{"id":3697,"date":"2018-08-08T13:20:10","date_gmt":"2018-08-08T19:20:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/?page_id=3697"},"modified":"2022-11-16T11:31:42","modified_gmt":"2022-11-16T18:31:42","slug":"stanley-cooper-kerk","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/the-biographies\/stanley-cooper-kerk\/","title":{"rendered":"Stanley Cooper Kerk"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

(Philadelphia, March 6, 1896 \u2013 March 30, 1973, Larkspur, California).1<\/a><\/p>\n

Kerk\u2019s father\u2019s family had lived in Philadelphia for several generations. Kerk\u2019s grandfather had been a clerk in the Philadelphia mint; Kerk\u2019s father worked for J. Bishop & Co., a platinum manufacturing firm of which Kerk\u2019s brother eventually became president.2<\/a>\u00a0In 1914 Kerk was a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania\u2019s Wharton School of Finance and Commerce; his name does not appear on student lists for later years.3<\/a>\u00a0His draft registration indicates that in 1917 he was a clerk with the Midvale Steel Company in Philadelphia; his R.A.F. service record describes him as a metallurgist there.4<\/a><\/p>\n

Kerk enlisted in the Reserve Corps at Essington, Pennsylvania, on June 18, 1917, and was soon assigned to the Aviation Section of the Signal Corps.5<\/a>\u00a0He attended ground school at Ohio State University\u2019s School of Military Aeronautics from the end of June through the beginning of September, graduating with Squadron 8 on September 1, 1917.6<\/a><\/p>\n

Along with most of his O.S.U. classmates, Kerk chose or was chosen to train in Italy, and he joined the 150 men of the \u201cItalian\u201d or \u201csecond Oxford detachment\u201d who sailed to England on the Carmania<\/i>. They departed New York for Halifax on September 18, 1917, and departed Halifax as part of a convoy for the Atlantic crossing on September 21, 1917. Early in the voyage, Murton Llewellyn Campbell, who had been in Kerk\u2019s ground school class, noted that \u201cKerk and Wells have been entertaining considerably. Wells sings, Kerk plays.\u201d7<\/a><\/p>\n

The\u00a0Carmania<\/i> docked at Liverpool on October 2, 1917, and almost immediately the men learned that they were not to go to Italy, but to remain in England and repeat ground school at the Royal Flying Corps\u2019s No. 2 School of Military Aeronautics at Oxford University. Most left Liverpool for Oxford that same day, but, as luggage had not yet been unloaded, Kerk, along with Earl Adams, Allen Tracy Bird, and Robert Arthur Kelly, remained in Liverpool to look after it for the detachment, not arriving at Oxford until October 8, 1917.8<\/a> Over the course of October the cadets (as they were now called) made their peace with training in England instead of Italy and enjoyed the amenities of English college life. Murton Campbell mentions towards the end of the month that \u201cWe roasted some chestnuts tonight by our cozy little fire. Dug, Chap, Kerk and Rit were the bunch and a good one too. Hope I am in Flying School with them.\u201d9<\/a><\/p>\n

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Kerk at Grantham. From John Chadbourn Rorison’s photo album, reproduced on p. 35 of Doyle, “War Bird Pictorial.” My thanks to the League of WW 1 Aviation Historians for permission to reproduce this.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On November 3, 1917, most of the second Oxford detachment members, including Kerk, went to Grantham in Lincolnshire to attend machine gun school at Harrowby Camp; there were not yet places for them at training squadrons. The next afternoon Kerk and three men who had been in the class ahead of him at ground school, Clarence Bernard Maloney, Joseph Kirkbride Milnor, and Guy Samuel King Wheeler, \u201chired a car and drove over to Nottingham about 24 miles,\u201d where they looked around the town and had dinner, returning just before midnight curfew.9a<\/a><\/p>\n

Ten days later it was learned that fifty of the men would soon be leaving Grantham for squadrons, and when the fifty were selected, Kerk was among them.\u00a0\u00a0Along with Adams, Robert Alexander Anderson, Guy Maynard Baldwin, and Thomas John Herbert, he set out for No. 31 Training Squadron at Wyton, about fifteen miles northwest of Cambridge, on November 19, 1917.10<\/a>\u00a0Ten days later, when Thanksgiving arrived, Kerk was one of the many men already posted to squadrons who returned to Grantham to celebrate. Festivities included a game of American football between the \u201cHardly Ables\u201d and the \u201cUnfits,\u201d with Kerk playing for the latter, winning, team. His teammate Lloyd Ludwig remarked that \u201cMac, Kerk, Brader and Hardin played great games.\u201d11<\/a><\/p>\n

Back at Wyton Kerk presumably completed a course of preliminary flying training on December 17, 1917.12<\/a> There is evidence that he suffered from ill health, possibly beginning around this time. A note dated December 18, 1917, on his R.A.F. service record appears to indicate that he was transferred to the \u201cnon-effective pool,\u201d i.e., put on leave, possibly for medical reasons, on that date.\u00a0 A later annotation (March 4, 1918) describes Kerk as \u201cUnfit any service 1 month.\u201d\u00a0 Four days later, Milnor, now working at American Aviation HQ in London, \u201cwent out to Tooting to see Kerk who is in hospital there\u201d (perhaps the Grove Military Hospital). 12a<\/a><\/p>\n

In early April 1918 Kerk was one of a large group of men of the second Oxford detachment whose names were forwarded by Pershing to Washington with the recommendation that they be commissioned \u201cFirst Lieutenants Aviation Reserve non flying.\u201d13<\/a> \u00a0The status had nothing to do with Kerk\u2019s ill health, rather it was part of an effort to speed up commissions for the many men in Europe whose climb up the ladder of rank had fallen behind that of their stateside counterparts due to insufficient training facilities in Europe; they were to receive their commissions \u201cnon flying\u201d and then be transferred to flying status as soon as they completed appropriate training. Kerk was among those granted their commissions on this basis as recorded in a cablegram dated May 13, 1918.14<\/a>\u00a0 Meanwhile, on April 18, 1918, according to his R.A.F. service record, Kerk was once again assigned to 31 T.S. at Wyton, but a little over a month later, a medical exam describes him as \u201cUnfit G[eneral] S[ervice] 4 weeks fit H[ome] S[ervice] flying duties.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
From Kerk’s R.A.F. service record.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Although Kerk was placed on active duty May 31, 1918, he remained in England into the autumn.14a<\/a> An undated note on Kerk\u2019s R.A.F. service record indicates that he had received two hours of dual instruction on DH.6s\u2014a training plane used at Wyton and perhaps at nearby Fowlmere, where, by Kerk\u2019s own account, he was also stationed.15<\/a> \u00a0His R.A.F. service record indicates that he was transferred from No. 31 T.S. at Wyton on September 26, 1918, to his final training posting, the School of Navigation and Bomb Dropping near Stonehenge in Wiltshire, where he presumably trained on DH.4s and perhaps DH.9s.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Fremont Cutler Foss identifies this man in a\u00a0\u00a0photo<\/a> of the 166th Aero’s B flight as “Kirk.” It is probably Kerk.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There is conflicting information about Kerk\u2019s active service in France. By one of his own accounts, recorded in 1920, he was in France already on September 4, 1918 (this is at odds with his R.A.F. service record).16<\/a>\u00a0Kerk lists service with the U.S. 166th<\/sup>\u00a0Aero Squadron in both the account he provided in 1920 and in one from 1934.17<\/a>\u00a0In the latter he indicates he was with the 166th<\/sup>\u00a0from October 18, 1918 through February 23, 1919, and the former notes that until early January 1919 he was at Maulan, France, and during most of January and February 1919 in Trier, Germany, which is consistent with the movements of the 166th<\/sup>. Curiously, Kerk does not appear on the roster of the 166th<\/sup>included in Hicks\u2019s \u201cHistory of Operations of the 166th<\/sup>\u00a0Aero Squadron,\u201d although he is among the men of the 166th<\/sup>\u00a0listed as ready to depart Trier for Colombey-les-Belles in March 1919.18<\/a>\u00a0On the other hand, Kerk\u2019s name is included in a list of officers of the 11th<\/sup>\u00a0Aero Squadron compiled, presumably, in 1919: the entry indicates that he reported to the 11th<\/sup>\u00a0on November 6, 1918, and was then transferred to the 166th<\/sup>\u00a0on November 9, 1918.19<\/a><\/p>\n

Both the 166th<\/sup>\u00a0and the 11th<\/sup>\u00a0were part of the American 1st<\/sup>\u00a0Day Bombardment Group; both flew DH-4s. The 11th<\/sup>\u00a0had been part of the Group since its formation at Amanty in early September 1918, just prior to the St. Mihiel Offensive; the 166th<\/sup>\u00a0was assigned to the 1st<\/sup>\u00a0Day Bombardment Group, now at Maulan, on September 25, 1918. There are reasonably complete records of the missions flown by both squadrons; I have not found Kerk\u2019s name among the pilots for any of the missions.<\/p>\n

Kerk was able to return to the United States on the\u00a0Kentuckian<\/i>, sailing from St. Nazaire on March 20, 1919, and arriving at Brooklyn on April 1, 1919.20<\/a>\u00a0He initially joined his father and brother in the platinum business in Pennsylvania.21<\/a>\u00a0Sometime in the 1920s he moved to northern California and worked in the printing and engraving business.22<\/a>\u00a0In early 1968 an interview with him was recorded that presumably focussed on his World War I experiences. The tapes, housed in the George H. Williams, Jr., Collection at the Eugene McDermott Library at the University of Texas, Dallas, are, unfortunately of such poor quality (or have deteriorated to the point) that they are largely incomprehensible.23<\/a><\/p>\n

mrsmcq August 8, 2018; updated to reflect Milnor diary August 25, 2020<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Notes<\/span><\/p>\n

(For complete bibliographic entries, please consult the list of\u00a0works and web pages cited<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
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1<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0For Kerk\u2019s place and date of birth, see Ancestry.com,\u00a0U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917\u20131918<\/i>, record for Stanley Kerk. For his place and date of death, see \u201cStanley Kerk.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

2<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0On Kerk\u2019s family, see documents available at Ancestry.com.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

3<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0The University of Pennsylvania,\u00a0Catalogue of the University of Pennsylvania 1913\u20131914<\/i>, p. 618.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

4<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0The National Archives (United Kingdom),\u00a0Royal Air Force officers’ service records 1918\u20131919<\/i>, record for Stanley Cooper Kerk.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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5<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0For Kerk\u2019s place and date of enlistment, see Ancestry.com,\u00a0Pennsylvania, WWI Veterans Service and Compensation Files, 1917\u20131919, 1934\u20131948<\/i>, record for Stanley Cooper Kerk.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

6<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u201cGround School Graduations [for September 1, 1917].\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

7<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Murton Llewellyn Campbell, diary entry for September 20, 1917; Horace Palmer Wells was a talented tenor.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

8<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0War Birds<\/i>, entries for October 3 and 8, 1917.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

9<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Murton Llewellyn Campbell, diary entry for October 29, 1917. The other men were Charles William Harold Douglass, Allison Henderson Chapin, and Roland Hammond Ritter.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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9a<\/strong><\/a> Milnor, diary entry for November 4, 1917.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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10<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0On the men posted to Wyton, see Foss, diary entry for November 15, 1917. For their date of assignment, see Kerk\u2019s R.A.F. service record, cited above.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

11<\/strong><\/a> \u00a0Ludwig, diary entry for November 29, 1917; see also Chalaire, \u201cThanksgiving Day with the Aviators Abroad.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cMac\u201d was Maloney; the other two men were George Atherton Brader and Temple Paul Hardin.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

12<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Baldwin notes this date for his completion of the course, and I assume Kerk\u2019s training was parallel. See Baldwin\u2019s letter about his service, which is included in Ancestry.com,\u00a0Pennsylvania, WWI Veterans Service and Compensation Files, 1917\u20131919, 1934\u20131948<\/i>, record for Guy Maynard Baldwin.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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12a<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 In response to my inquiry, the RAF Museum London indicated that they could find no medical card for Kerk.\u00a0 The quotation is from Milnor\u2019s diary entry for March 8, 1918.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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13<\/strong><\/a> Cablegram 874-S, dated April 8, 1918.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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14<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 Cablegram 1303-R.\u00a0 For Pershing\u2019s request that commissions with non-flying status be conferred, see cablegrams 726-S and 955-R.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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14a<\/strong><\/a> For the date of Kerk\u2019s being assigned to active duty, see McAndrew, \u201cSpecial Orders No. 205.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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15<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 See the \u201cWar Service Record,\u201d dated January 25, 1920, in Ancestry.com,\u00a0Pennsylvania, WWI Veterans Service and Compensation Files, 1917\u20131919, 1934\u20131948<\/em>, record for Stanley Cooper Kerk.\u00a0 On the aircraft at No. 31 T.S., see Sturtivant, Hamlin, and Halley, Royal Air Force Flying Training and Support Units<\/em>, p. 299.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

16<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0See \u201cWar Service Record,\u201d cited above.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

17<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0See \u201cWar Service Record,\u201d cited above, and \u201cVeteran\u2019s Compensation Application,\u201d dated March 1, 1934, also in Ancestry.com,\u00a0Pennsylvania, WWI Veterans Service and Compensation Files, 1917\u20131919, 1934\u20131948<\/i>, record for Stanley Cooper Kerk.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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18<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0See \u201cExodus to S.O.S. Begun.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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19<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 \u201c11th Squadron,\u201d\u00a0p. 5; this may have been a source for Sloan\u2019s information on Kerk in Wings of Honor<\/i>, pp. 221, 248, and 412. Kerk\u2019s name is included in the list of officers in\u00a0History of the 11th<\/sup>\u00a0Aero Squadron U.S.A.<\/i>\u00a0(p. 206).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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20<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0See War Department, Office of the Quartermaster General, Army Transport Service,\u00a0Lists of Incoming Passengers, 1917 – 1938<\/i>, Passenger list for the S. S.\u00a0Kentuckian<\/i>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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21<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0See Ancestry.com,\u00a01920 United States Federal Census<\/i>, record for Stanley C Kerk.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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22<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0See, for example, Ancestry.com,\u00a01930 United States Federal Census<\/i>, record for Stanley C Kerk; and \u201cStanley Kerk.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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23<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0See Allen, \u201cGuide to the George H. Williams, Jr. Collection, 1915-2006.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Philadelphia, March 6, 1896 \u2013 March 30, 1973, Larkspur, California).1 Kerk\u2019s father\u2019s family had lived in Philadelphia for several generations. Kerk\u2019s grandfather had been a clerk in the Philadelphia mint; Kerk\u2019s father worked for J. Bishop & Co., a platinum manufacturing firm of which Kerk\u2019s brother eventually became president.2\u00a0In 1914 Kerk was a freshman at … Continue reading “Stanley Cooper Kerk”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3708,"parent":30,"menu_order":67,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3697","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3697","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3697"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3697\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6814,"href":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3697\/revisions\/6814"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/30"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3708"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}