Location - In the graveyard of All Saints Church, Siddington, Cheshire. Description - Twin white stone crosses. Inscription In Loving Memory of Alexander George McGILLIVRAY Lieut RAF Hamilton, Canada, Oct 4th 1899 - June 16th 1918 "Blessed Are The Pure In Heart" In Loving memory of Claude Edmund WATCHORN Lieut RFC Calgary, Canada, Sep 12th 1897 - June 17th 1918 "For They Shall See God" Notes Alexander "Buller" McGILLIVRAY and Claude WATCHORN were Canadian, and Second Lieutenants in the Royal Air Force. They were in Europe for the war, and were stationed at Shrewsbury, Shropshire, fourty-four miles south-west of the scene of the accident. Their RAF biplane crashed on the broad lawns of Thornycroft Hall, three miles south-west of Macclesfield, Cheshire. Its two occupants died of their injuries. They are buried in a favoured corner of the graveyard at All Saints Church, Siddington, alongside the grave of John Elstob, Vicar of the parish, and close to the graves of the Bickertons of Thornycroft Hall, and the Bromley-Davenports of Capesthorne Hall, the main landowning family of the district.
2Lts A G McGillivray (pilot) and C E Watchorn (observer) of No 131 Sqn RAF were flying in RE 8 D4985 when they crashed on 16 June 1918. 2Lt McGillivray was killed in the crash, and 2Lt Watchorn died from injuries the next day. No 131 Sqn was formed on 15 March 1918 and based at Shawbury, equipped with various aircraft types, as it worked up towards becoming a day bomber unit with the DH 9. It was disbanded on 17 August, as it was decided to reinforce existing units in France rather than despatch new ones. Gareth
It's believed the wing clipped the support wires for the hall's flagpost. Very sad. The church itself also houses two memorial windows, one for the men of the Village who died in the war, the other for the vicar's son, Wilfred Elstob VC of the Manchester Regiment.
They were showing off to the daughers of the hall, who it is believed had befriended the fliers so far from home.
