Royal Flying Corps The Park oi'-os' ( ? ) Aged 27 April 27th, 1915 Elder son of Edward Moorhouse, of Parnham House, Beaminster, and of Mrs. Moorhouse. In accordance with the will of his grandfather he assumed, by Royal Licence, on January 21st, 19 13, the name of Rhodes, in addition to and before that of Moorhouse. Trinity Hall, Cambridge, 1908-10. Married, in 19 12, Linda Beatrice, youngest daughter of the late Robert Ambrose Morritt, of Rokeby, and leaves a son. Lieutenant Rhodes-Moorhouse had been engaged on monoplane experiments, chiefly at Huntingdon, during 1 910 and 191 1, and has been described as " one of the pioneers of aviation in England," and " the finest cross- country flier of his time." He took his Pilot's certificate after flying over 1000 miles, in October, 1911, and made the first Channel flight with two passengers, in August, 191 2. He gave up flying after his marriage, but, on the outbreak of the War, received a Commission in the Royal Flying Corps. He was at first placed in charge of the workshops at South Farnborough, and then, in March, 19 15, joined No. 2 Squadron, No. i Wing, at the Front. On Monday, April 26th, 191 5, during the second battle of Ypres, an extremely urgent message came through from Head Quarters to Merville, ordering the immediate destruction of the railway line at Courtrai, in order to prevent the Germans bringing up reinforcements, to the extent of a whole Army Corps. He was detailed for this task, his instructions being " to use his own discretion as to the height at which he could drop his bomb." He successfully accomplished this, but was twice severely wounded, the second time mortally. He died in Hospital on the next day. Before his death he received the following message from Sir John French : " But for pressure of work the Field-Marshal Commanding-in-Chief would have visited Lieutenant Moorhouse himself, to express his admiration for his courage, and the way in which he carried out his duties yesterday." " For gallant and distinguished conduct in the field," he was mentioned in Sir John French's despatch of May 31st, 19 15, and was subsequently awarded the Victoria Cross. Major T. I. Webb-Bowen, who commanded his Squadron, writes : — "... His last act has now set a standard of courage and devotion to duty, which others may hope to equal but never excel." WILLIAM BARNARD RHODES RHODES-MOORHOUSE. Full text of "Harrow memorials of the great war : August 23rd, 1914, to March 20th, 1915" In Memory of Lieutenant WILLIAM BARNARD RHODES-MOORHOUSE V C 2nd Sqdn., Royal Flying Corps who died age 27 on 27 April 1915 Son of Edward Moorhouse, of Parnham House, Dorset; husband of Linda Rhodes-Moorhouse. Remembered with honour PARNHAM PRIVATE CEMETERY, BEAMINSTER William Bernard Rhodes-Moorhouse (1887 - 1915) - Find A Grave Memorial Citation: An extract from "The London Gazette," dated 22nd May, 1915, records the following:- "For most conspicuous bravery on 26th April, 1915, in flying to Courtrai and dropping bombs on the railway line near that station. On starting the return journey he was mortally wounded, but succeeded in flying for 35 miles to his destination, at a very low altitude, and reported the successful accomplishment of his object. He has since died of his wounds." And heres his son ! In Memory of Flight Lieutenant WILLIAM HENRY RHODES-MOORHOUSE D F C 90140, 601 Sqdn., Royal Air Force who died age 26 on 06 September 1940 Son of Mr and Mrs William Barnard Rhodes-Moorhouse, V.C. Remembered with honour PARNHAM PRIVATE CEMETERY, BEAMINSTER
Heres a piece of trivia ...... Parnham House, near Beaminster in Dorset. The Wrenwood Hotel's web-site states that "Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, awoken by the baying of the hounds during a night's stay at Parnham, is said to have been inspired by the sound to write his famous classic THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES." But the Automobile Association's EXPLORING BRITAIN'S HISTORIC HOUSES (by Penny Wicks, 1995) offers a rather different story: "In the 1920s Parnham was a fashionable country club, and its patrons included the Prince of Wales and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Conan Doyle always stayed in what is now the Country Room, and was convinced that it was haunted."
I always think that Rhodes-Moorhouse's VC was one of the best deserved of all. Some bright spark reckoned that the German advance could be slowed by dropping a single bomb on the railtrack in the middle of Courtrai. (Why in the middle of the town? If bombing the railtrack would help at all, it would be just as effective in the countryside away from German return fire). Anyway, R-M had all night to reflect on the fact that he was going to have to fly at rooftop height at 60 mph over a town full of German troops, and it was known that there was a machine gun in the church tower. These days if the RAF go in that low, they would be doing 600 mph. R-M knew he had very little chance of survival, and he must have thought of his two year-old son, but he went anyway. It was amazing that he managed to get back to his aerodrome. They say there was blood dripping from the tail of the aircraft as he landed. By the way, there is a replica of his BE2b in the RAF Museum at Hendon.
He was a courageous man .... thats for sure ! I didn't realise he had a New Zealand and Maori connection through his mother ! Daredevil who died a hero (+pics) - National News - Dominion Post William Barnard Rhodes-Moorhouse - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Just look how flimsy these planes are ? .... these men risked their lives just going up ... never mind fighting the enemy ..... this stuff just blows me away .... !! RAF Museum - WWI exhibits - The Aerodrome Forum
