Flt. Sub-Lt. Gerald William Hilliard RN
Gerald William Hilliard was born in St. Peter's Port, Guernsey on 19th. May 1885, the son of Army officer Colonel William Edward (1851-1922) and Lydia Hilliard, nee Glasse (1857-1936). In 1901 he began a five year apprenticeship with Great Western Railway in Swindon, Wiltrshire. He entering Downing College, Cambridge in 1906, although, according to the college magazine, 'The Griffin', Hilliard remained for a short time only. This, perhaps, may be explained by his appointment as Assistant to the Maintenance Engineer for the Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway in 1908. He returned to the UK from Argentina on 10th. November 1914 following the outbreak of the war.
Hilliard joined the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) as a Flight Sub-Lieutenant (probationary) on 4th. January 1915. He qualified to fly a Grahame-White Type XV biplane at The Grahame-White School in Hendon, London during March 1915. The Royal Aero Club records that he was member no. 1079.
The Downing College magazine, 'The Griffin' erroneously reported that he died in Egypt on 8th. September 1915 of wounds received in the Dardanelles.
Hilliard was posted to Royal Naval Air Station Great Yarmouth.
The official history of the RNAS notes that 'G. W. Hilliard was killed during the Zeppelin raids on the night of 8th./9th. September 1915'. He was flying the Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c, serial number 990, and took-off with two other aircraft in pursuit of the German Naval Airship, Zeppelin L14 commanded by Kapitänleutnant der Reserve Alois Böcker.
L14 intended to attack London but it had engine trouble as it made landfall at 8.10 pm over Blakeney on the North Norfolk coast so Böcker decided he would tried to follow a line that he believed would take him to Norwich. His navigation was not good and rather than attacking Norwich he dropped 75 bombs on the village of Bylaugh and the town of Dereham, killing two civilians and two soldiers from the Norfolk Regiment and injuring seven people. L14 flew off towards Scarning where it dropped nine high explosive bombs, these all fell in fields. It then turned north towards Fakenham and was seen over North Elmham, Ryburgh and Pensthorpe before moving towards Walsingham and then out towards Holt before heading back out to sea at around 10 p.m.
The efforts to intercept L14 by the three pilots from RNAS Great Yarmouth ended in failure. One aircraft returned to base with fuel problems. The other aircraft flown by Flight Lieutenant J. M. R. Cripps was forced down with engine failure. The pilot jumped from his bomb-loaded aircraft just before it reached the ground and was unhurt, the aircraft landed almost intact.
Hilliard did fly on in pursuit of the Zeppelin but failed to find it. He had intended to land at RNAS Bacton, a night landing ground, but instead he made a heavy landing in the dark in a field near Bacton and the undercarriage of his B.E.2c collapsed resulting in the bombs onboard exploding, destroying the aircraft and killing it's pilot.
Gerald William Hilliard was aged 30. He was awarded the 1914/15 Star and the British War Medal. His next of kin were sent a Memorial Death Plaque of WW1. He is buried at Caister old cemetery in Norfolk. His grave in plot B.32.51 is marked by an Admiralty Cross.
Flt. Sub-Lt. Gerald William Hilliard RN
Gerald William Hilliard was born in St. Peter's Port, Guernsey on 19th. May 1885, the son of Army officer Colonel William Edward (1851-1922) and Lydia Hilliard, nee Glasse (1857-1936). In 1901 he began a five year apprenticeship with Great Western Railway in Swindon, Wiltrshire. He entering Downing College, Cambridge in 1906, although, according to the college magazine, 'The Griffin', Hilliard remained for a short time only. This, perhaps, may be explained by his appointment as Assistant to the Maintenance Engineer for the Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway in 1908. He returned to the UK from Argentina on 10th. November 1914 following the outbreak of the war.
Hilliard joined the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) as a Flight Sub-Lieutenant (probationary) on 4th. January 1915. He qualified to fly a Grahame-White Type XV biplane at The Grahame-White School in Hendon, London during March 1915. The Royal Aero Club records that he was member no. 1079.
The Downing College magazine, 'The Griffin' erroneously reported that he died in Egypt on 8th. September 1915 of wounds received in the Dardanelles.
Hilliard was posted to Royal Naval Air Station Great Yarmouth.
The official history of the RNAS notes that 'G. W. Hilliard was killed during the Zeppelin raids on the night of 8th./9th. September 1915'. He was flying the Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c, serial number 990, and took-off with two other aircraft in pursuit of the German Naval Airship, Zeppelin L14 commanded by Kapitänleutnant der Reserve Alois Böcker.
L14 intended to attack London but it had engine trouble as it made landfall at 8.10 pm over Blakeney on the North Norfolk coast so Böcker decided he would tried to follow a line that he believed would take him to Norwich. His navigation was not good and rather than attacking Norwich he dropped 75 bombs on the village of Bylaugh and the town of Dereham, killing two civilians and two soldiers from the Norfolk Regiment and injuring seven people. L14 flew off towards Scarning where it dropped nine high explosive bombs, these all fell in fields. It then turned north towards Fakenham and was seen over North Elmham, Ryburgh and Pensthorpe before moving towards Walsingham and then out towards Holt before heading back out to sea at around 10 p.m.
The efforts to intercept L14 by the three pilots from RNAS Great Yarmouth ended in failure. One aircraft returned to base with fuel problems. The other aircraft flown by Flight Lieutenant J. M. R. Cripps was forced down with engine failure. The pilot jumped from his bomb-loaded aircraft just before it reached the ground and was unhurt, the aircraft landed almost intact.
Hilliard did fly on in pursuit of the Zeppelin but failed to find it. He had intended to land at RNAS Bacton, a night landing ground, but instead he made a heavy landing in the dark in a field near Bacton and the undercarriage of his B.E.2c collapsed resulting in the bombs onboard exploding, destroying the aircraft and killing it's pilot.
Gerald William Hilliard was aged 30. He was awarded the 1914/15 Star and the British War Medal. His next of kin were sent a Memorial Death Plaque of WW1. He is buried at Caister old cemetery in Norfolk. His grave in plot B.32.51 is marked by an Admiralty Cross.