On 2nd April 1916 this aeroplane crashed when the pilot was trying to avoid a collision at Redcar aerodrome during a flight with the RNAS Flying School, the aeroplane was slightly damaged.
Pilot - F/Lt Cuthbert Lowthwaite Startup RNAS.
Caudron G.III 3864 was built by Aeroplanes Caudron and was delivered to AAP Killingholme on 22nd June 1915 where it remained for some months. It was transferred to RNAS Redcar Flying School on 9th February 1916. On 2nd April 1916 it was damaged at Redcar while the pilot was attempting to avoid a collision at Redcar. It was repaired and returned to service only to be written off in a crash on 7th June 1916 that saw it deleted from stock on 22nd June 1916.
Cuthbert Startup was born on 18th March 1896 at Bishop Stortford. He is listed as a "gentleman" when he enlisted in to the RNAS as a Probationary Flight Sub-Lieutenant on 6th November 1914. His service initially begun on airships but he later trained to become a pilot of aeroplanes. He served at RNAS Killingholme from 20th October 1915 and flew as a passenger but never alone as there were no dual controlled aeroplanes in which to train him. He was posted to RNAS Redcar on 15th February 1916. His service file states be flew very little until the end of March owing to some sort of illness that the doctor prevented him from flying. On 25th April 1916 he was discharged to Chatham Hospital with impetigo, then two days later this was switched to be a furunculosis diagnosis, then on 22nd June 1916 he was admitted to the same hospital with syphilis, only being discharged as fit on 24th June 1916. His commission was terminated on 7th August 1916 and two days later he was re-admitted to Chatham with syphilis. He appears to have been awarded a Royal Aero Club aviators' certificate on 11th August 1916 though how I am unsure. In 1917 he appears to have joined the RFC and transferred to the newly formed RAF in April 1918. On 18th June 1919 he crashed Avro 504 E3353 at Northolt that saw him injured and suffer burns when the fuel tank burst. He subsequently reliquished his commission on the grounds of ill health on 23rd January 1920. He re-took his RAeC aviators' certificate on 24th February 1932 (Cert.No.10370) and then gained an A Class Gliding Certificate at the London Gliding Club on 15th May 1932. On 24th May 1936 he crashed Tiger Moth G-ADGO at Dunstable Downs while making loops and his passenger Miss Aileen Marjorie Smart was killed. Startup received serious injuries. He died in Hertfordshire in January 1968 after a long illness.
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