On 15th July 1918 this No.2 Fighting School aeroplane was taking off from Marske aerodrome when the engine failed. The pilot attempted to turn back toward the aerodrome but the aeroplane stalled, it then sideslipped and dived into the ground close to the aerodrome. The pilot was seriously injured and spent a number of months in hospital recovering following this accident.
Pilot - Capt Arthur Roy Brown DSC & Bar RAF. Seriously injured.
Arthur Brown was born on 23rd December 1893 in Carleton Place, Ontario, Canada. He trained as a pilot at the Wright Flying School, Dayton, Ohio, USA and was awarded a Royal Aero Club aviators' certificate on 13th November 1915 (Cert.No.Am361). He was later posted across to the UK to then served in France in the RFC. He was awarded DSC was awarded on 2nd November 1917, surrounding his service in September 1917. He was also awarded the Bar to the DSC, awarded for the claim of his shooting down on The Red Baron, Gazetted on 21st June 1918, the citation reads.. "For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. On the 21st April 1918, while leading a patrol of six scouts he attacked a formation of twenty hostile scouts. He personally engaged two Fokker triplanes, which he drove off; then, seeing that one of our machines was being attacked and apparently hard pressed, he dived on the hostile scout, firing the while. This scout, a Fokker triplane, nose dived and crashed to the ground. Since the award of the Distinguished Service Cross he has destroyed several other enemy aircraft and has shown great dash and enterprise in attacking enemy troops from low altitudes despite heavy anti-aircraft fire." For many years it was thought that Cpt Arthur Roy Brown took part in the shooting down of Baron Manfred von Richthofen (The Red Baron) but very detailed research more recently published has proved that Richthofen was actually shot down by an Australian Army machine gunner Sgt Cedric Popkin by ground fire. His service file has a handwritten note across it also questioning it. Following the First World War Brown left the RAF in August 1919 and returned home to Canada. He died on 9th March 1944.