the age of thirteen he was sent as a border to Shrewsbury School. A few weeks before the outbreak of war Edwin obtained a position at the firm of Lucian Marcans Successors, in Bradford.

After just a few weeks Edwin left the 4th West Riding Brigade as he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Field Artillery. Officer training lasted until mid-1915 when he was posted not to his original unit but to another West Riding Brigade that had recently been formed. He remained in England until 1916 by which time he obtained a transfer to the Royal Flying Corps. Edwin obtained his pilot’s licence in early 1917 and in March 1917 was posted to No 35 Squadron who were based on the Somme sector.

On 2nd June 1917 Edwin took off from the airfield at Mons-en-Chaussee in a two seater Armstrong Whitworth FK8 biplane with his observer Lieutenant G A Griffiths. They flew east towards the front line near to the village of Vermand to the north west of St Quentin where they were to act as spotters for the British Artillery shelling the German positions. Inevitably, the presence of a spotter plane drew the attention of German anti-aircraft guns and a shell exploded near to Edwins plane. Shrapnel would have severely damaged the flimsy plane and no doubt wounded both pilot and observer. The place began a rapid descent towards the British front line where it crashed killing both Edwin and his observer. Both bodies were recovered from the wreckage of the plane and taken the few miles back to 35 Squadron.

 Today Edwin Bottomley lies next to his observer in the small cemetery at Mons-en-Chaussee and is remembered on our war memorial in Ilkley.



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