John Edwin Yates

John originally enlisted in Weyburn, Saskatchewan, Canada on 2nd February 1916 aged 18. He served with the 152nd Battalion Canadian Infantry with the Canadian Expedition Force from 2nd February 1916 until May 1917 when he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps. He was killed in an accident while flying a Sopwith Camel B2305. He left his aerodrome at 1420 on an Offensive Patrol and at 1425 his aircraft spun and crashed at La Lovie.Mendingham Military cemetery, Belgium Grave Reference: VI B 5

Retfordian, In Memoriam:'Jack Yates, Lieutenant in the R.F.C, had been on the Western Front only a fortnight when he was killed on November 1st. His mother was so well kinown while she was head of the P.T. centre at Retford, and was such a respected personal friend of all our staff at the time, that the loss of her only boy touches us very deeply. He refused a staff commission last April to train for the R.F.C. having completed his training school tests, he graduated as a flying officer last September though only 18 years of age. He left England on October 18th to serve as an air scout in the Ypres sector. he fell over the British lines, and mercifully his death was instantaneous. His O.C wrote " His death is a great loss to his Corps and his Squadron, for he was a gallant boy' Nottingham Evening Post, 7th November 1917:'Second-Lieut. John E. Yates, Royal Flying Corps, was killed in action on the 1st inst. He was 18 years of age, and was the only son of Private Edwin E. Yates, Royal Fusiliers, and grandson of Mr. H. Brownlow, 33, Herbert-road, Sherwood-rise, Nottingham.' Obituary courtesy of Jim Grundy and his facebook pages Small Town Great War Hucknall 1914-1918.