Avro 504 B8762 near Tadcaster aerodrome.
During the afternoon of Tuesday, 3rd September 1918 five aeroplane of No.38 Training Depot Station undertook a formation flying exercise over the Tadcaster area, near to where they were based. Capt Scott, 2Lt Talbot, Lt Woollard, Lt Arnold and Flt Cadet Hale were all flying solo. Avro 504 B8762 and Avro 504 C700 collided at 3,000 feet during the exercise and both pilots were killed in the resulting crashes at around 14.00hrs. Exactly where each aeroplane fell is unclear. B8762 / Lt Arnold's fell into a cornfield, possibly crashing inverted and the pilot was found dead extracted. C700 / Woollard's crashed into the top of a thirty foot high tree, the pilot was thrown out and became caught on a branch some distance in the air. It took some time for rescuers to obtain a ladder and climb to him but he was also found dead when rescued. The pilots' death were registered in the Wetherby district which is the only indication of the approximate area of the crashes.
Pilot - Lt Joseph (Victor/Vincent?) Arnold RAF, aged 23. Buried Manchester (Philips Park) Cemetery, Lancashire.
He was the son of James and Mary Arnold and must be the one in the birth index showing as being Joseph Vincent Arnold with his birth registered in the first quarter of 1890. As a young man he worked as an engineer for George Saxon and Co, Openshaw, Manchester. He was living in Welshpool when he initially enlisted into the Montgomeryshire Yeomanry in September 1914. He transferred to the Royal Welch Fusiliers in 1915, being granted a commission in December 1915 and serving in France from 13th July 1916. He later transferred to the RFC in December 1917 and was posted to No.68 Training Squadron on 23rd March 1918 (at Catterick). He then transferred to the RAF when it formed on 1st April 1918. No.68 Training Squadron disbanded and became No.38 Training Depot station in July 1918, based at Tadcaster.
Joseph Arnold's life is proving unusually hard to piece together. His name is recorded as Joseph Victor Arnold on his AIR76/11/45 service file and in some newspaper reports that mention his death. His medal card WO372/1/119944 shows his name as Joseph Vincent Arnold. I am not sure which is correct. The CWGC may have had a similar problem as their records simply show his second name as an initial "V". His age given in the English death index and in newspapers was twenty three years old and this tallies with the age on his service records stating he was born on 22nd January 1895. The only birth in the birth index that fits is for someone called Joseph V Arnold in Oldham in 1890. CWGC show his age as being 26 on their online register and on his grave, which surely must be correct as his mother was alive and would have had a say in what was engraved on it.