Cover of the day 28th March

[Chris Grimshaw]

Team

Can anyone read the name of the addressee on this cover, struggling.

For completeness reverse of cover also shown.

Chris

[Nick Colley]

Major R.D. de la Cour Corbett.

Looks like he was a POW of the Turks (and it gives the name of the camp, but I can't de-cipher it,yet). I would assume the French 'decede (how do you type accents?) may well mean deceased.

It appears there's a story in the making, there, Chris?

chrs
N

[Michael Dobbs]

Nick

You mean 'decédé'?  If you are using MS Word select "Insert" then "Symbol" and then select the appropriate letter - however, you need to do this in a Word document before you can then copy and paste as a reply on the Forum.

In addition if I have a complicated or long response to compile, I will also do it first in a Word document to try and make sure spelling mistakes are not made and it also gives  time to check references / notes, etc and formulate the response.

Mike

[Howard Weinert]

The cover is addressed to Changri, Turkey. This place is now spelled Cankiri.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%87ank%C4%B1r%C4%B1

[Chris Grimshaw]

Thanks All

He was a Major in the 48th Indian Pioneers, attached Royal Flying Corps, Date of death as per CWGC is 25/12/1917, Commemorated at Baghdad (North Gate) War Cemetery. 

Graves from POW's who died in Anatolia were moved to here.  Agree Changi was the camp.

Far as I have got so far.

Chris

[Nick Colley]

Bonjour Michel, oui, decédé c'est ce que je veux dire. Ah, donc les lettres accentuées sont dans les symboles, eh? Mais bien sur!  Merci!

N

[Chris Grimshaw]

A little more

OBITUARY OF REGINALD DAVID DE LA COUR CORBETT
Major R. D. de la Cour Corbett, Indian Infantry, attached R.F.C., who was born in 1881, was the elder son of the late Colonel R. de la Cour Corbett, D.S.O., R.A.M.C, and Mrs. de la Cour Corbett, of 13, Goldington Road, Bedford, and was educated at Bedford and Sandhurst. He was a keen athlete and sportsman, and played Rugby football for the R.M.C., against the R.M.A., in 1900. In 1901 he was gazetted to the Royal Irish Rifles and served through the South African War, being awarded the medal with four clasps. In 1904 he transferred to the Indian Army and was gazetted to the 48th Pioneers, and afterwards became Adjutant of the regiment. In 1908 he was sent on famine duty in the Utroula District, and in 1912 was appointed tutor to the young Raja of Awa. When war broke out he rejoined his regiment, and went to Mesopotamia in November, 1914. He was one of the gal- lant band who, under General Townshend, were besieged for five months in Kut, and was taken prisoner at the fall of that garrison and sent to Kastamouni, in Asia Minor. He was mentioned in dispatches in May, 1916. The camp at Kastamouni was broken up in October, 1917. and the prisoners marched to Changri, where he died on Christmas Day of rupture of the heart due to strain. Letters from his fellow prisoners always spoke of him as " most popular and his cheeriness being the life and soul of the camp."—Times.

Chris

[Chris Grimshaw]

A little more I've found,

There is an account of the supply of Kut by the RFC/RNAS in Chris Cole and Roderick Grant's book "But Not in Anger". Five RFC officers were taken POW at Kut one of whom died. Of the 45 or so O/Rs taken POW probably only four survived. There is an account of his captivity by one of the survivors, F/Sgt P W Long, entitled "Other Ranks at Kut".

Need a RFC expert now I think.

Chris

[Chris Grimshaw]

With the wonders of "Mr Google"

There was little in the way of air activity on any of the fronts today. However one fatality was recorded nevertheless.

Major Reginald David De La Cour Corbett of 30 Squadron RFC (formerly of the 48th Indian Pioneers) died in captivity at a Turkish Prisoner of War Camp at Changri, apparently from rupture of the heart due to strain. Sadly he was one of the many who failed to return .

He was one of the group of RFC personnel left behind in Kut-al-Almara following the surrender of British Forces there on 29 April 1915. This consisted of 5 officers and 35 other ranks – the majority of the rank and file of 'A' and 'B' Flights of 30 Squadron RFC and the Australian Mesopotamian Half Flight. They surrendered along with 277 British and 204 Indian officers, 2,592 British and 6,988 Indian other ranks, together with 3,248 Indian non-combatants.

Most of these prisoners were forced to march across the desert to POW camps. Many did not survice the journey, and of those that did, many succumbed including Corbett,  during their stay in the squalid camps. In November 1918, the official British report declared that 3,290 British and Indian POWs from Kut-el-Amara had died in Turkish captivity, while an additional 2,222 were missing and presumed dead.

Reginald born in 1881, was the elder son of the late Colonel Robert de la Cour Corbett, D.S.O., R.A.M.C, and Mrs. de la Cour Corbett, of 13, Goldington Road, Bedford. He was educated at Bedford and Sandhurst.

He was a keen athlete and sportsman, and in 1900 played Rugby football for Sandhurst against Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. In 1901 he was gazetted to the Royal Irish Rifles, and served through the South African War, being awarded the medal with four clasps. In 1904 he was transferred to the Indian Army, and was gazetted to the 48th Pioneers and afterwards became adjutant of the regiment. In 1908 he was sent on famine duty in the Utroula District, and in 1912 was appointed tutor to the young Raja of Awa. When war broke out he rejoined his regiment, and went to Mesopotamia in November, 1914. He later joined the RFC.