Squadron Commander Dunning

SQUADRON COMMANDER DUNNING

This year we have been remembering the end of WW1. The war caused the formation of the RAF and also its naval equivalent the Royal Naval Air Service - which became the Fleet Air Arm. Central to the history of the RNAS was a man whose family lived in Stoodleigh. What he did started a process which led finally to HMS Ark Royal & HMS Queen Elizabeth.

In 1896 Edwin Dunning, who had made a fortune in the South African gold fields, moved into Stoodleigh Court with his family, having bought the Stoodleigh estate.

His second son -also Edwin - went to Osborne and then Dartmouth Naval Colleges, In 1905 he became a midshipman in the Royal Navy. He then became a pilot and served in the Dardanelles, rising to the rank of Squadron Commander.

He was awarded the DSC and was Mentioned in Dispatches in March 1916 :

"Flight Lieutenant Edwin Harris Dunning RNAS....has performed exceptionally good work as a seaplane flyer, making many long flights both for spotting and photographing"

In 1917 he became involved in work on carrier borne aircraft. Up till then aircraft could take off from a carrier but not land on it. After a mission the pilot would have to "land" his aircraft near the carrier so that he could be hoisted aboard.

As a result of this work Edwin was the first pilot to land on an aircraft carrier. Flying a Sopwith Pup he landed successfully twice, but on the third landing the aircraft went over the side of the ship. One reason given was that there was a sidewind which blew the Pup over; another suggestion was that a tyre burst; a third, that he aborted his landing but the Pup stalled and came down heavily on its starboard wheel sending the aircraft over the side. Whatever the cause of the accident, he drowned before he could be rescued. The Admiralty wrote to his father:

"The Admiralty wish you to know what great service he performed for the Navy. It was in fact a demonstration of landing an Aeroplane on the deck of a Man-of-War whilst the latter was under way. This had never been done before and the data obtained was of the utmost value. It will make Aeroplanes indispensable to a fleet; & possibly, revolutionise Naval Warfare. The risk taken by Squadron Commander Dunning needed much courage. He had already made two successful landings; but expressed a wish to land again himself, before other Pilots did so; and in this last run he was killed. My Lords desire to place on record their sense of the loss to the Naval Service of this gallant Officer."

His memorial is in St Lawrence's Church, Bradfield, Essex.

'SACRED . TO . THE.MEMORY . OF/SQUADRON . COMMANDER/EDWIN . HARRIS . DUNNING . DSC. RN/H.M.S. FURIOUS/BORN .17TH JULY . 1892 . SECOND . SON . OF/ SIR . EDWARD . HARRIS . DUNNING . KNIGHT . /OF. JACQUES . HALL . IN . THIS . PARISH'

There are photos on the web - not only of him but also of the successful and unsuccessful landings. Here is a link to the first deck landing - Scapa Flow August 1917 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cUJQwb0wPI

Chris Whitehead – On behalf of

Stoodleigh History Group

December 2018