Home Militaria WW1 1918 autographed postcard of RAF pilot Lt. C. Stanley Mossop DSC
WW1 1918 autographed postcard of RAF pilot Lt. C. Stanley Mossop DSC
WW1 1918 autographed postcard of RAF pilot Lt. C. Stanley Mossop DSC
WW1 1918 autographed postcard of RAF pilot Lt. C. Stanley Mossop DSC
WW1 1918 autographed postcard of RAF pilot Lt. C. Stanley Mossop DSC

WW1 1918 autographed postcard of RAF pilot Lt. C. Stanley Mossop DSC

$130.00 CAD

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Charles Stanley Mossop was a British pilot who won the DSC in 1917 for action against German submarines. He was in the 243rd Squadron, based out of Normandy, when he died in a plane crash on August 13th 1918. He was 20.

In the research at the bottom, have included some of his flight mishaps. These were very brave men (boys?).

He was featured on a 2015 postage stamp issued by Jersey, where he and his family lived.

On the photo Lt. Mossop is the tall man in the middle, one of the other men (at right?) is named Eyre. The two women in the photo have been crossed out. I believe the photo dates to 1917, the year before the text on the back was written.

Interesting little postcard. Sent from Henry to his friend Molly. Full of friendly text, in a mixture of French and English. References to Mossop, as well as the text written by him with his signature. Card refers to social events that Mossop attended, and some talk of a romantic interest in him.

Upper left corner:

Ce vieux farceur de Mossop ne sait pas un mot de français!! C’est moi qui lui donne l’orthographe. Quel cousin!
(That old joker Mossop does not know a word of French. It’s me giving him the spelling.)
<< arrows pointing to blue text, below>>

En souvenir de Lisieux C. Stanley Mossop Lt. R.A.F. (Souvenir of Lisieux…)

Main text :

Dearest Quin and Chère Molly,
Ca y est. J’y suis allé ce soir. Mossop vous a vues. Ce qu’il a ri!!! Il était avec Coats, que je connais a little, et m’observer! Et vous l’avez reconnu en Kakii? Il y avait 3 girls, une en black et les autres collecting. Ce n’était pas Quin, en noir? Et c’était Molly who was collecting, et la third? Coats n’était pas là, sans ca il vous aurait --- un mot. Je vous envoie une carte prise l’année dernière. Vous reconnaitrez Mossop et Eyre (now in England). Les 2 girls celle marquée d’une croix s’est mariée voici a week, et c’est ce mariage dont je parlais à Quin. Et puis il y a moi! Ceci dit, vous pensez qu’il y aura du « bon » jeudi? A que je le voudrais!! Alors Madame L’Ecallard « arrangera «  « something »? Attendons avec patience et espérons!!!! Que Quin fasse cuire son canard(?) dans le fourneau et qu’elle pense un peu à Querqueville….C’est vrai qu’il y a aussi Mossop à Querqueville!...on ne sait jamais!!! But I think I know the heart of my own Quin. Je vais quite well et songe souvent, toujours, à ma nounouillotte ..(Qu’est que je vais prendre!)
Je vous quitte from travailler mon droit! Je vous envoie, dear Molly, mes meilleures {plus reconnais santés amitiés (you know why?)  et vous} et prie de présenter mon respect à Madame L’Ecallard.. Quand à mon Quin, je lui envoi un big et sweet kiss, autant que je l’aime, et comme elle je pense à plus tard. A bientôt. Espérons pour Jeudi! Henry

 

(….I went tonite. Mossop saw you. Did he ever laugh. He was with Coats, who I know a little…Did you recognize him in Khaki?...I am sending you a card taken last year. You will recognize Mossop and Eyre (now in England). The two girls marked with a cross one was married a week now, that was the marriage of which I was speaking to Quin of…It is also true that Mossop is at Querqueville!...you never know!!!!...)

Lisieux is about 200 km SE of Cherbourg. Querqueville is a small town in France located just west of Cherbourg, on the English Channel. There was a WW1 airport nearby.

Postcard bit cut down, all text ok. Stain at top on back.

7.50 x 12.50 cm.

 

On leaving school the brothers joined an engineering firm at Glasgow. When they were released for service in 1916, both joined the RNAS, and having graduated as Flight-Sub-Lieutenants in the spring of 1917 were later promoted Lieutenant. Stanley was sent to the RN Air Station at Cherbourg, where he carried out anti-submarine patrols with good results. He succeeded in bombing and sinking the German mine-laying submarine UB32 on 18th August, 1917, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC). He attacked in all five enemy submarines, but UB32 is the only one known to have been sunk.

He lost his life in an accident which occurred at Porten-Bessin as he was returning from patrol. The tail plane of his machine collapsed in mid-air, rendering the machine uncontrollable, with the result that it nose-dived 600 feet into two feet of water. Both he and his observer sustained fatal injuries.

He is recorded as having flown six different aircraft serials, 9852, 9857, 9858, 9859 and 9860 (Wight ‘Converted’ Seaplane), and N2365 (Fairey Campania). From their records we find:

  • In 9860 on the 18th August, 1917, he dropped two 100lb bombs and sank UB32, 25 miles north-east of Cherbourg. He was awarded the DSC, while his crewman, Air Mechanic Ingledew, received the DSM.
  • In 9852 on the 3rd September, 1917, he crashed the aircraft on landing at Cherbourg. It was struck off charge a week later!
  • In 9860 on the 4th September, 1917, he dropped three 100lb bombs on a U-Boat, 25 miles north-east of Cherbourg.
  • In 9859 on the 30th November, 1917, he made a forced landing due to a fuel leak. One presumes that it was repaired by him and his crewman, for the undercarriage was damaged on take-off and he then landed at Bembridge, IoW.
  • In 9860 on the 6th December, 1917, he dropped two 100lb bombs on a U-Boat, 7 miles south of St Catherine’s Point, IoW. Then he experienced an engine failure, having to make a forced landing. He and his crewman abandoned the aircraft which sank, and both men were picked up by HMS P32. The aircraft was struck off charge three weeks later.
  • In 9858 on the 30th/31st January, 1918, he was en-route from Calshot to Cherbourg when having to make a forced landing due to fog, 25 miles north of Cherbourg. The aircraft was damaged and placed aboard a Cardiff-bound steamer. He and his crewman were taken aboard the French destroyer Amiral Rigault de Genouilly and also headed off to Cardiff.
  • In N2365 on the 7th March, 1918, he picked up French seaplane CH2 which had been adrift all night. One presumes that he therefore towed it back to Cherbourg.
  • In 9857 on the 26th March, 1918, he dropped a bomb on a U-Boat, the bomb failing to explode.
  • Who was flying 9858 on patrol from Calshot to Cherbourg on the 29th May, 1918 when it was badly damaged landing at Jersey? (A case of no names, no packdrill on this one, but it does look somewhat of a coincidence!)
  • In 9859 on the 12th August, 1918, the tailplane failed as he took off from Port-au-Bessin, and the aircraft crashed. He and his crewman, Lieutenant RE Horton, were both killed. The aircraft was struck off charge a fortnight later.

http://www.greatwarci.net/journals/49.pdf

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