Bonjour
Le Capitaine Gilbert William Mapplebeck a été tué dans un accident d'avion le 24/08/1915
http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casua ... %20WILLIAM
Ci-dessous un article le concernant trouvé sur theaerodrome et paru dans Cross and Cokades
MAPPLEBECK, Gilbert William, Lieutenant, formerly the Liverpool Regiment, now Royal Flying Corps - No.4 Squadron - *Distinguished Service Order - awarded as per London Gazette dated 18 February 1915; repeated in issue of 24 March 1915. *Killed in a flying accident, Joyce Green, Dartford, 24 August 1915. *The following excerpt is from Aeroplane dated 14 April 1915:
* * *"Certain papers having discovered during the past week that Lieutenant G.W. Mapplebeck, DSO, King's Liverpool Regiment and Royal Flying Corps, had returned to England after having appeared in the Casualty List as missing, and later as a "Prisoner of War", one may perhaps elucidate the brief statement in this paper last week that one of the prisoners had returned. *It would be contrary to the custom of the RFC to descant at length on the story of his escape, but as the circumstances were somewhat exceptional it may be permissible to give and brief and innocuous account of the occurrence as told by a friend of the officer in question.
* * *"It appears that he was shot down in the vicinity of Lille - as the Germans know this there can be no harm in mentioning the place. *He landed unhurt, and as the district is entirely industrial and is composed of small working-class dwellings close together, he succeeded in hiding in an empty house till his pursuers had disappeared. *Knowing that it was impossible to return to the British lines through the network of trenches, he moved at night to another district where he procured food and a suit of workmen's clothes. *After lying hidden for many days he started and walked across Belgium - naturally running the risk of being shot as a spy if discovered - and ultimately succeeded in getting into Holland, where his travel-stained appearance prevented any suspicion arising as to his being a British officer. *Thence he reached England with comparative ease. *He has now returned to duty."
The following is from an obituary published in Flight, 3 September 1915:
* * *"Captain Mapplebeck has a magnificent record of work at the front, he being one of the first officers of the RFC to cross to France, where he rendered invaluable help during the retreat from Mons. *At the end of September he successfully bombed a German ammunition train, but during the operation was severely wounded when at a height of 6,000 feet, and had to spend three months in hospital. *His work was rewarded by the DSO and being mentioned in despatches. *On being discharged from hospital, he returned to the front, and on March 11th when engaged in a raid on the German lines near Lille, with two other pilots, he was shot down. *After setting fire to his machine, he managed to hide in a wood and by skilful disguise managed ultimately to make his way across the Dutch frontier and so home to England. *Shortly afterwards he again went out to the front, being specially promoted flight commander and captain.
* * *"Captain Mapplebeck, who held a commission in the King's Liverpool regiment, learnt to fly on a Deperdussin monoplane at Hendon in January 1912, and was appointed to the 4th Squadron, RFC in December 1913."
(Je traduis si vous le desirez)
Ci-dessous une page très complète qui lui est consacrée et qui confirme que les Français qui l'ont aidé avaient exécutés ,et que son évasion a été facilitée par le fait qu'il parlait couramment le Français
http://www.bedales.org.uk/home/about-be ... 2-24081915
Voir ici également le monument aux Fusillés de Lille
http://www.cheminsdememoire-nordpasdeca ... lille.html
et ici
https://books.google.fr/books?id=PTKCAw ... ck&f=false
Cordialement
Bruno
