B.E.2c 1144 at Scarborough aerodrome.
In the early hours of 28th November 1916 this RNAS Home Defence Flight aeroplane was flown on an anti-Zeppelin flight and took off from Scarborough aerodrome at 00.40hrs. On landing at Scarborough at 01.30hrs without locating the Zeppelin the aeroplane sustained damage. The incident is mentioned in the pilot's service file stating that the pilot was "badly shaken".
Pilot - FSL John Francis Roche RNAS.
John Francis Roche was born on 6th August 1888 in Dublin, Ireland. He initially served in the Army reserve between 1908 and 1912. He gained his Royal Aero Club aviators' certificate at the Beatty School, Hendon on 12th May 1915 (Cert.No.1234) then enlisted into the RNAS on 24th May 1915. He was posted to RNAS Redcar on 22nd July 1915, then RNAS Scarborough, then RNAS Killingholme on 5th January 1916 then back to RNAS Scarborough on 25th January 1916 where he appears to have served until 20th January 1917. He later became a flying instructor. In April 1918 he transferred to the newly formed RAF. In August 1919 he was granted a permanent commission as Captain in the RAF. By 1923 he was working in RAF Intelligence and received a posting to 70 Squadron in Iraq in Summer 1923. Nothing more is known about him. I cannot locate a suitable death registration for him in England; he may have returned to Dublin.
B.E.2c 1144 was built to contract C.P.58282/14/X19112 by The Blackburn Aeroplane & Motor Company, Leeds but crashed on the delivery flight to Whitley Bay on 4th November 1915. From here it was probably put onto a train and taken back to Blackburn's where it was re-erected and it was delivered to RNAS Scarborough Home Defence Flight on 28th January 1916 where upon it suffered damaged on landing. It was again repaired but possibly on site. It later transferred to RNAS Atwick Home Defence Flight on 1st February 1916 and then went back to RNAS Scarborough Home Defence Flight on 10th February 1916. It carried out an anti-Zeppelin patrol on 11th February 1916. On 29th March 1916 it was transferred to RNAS Redcar for a day, probably with the Home Defence Flight. It then returned to RNAS Scarborough Home Defence Flight and carried out another anti-Zeppelin patarol on 5th April 1916. A few days later it was transferred back to RNAS Atwick Home Defence Flight where it was damaged in a gale on 16th April 1916. It was again repaired on site and later returned to RNAS Scarborough Home Defence Flight. It was used on another anti-Zeppelin patrol in the early hours of 28th November 1916 and again crashed on landing at Scarborough. The aeroplane was again repaired and transferred to RNAS Redcar on 5th February 1917. It was finally deleted from stock on 4th May 1917.