On 15th September 1915 this aeroplane was damaged but no details regarding the incident are known. It was probably damaged at Redcar where it served with the Home Defence Flight.
Pilot - FSL Philip Andrew Johnston RNAS.
Observer - FSL Montague Jervoise Golding RNAS.
Montague Golding was born on 11th July 1892 (said on a family history website to have been in Pokesdown, Hampshire), his birth was registered in Farnham, Surrey. He joined the RNAS on 19th July 1915. While he was stationed in Redcar he got engaged to Miss Jeannee Peacock of Pellisson House, Redcar. By the time the RAF was formed he had risen through the ranks and on 21st April 1918 he was in the rank of Captain when he transferred to the RAF. Nothing of his life post-WW1 is known other than he died in Poole, Dorset in 1983.
Philip Johnston was born on 27th February 1898 in Sydney, Australia. He was awarded a Royal Aero Club Aviators' Certificate (Cert.No.1309) following training at Hendon on 4th June 1915. He then joined the RNAS on 26th July 1915 and his mother was living at Cribbs Causeway, Bristol at that time. He was posted to RNAS Redcar on 12th August 1915 and then to Eastchurch on 19th October 1915 to undertake night flying training. On 4th November 1915 he was posted to Hendon and appears to have been involved in test flying. He had some involvement in an explosion at Hendon on 2nd December 1915 following an error in him inspecting and reporting a fault correctly. What this relates to is unclear. On 14th January 1916 he was flying Sloane-Day H.1 biplane 3701 on a trial flight from the Talbot Works when he collided with a Boxkite and he sustained injuries including a broken nose. On 3rd January 1917 he appears to have ditched Sopwith Triplane N5423 in the Channel while on an altitude test and was picked up by a French boat. He was taken to port in France, he later returned to Eastchurch via Dieppe. F/Cdr Johnston was killed on 17th August 1917 serving with 8 (Naval) Squadron when his Sopwith Camel B3757 collided with another while in combat with enemy aircraft in France. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Arras Flying Services Memorial, France.
Caudron G.III 3870 was built by Aeroplanes Caudron and was shipped to the UK for delivery to RNAS Redcar on 14th July 1915. It was transfered to RNAS Scarborough on 19th August 1915 and back to Redcar at a later date. It would have served with the Home Defence Flight at both aerodromes. It suffered minor damage in an incident, probably at Redcar, on 15th September 1915. It was then repaired and returned to service at Redcar prior to a second mishap at Redcar in February 1916. It was badly damaged in this second incident, not repaired and deleted as "destroyed" with effect of 11th March 1916.
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