Name
Allan Cowen Coley
1898
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
06/03/1918
19
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Lieutenant
Royal Flying Corps and General List
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
GOSPORT (ANN'S HILL) CEMETERY
50. 23575.
United Kingdom
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Not on the Bishop's Stortford Town memorials
Pre War
Allan Cowan Coley was born at 1 Petherton Road, Highbury in London on the 14th of March 1898 the eldest son of Harry Cowan Coley, a silk merchant, of "Glengale Lodge", Bishops Stortford in Hertfordshire, and Clara Frances (nee Peat later Holland) Coley of Surbiton. and baptised on 8 May 1898 at St Augustine, Highbury, Islington, London.
On the 1901 Census he was living with his family at Beresford Terrace, Islington where his father was a wine merchant. His father died in Bishop's Stortford in 1906.
On the 1911 Census he was a schoolboy boarding at the Beacon School, Dorset Road, Bexhill, Sussex. His mother had gone to live with her widowed mother and sisters in Ilkley, Yorkshire. In 1912 his mother remarried to Ernest Holland.
He was educated at the Beacon School, Bexhill-on-Sea and at Lancing College where he was in Sandersons House from September 1913 to the 28th of July 1916. He was a Corporal in the Officer Training Corps, played 2nd XI Cricket in 1916 and won his House Colours for Cricket.
On the 20th of July 1916, while still at school, he applied for a commission in the Special Reserve of the Royal Flying Corps, in an application which was supported by the Reverend Bowlby, Head Master of Lancing College, by Captain Adam Fox, Commanding Officer of the Lancing College Officer Training Corps Contingent and by Mr. W.D. Clayton, Head Master of the Beacon School.
Wartime Service
He was commissioned as a Temporary 2nd Lieutenant on the General List of the Royal Flying Corps on the 12th of August 1916 and began his training at the School of Military of Aeronautics the same day. He was posted to 3 Reserve Squadron on the 8th of November 1916 and to 16 Reserve Squadron on the 2nd of January 1917.
He was appointed as a Flying Officer on the 15th of April 1917 and was posted to France where he served for a time with 12 Squadron. On the 12th of August 1917 he was serving with No.8 Air Acceptance Park at Lympne and took off in response to a raid by German Gotha bombers who were raiding Chatham, Southend and Margate. On the 27th of January 1918 he was posted to the Home Establishment as an instructor.
On the 12th of February 1918 he was promoted to Lieutenant and on the 3rd of March he was posted to 39 Squadron and was attached to the School of Aerial Co-Operation with Coastal Defences at Gosport in Hampshire. He was living at "The Red House", Fort Romer.
On the night of the 6th of March 1918 he was patrolling off the Isle of Wight flying a Be2e. He had been tasked with being airborne to intercept incoming German raiders. During the flight his aircraft suddenly nosedived throwing him out of the cockpit and into the sea. Vessels were despatched to the area to rescue him and he was found but was unconscious when he was recovered. He was taken to Reed House at Fort Rowner where he died of his injuries.
Allen Coley enlisted into the Royal Flying Corps. He died shortly before the RFC and RNAS (Royal Naval Air Service) amalgamated to form the Royal Air Force.
The following is an extract from the Gosport.info website. Please note, some of the information contained therein is believed to be incorrect, notably name spellings.
"Lieutenant ALAN COWEN COLEY R.F.C. Royal Flying Corps Age 19 Died 6.3.1918.
2nd Lieutenant, ALAN COWEN COLEY, R.F.C., was 19 years of age. He was born in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire. He was a pilot serving with the School of Co-operation with Coastal Defences. He was killed on Wednesday 6th of March 1918, when the aircraft (a Be2E) he was flying at night, suddenly nose-dived throwing him out of his machine and into the sea, over which he was flying at the time. Immediately rescue vessels were sent to search for him, but by the time he was recovered from the sea he was found to be unconscious, he was taken to Reed House, at Fort Rowner, where he died of his injuries.
Lt. Coley had been patrolling the area, tasked with being airborne so that quick response could be made to intercept any German airship or the later design of enemy aircraft who were making air-raids on south coast targets, indeed one such airship had dropped bombs over the Portsmouth area a few months before, thank-fully the bombs landed in the sea, and no damage or casualties resulted. Lt. Alan Cowen Coley R.F.C. was buried on Monday 11th March 1918, with full service honours, Plot 50 Grave 77, and is commemorated by a CWG headstone."
Additional Information
Register of Soldiers' Effects shows his total effects of £101 2s 7d (pay owing etc.) was sent to his mother Clara Holland. Probate was granted on 21 November in London to Clara Frances Holland (wife of Ernest Robert Holland). Effects £204 8s 7d. Address given as Red House, Fort Romer (Rowner), Gosport, Hampshire. First name registered as 'Allan'.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
John Hamblin, Lancing College War Memorial website (www.hambo.org/lancing)
