Lieutenant Sedgwick, Royal Flying Corps, especially 1915-16

[queencorgi1]

I am trying to trace this pilot, without success, mainly because I don't have any initials. He's mentioned in some detail in another officer's service record, but only as 'Lt Sedgwick'. Sedgwick was serving as 'a new pilot' at Abeele in France, arriving there in June 1916.
I tried looking on Forces War Records but unfortunately there are several Sedgwicks in the Royal Flying Corps!
I've also tried FindMyPast and Ancestry, but again without initials, it's impossible to tell which one he is.
Can anyone help, or suggest anything I haven't tried yet? The comments made about him suggest he was pretty young, perhaps 18-20?

[Andy J2022]

A very quick search suggests this is Lt Thomas Bowling Sedgwick born 21 Jul 1893. In 1914 1918 (see posting below) he was a probationary Flying Officer in the Royal Naval Air Service, not Royal Flying Corps. Officers did not have numbers. The RNAS and RFC combined in April 1918 to form the RAF. There a naval record card for him on FindMyPast along with a medal roll listing (extract below). He was admitted to the Millbank Military Hospital on October 1919 for an unspecified reason. At the time he was serving with the RAF Anti-Submarine Patrol.

There will be further details about his date of commission and any promotions in the London Gazette

[softly softly]

He's mentioned in some detail in another officer's service record, but only as 'Lt Sedgwick'. Sedgwick was serving as 'a new pilot' at Abeele in France, arriving there in June 1916.


Who was the "other officer" service record.

SS

[Andy J2022]

Forget my reference to him being a probationary flying officer in 1914. That was a misreading of the FindMyPast transcript. He was commissioned on 4 Jan 1918 and discharged due to ill health on 8 June 1920.  There is a marginal note on his Navy record saying South African RNAS.

There is no immediate candidate having been born in the UK. There was a Thomas Sedgwick born in Preston Lancashire Qtr3 1893 (8E 622) but he appears to be the same man who appears in the 1939 Register with the date of birth 31 Jul 1893 a builder's labourer,  married with a son, living at 8 Sussex Street, Preston. I doubt if this is the same man. The Preston man is most likely to have been Pte Thomas Sedgwick 13311 King's Own (Royal Lancaster) Regiment during the First World War.
Your man is much more likely to be the Mr TB Sedgwick aged 23 who left London on the SS Grantully Castle on 8 Nov 1923, bound for Kilindini, Kenya.

[Andy J2022]

London Gazette entries below

[GrahamSimons]

If Kilindini is right, this could be your man:
https://www.europeansineastafrica.co.uk/_site/custom/database/default.asp?a=viewIndividual&pid=2&person=10575

The webpage says...

Name: SEDGWICK, Tom Bowling
Nee: son of Edward William Sedgwick
Birth Date: 21 July 1892 Green Point, Cape Town
Death Date: 4 Dec 1968 Cape Town

First Date: 1922
Profession: BEA Corporation
Area: Voi
Married: Henrietta Maria b. 28 Oct 1910 Tarkastad, S. Africa, d. 13 May 2007 Constantiaberg, Cape
Children: Jerome (8 July 1940 Cape Town); Edward Anthony (26 Aug 1942 Cape Town)
Book Reference: KAD, Red 25, Hut, Thurston, Red 22
War Service: RAF
General Information:
Thurston - CO 533, 480/3 - 1936-37 - T. Sedgwick [sic]: petition regarding cotton licence
Red 22 - T.B. Sedgwick, BEA Corp, Voi
Gazette - 7/5/1929 - Expunged from Coast Register of Voters - Left Area - Tom Bowling Sedwick [sic] - BEA Corporation, Voi

[GrahamSimons]

.....and this matches the London Gazette!

[softly softly]

 I quite fancy a Leslie Pope Sedgwick. DOB 6.7.1891. See 1939 war register re Ex Flight Lt Instructor.

SS

[queencorgi1]

He's mentioned in some detail in another officer's service record, but only as 'Lt Sedgwick'. Sedgwick was serving as 'a new pilot' at Abeele in France, arriving there in June 1916.


Who was the "other officer" service record.

SS

The 'other officer' was Eric Lewis Conran, who was commanding the squadron at Abeele.