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Informations militaires - Military informationDate de naissance - Date of birth: Informations personnelles - Personnal informationParents: Son of Walter Frank and Mary Waterfall, of 1, Belvedere Terrace, Brighton. |
Lt Vincent Waterfall (formerly East Yorkshire Regiment, and a native of Brighton, Sussex) together with his observer Lt Charles George Gordon Bayly (formerly Royal Engineers, and a native of
Cape Town, South Africa) was flying an Avro 504 when he was brought down by enemy ground fire on 22 August 1914. They had departed on a reconnaissance mission at 10.16am that morning from Mauberge
in order to monitor the advance of the Germans. At 10.50am they observed a line of horsemen, flying over the column they were shot down by ground fire.
The loss of this aeroplane was the RFC's first combat loss in the Great War. The wreckage of the machine was the first indication to the Germans that the BEF had arrived at the Front.
Lt Waterfall (along with Lt Bayly) is buried in Tournai Communal Cemetery Extension, Belgium.
Vincent Waterfall
Left: the parents of Vincent: Walter Frank & Mary Waterfall
Right: Walter Frank, Vincent on his father's knee and Roy, his brother standing up
Vincent Waterfall, adolescent - teenager
article de journal relatant le procès de Vincent pour excès de vitesse en moto et conduite sans son permis
Licence de pilote de Vincent Waterfall - Pilot licence of Vincent Waterfall
Certificat de pilote de Vincent obtenu sur avion Vicker le 22/04/1913
Flight certificate of Vincent got on plane Vicker, on 22/04/1913
Vincent Waterfall aux commandes de son avion - Vincent Waterfall driving his airplane
Article de journal annonçant le décès de Vincent - Newspaper's article announcing the death of Vincent
Rapports d'enregistrement de la sépulture de V. Waterfall - V. Waterfall's grave registration report
Few pictures are provided by membres of the Vincent's family. - Thanks to them.
Si vous possédez dez indications, documents, photos relatifs à cet événement,
nous serions heureux que vous nous en donniez copie
If you detain some indormation, documents, pictures or testimonies concerning this event,
we should be pleased to recieve a copy
Sources:
Few pictures are provided by membres of the Vincent's family. - Thanks to them.
Some mages are from by Alan Seymour; other informations here, on Western Front Association web-site
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission website.
Traces of War web site
Médecins de la Grande Guerre, par DR Loods
Association du mémorial de Rebecq
Monsieur Louis Darbé, Marcq-Enghien