{"id":811,"date":"2017-05-19T13:52:35","date_gmt":"2017-05-19T19:52:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/?page_id=811"},"modified":"2024-11-29T11:58:15","modified_gmt":"2024-11-29T18:58:15","slug":"murton-llewellyn-campbell","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/the-biographies\/murton-llewellyn-campbell\/","title":{"rendered":"Murton Llewellyn Campbell"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

(Toledo, Ohio, August 31, 1893 \u2013 near Warlencourt, France, August 23, 1918) 1<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a>Oxford, Grantham, Doncaster<\/a>\u00a0\u272f\u00a0 Scampton, Turnberry, Ayr<\/a> \u00a0\u272f\u00a0 France, No. 54 Squadron R.A.F.\u00a0<\/a> \u272f\u00a0 17th Aero, Petite Synthe<\/a> \u00a0\u00a0\u272f\u00a0 17th Aero, Auxi-le-Ch\u00e2teau<\/a>\u00a0 \u272f\u00a0 Epilogue<\/a><\/p>\n

Campbell\u2019s first name is frequently spelled \u201cMerton,\u201d but early reliable sources (including his draft registration with his signature) spell it \u201cMurton.\u201d \u00a0It is perhaps a family name, although I have not been able to trace it as such. \u00a0Campbell\u2019s mother was born in England; his father\u2019s family had lived in Ohio since the 1830s.2<\/a>\u00a0 He was in his third year at Ohio State University, studying mechanical engineering, when he registered for the draft in June of 1917, and he attended ground school<\/a> there, graduating September 1, 1917.3<\/a><\/p>\n

Along with most of his O.S.U. classmates, Campbell chose or was chosen for training in Italy. \u00a0Like a number of his fellow cadets, he kept a diary, and the first entry, for September 6, 1917, announces jubilantly \u201cORDERS!! HOORAY!!\u201d \u00a0It was written \u201con the Penna. lines between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia on my way to New York. \u00a0Twenty-three of No. [8] Squadron were ordered to N.Y. \u00a0I expect we will all go to Italy. \u00a0We will not only have a good trip but the experience will be fine. \u00a0If any of us accidentally return, I guarantee that the time spent will not be regretted.\u201d4<\/a>\u00a0 Campbell and most of his ground school classmates thus joined the 150 cadets of the \u201cItalian\u201d or \u201csecond Oxford detachment\u201d who sailed to England on the Carmania<\/i>. \u00a0They 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. \u00a0When the Carmania<\/i> docked at Liverpool on October 2, 1917, the detachment learned to their initial consternation 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. \u00a0Campbell took the change of plans perhaps better than many of the other cadets, as remaining in England would give him the opportunity to become acquainted with his mother\u2019s family.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Oxford, Grantham, Doncaster<\/a><\/h6>\n

At Oxford, Campbell roomed, initially in Christ Church College, with Allison Henderson Chapin, Charles William Harold Douglass, and Roland Hammond Ritter; he and Chapin in particular palled around together and double dated. \u00a0When Chapin returned to college well after hours, Campbell and Douglass \u201cput out a ladder over the wall for his benefit.\u201d5<\/a><\/p>\n

On November 3, 1917, Campbell and most of the rest of the detachment left Oxford to go to machine gun school at Harrowby Camp, near Grantham, where \u201cwe got an excellent reception. \u00a0A band met us at the station, besides everyone along the way turned out.\u201d6<\/a>\u00a0 The course was to be two weeks on the Vickers gun, and then two on the Lewis. \u00a0However, after the first two weeks, it was determined that fifty of the cadets could go to training squadrons, and on November 19, 1917, Campbell (along with William Joseph Armstrong, Norman Kenneth Berry, Leonard Joseph Desson, Douglass, Weston Whitney Goodnow, Bradley Cleaver Lawton, Clair Rutherford Oberst, Earl William Sweeney, and George Herbert Zellers) set off for Doncaster in south Yorkshire where Nos. 41 and 49 Training Squadrons were located; Campbell, along with Desson, Lawton, Oberst, and Sweeney, was assigned to the 49th<\/sup>.7<\/a>\u00a0 He was delighted when on the day of their arrival \u201cFlight Commander, Capt. Smith, gave us a joy ride.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. \u00a0I enjoyed it immensely and can truthfully say that I am not at all afraid of flying. \u00a0We will learn entirely on M.F.S.H. [Maurice Farman Shorthorn] pushers.\u201d \u00a0Poor weather and a bad cold cut into his flying time, but on December 18, 1917, \u201cI got my first real instruction this morning with Mr. Rounds. \u00a0Was up 35 mins. \u00a0Did only banks and turning but got on to it pretty well. He seemed quite pleased when we came down, but no more than I was. \u00a0Heretofore, the weather has been so bumpy I could not understand the way he controlled the machine.\u201d \u00a0Two days later he \u201cwas ready for solo.\u201d \u00a0On December 20, 1917, he did a number of landings, most of them good, and then went for a \u201cjoy ride,\u201d returning \u201cfilled with confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Part
Campbell’s diary entries for November 16-30, 1917, as published in The Norwalk Reflector-Herald in June 1930. The city of Norwalk, Ohio, is about ten miles west of the village of Wakeman, Ohio, where Campbell grew up and where most of his family lived.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/a>Scampton, Turnberry, Ayr<\/a><\/h6>\n

On December 28, 1917, Campbell was sent to the 45 Pool Squadron at South Carlton, as were second Oxford detachment members Desson, Douglass, Goodnow, Lloyd Andrews Hamilton, Lawton, Joseph Kirkbride Milnor, Hugh Douglas Stier, and Lynn Lemuel Stratton.7a<\/a> \u00a0From there Campbell went the next day to \u201cthe 81st<\/sup> Squadron at Scampton two miles further out in the country, making total of about five or six miles from Lincoln. The 81st is evidently a Pool Squadron, the same as the 45th.\u201d7b<\/a>\u00a0 He was soon joined by another second Oxford cadet, William Wyman Mathews, with whom he roomed. \u00a0There they met Andrew Ortmayer, who had learned to fly in the States and was now serving as an instructor on Avros and, informally, as an advocate generally for the American cadets. \u00a0There was more ground work to be done, and there were tests to be passed, but finally, on January 11, 1918, \u201chad my first flight in an Avro and am very pleased with it.\u201d \u00a0Four days later Campbell\u2019s instructor sent him off solo.\u00a0 William Thomas Clements, also at Scampton, but with No. 33 H.D. Squadron, wrote in his diary on January 17, 1918: \u201cCamel [sic<\/em>] was on his third solo and looped several times.\u201d\u00a0 On January 25, 1918, Campbell made his first flight in a Sopwith Pup.\u00a0 \u00a0The next day he wrote in his diary \u201cI graduated in the R.F.C. today having done my last flip to complete my 25 hours.\u201d\u00a0 This entitled him to four days graduation leave, but Campbell did not take them immediately, waiting instead until Wednesday, January 30, 1918, when he \u201cFelt rather good this noon as I finished my 20 hours solo, making 2 on Rumpetys, 14 on Avros and 4 on Pups. Graduated as far as R.F.C. is concerned about Monday.\u201d\u00a0 And with twenty hours solo he presumably also qualified as far as the American Air Service was concerned for his commission.7c<\/a>\u00a0 He began his graduation leave that afternoon, setting out for Nottingham en route to the village of Bewdley, near Birmingham, where many members of his mother\u2019s family lived.<\/p>\n

\"Three
Lieutenant Campbell with his pilot’s wings. The photo is undated, but it seems likely it was taken in early March, shortly after he received his commission, perhaps in Ayr (I have not been able to identify the partially visible studio mark). I am grateful to Campbell’s great nephew, David Campbell, for permission to reproduce this photo, which was handed down in his family.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Back at Scampton, on February 12, 1918, \u201chad my first flip on a Camel this morning, but cannot say I am in love with the machine as yet\u201d; he quickly learned about the torque of the machine\u2019s rotary engine.\u00a0 He remarked on the 17th<\/sup> that \u201cI am just beginning to learn how to do S.A. turns which is quite a job when it comes to a right one.\u201d \u00a0(A \u201csplit-arse turn\u201d was a very tight turn.) \u00a0The next day he received orders to proceed with Ortmayer and second Oxford detachment member Henry Bradley Frost to Turnberry in Scotland. \u00a0There he ran into a number of men he knew, but only Elliott White Springs and Hamilton from the second Oxford detachment. \u00a0From Turnberry Campbell went to Ayr on March 2, 1918, along with Frost and Ortmayer, as well as Reed Gresham Landis from the first Oxford detachment. He was astonished the next evening when he learned that he had received his commission and was, along with Frost, sworn in. 8<\/a><\/p>\n

Campbell trained at Ayr through March 14, 1918, during a period when there were several fatal training crashes. \u00a0His friend Andy Ortmayer crashed on March 7, 1918, and died the next day. \u00a0\u201cThat was a blow to us all, as we loved and respected Andy more than words can tell.\u201d \u00a0Nevertheless, Campbell went on to write that \u201cI have come to the conclusion that I will not let these things prevent me from flying. I am determined to fly that Camel in spite of Hell.\u201d9<\/a>\u00a0 After the double funeral on March 12, 1918, for Ortmayer and Harry Glenn Velie (killed March 8, 1918, flying a Camel10<\/a>), Campbell and his friend Joseph Ralph Sandford from the second Oxford detachment went out flying; Campbell was initially in an Avro, then in a \u201chedge hopping formation in a Camel. I felt much more at home in a Camel even tho\u2019 it has a bad reputation.\u201d \u00a0Two days later, after some initial and to his mind inadequate instruction in aerial fighting, Campbell found that he, Sandford, and Hamilton from the second Oxford detachment, along with George Clarke Whiting and Errol Henry Zistel of the first, and Gustav Herman Kissel were to proceed overseas: \u00a0\u201cI did not like the idea on account of not finishing the course.\u201d11<\/a>\u00a0 When Campbell reported to the R.F.C. in London on March 15,1918, Major General Charles Alexander Holcombe Longcroft, at that time overseeing the R.F.C.\u2019s training division, \u201cgave us a talk, on account of our being the first Americans attached to R.F.C. to go overseas.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/a>France and No. 54 Squadron R.A.F.<\/a><\/h6>\n

On March 19, 1918, after a couple of days at the pilots pool at Candas, Campbell arrived at No. 54 Squadron R.A.F., which was flying out of Flez aerodrome near Guizancourt, about twelve miles west of St. Quentin. He was glad to find that Sandford, who had been posted directly without having to kick up his heels at a pilots pool, was also at 54.<\/p>\n

Campbell and Sandford had arrived just in time to experience the start of the Germans\u2019 spring offensive on March 21, 1918. \u00a0As new arrivals, they did not participate in patrols, but the frequent need to change aerodromes as the Germans advanced ensured that they became acquainted with the terrain and got flying experience. \u00a0They moved initially to Champien, then Bertangles, then to Conteville-en-Ternois\u2014where, to Campbell’s chagrin, late in the afternoon of April 4, 1918, he damaged a new Camel (D1783). Clouds having lifted, \u201cthe Major sent several of us up on show flips. I was in a Clerget which was a wonderful engine. I throttled it down to about 1050 to 1100 and S.A.\u2019d around the drome without any trouble at all. But when I landed, \u2018oh, horrors,\u2019 I got down O.K. but was headed for a shell hole. I tried to turn which wrenched the under-carriage and over on my back. It was my first crash so have felt pretty bad over it ever since. The Major did not like it either.\u201d11a<\/a>\u00a0 Three days later, as the squadron moved yet again, this time to Chairmarais South near St. Omer, he had the misfortune to hit telegraph wires while landing at the new aerodrome in another new Camel (D6527): \u201cBelieve me, I was sure mad and peeved, but mostly chagrined, even tho\u2019 it was really not my fault for going over. It was certainly tough luck.\u201d11b<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Fairly
Campbell in a Sopwith Camel in an undated photo, courtesy of David Campbell.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On April 12, 1918, Campbell wrote in his diary: \u00a0\u201cI went over the lines for the first time today at 8:00 A.M. \u00a0Went on a high offensive patrol at 8\u201310,000 feet. \u00a0We got archied like hell. The first I noticed was a big barrage directly in front of us, something like a formation of about 50 machines. \u00a0Then they burst all around us so that we had to beat it out of the neighborhood. \u00a0We were separated. \u00a0I for one going my own direction, followed by two other machines. \u00a0Only nine got back over Foret Nieppe. \u00a0Sandy was missing so all I can see is that he was brought down by Archie or else got lost in Hunland or France.\u201d Campbell went on two more patrols that day, including one in which he dropped two bombs and came back with \u201c20 holes in my outfit.\u201d \u00a0On the April 17, 1918, he went out on an early morning patrol, flying Camel B2432; it was very misty, and he got separated from his formation.\u00a0 He eventually ended up well west of the lines: \u201cI finally landed to find out where I was, and believe me, I sure was. I was right near Neufchatel and a good many miles from home. A civilian and a French aviator started me up and I got away O.K. But the worst came when my engine began to vibrate horribly and cut out. I landed all right but turned over in a ditch at Faviers [sic] just to the north of Le Crotoy about 2 miles. Hired a man to drive me to No. 6 Sq. which was in Crotoy. Capt. Duff wired my squadron and detailed some men to get my crash. We hauled it in this afternoon but that gang sure made a mess of the machine.\u201d\u00a0 Campbell and his damaged plane did not get back to 54 until April 20, 1918: \u00a0\u201cI found that I had been posted \u2018missing\u2019 and my kit was inventoried, but am glad to say I am not missin\u2019.\u201d12<\/a><\/p>\n

Once back at 54, Campbell participated in the unsuccessful effort to prevent the Germans from taking Kemmel Ridge. \u00a0Soon thereafter the squadron learned they were \u201cbeing sent on our much needed vacation. We will be with H.Q. and at the town of Caffiers.\u201d13<\/a>\u00a0 May was spent playing baseball, dining and dating at Calais, and flying low over French beaches.<\/p>\n

On June 1, 1918, vacation was over and the squadron was again stationed near St. Omer: \u00a0\u201cWork started in earnest today as we got orders for a line patrol from Ypres to Bailleul\u2014dawn to dusk, with three machines. \u00a0I was on the 3:30\u20135:15 patrol.\u201d \u00a0Campbell was put out that the squadron was soon ordered to move again. \u00a0On June 11, 1918, they relocated to Vignacourt and were back in the vicinity of Amiens and Bertangles. \u00a0While there Campbell was able to visit No. 3 Squadron R.A.F. at nearby Valheureux and see Hamilton and William Dolley Tipton (the latter was from the first Oxford detachment). \u00a0The next day, June 16, 1918, No. 54 Squadron moved yet again, again back to the vicinity of St. Omer, to the aerodrome at Boisdingham. No. 20 Squadron R.A.F. was also there, and Campbell encountered Sweeney and Zellers.<\/p>\n

<\/a>With the 17th Aero Squadron at Petite Synthe<\/a><\/h6>\n

Campbell\u2019s transfer out of 54 to an American squadron, which had been mooted since May 24, 1918, was confirmed soon after the move to Boisdingham. \u00a0On June 20, 1918 he reported to the 17th<\/sup> Aero Squadron. \u201cI hated to leave old 54 Sq. because I got so I tho\u2019t I belonged to it entirely. \u00a0I forgot I wore a different uniform. \u00a0I liked the boys real well and I hope they did not hate me too much. \u00a0Left after lunch and arrived at the 17th<\/sup> near Dunkerque, Petite Synthe Drome about 4 o\u2019clock.\u201d \u00a0Frost was already at the 17th<\/sup>; they were soon joined by other members of the second Oxford detachment who had come in from R.A.F. squadrons: \u00a0Armstrong, Desson, Dixon, Goodnow, Hamilton, and Lawton. \u00a0The 17th<\/sup> flew Camels and, along with the 148th<\/sup>, was American in personnel, but stationed on the British Front and under the tactical command of the R.A.F.<\/p>\n

The first days were spent getting their equipment pulled together. \u00a0The day after his arrival, Campbell and six others went over to Marquise to pick up planes and fly them back, which they did without mishap; they returned in the afternoon, but bad weather forced them to overnight in Boulogne and come back by land the next day.14<\/a>\u00a0 By June 24, 1918,\u00a0the men had been assigned to flights; Campbell was in A flight and deputy to flight commander Goodnow.15<\/a>\u00a0 On the 30th<\/sup> Campbell wrote: \u00a0\u201cOutside of lots of engine trouble and pressure pumps plus broken pipe lines, our busses in A are alright.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. \u00a0During the week we have had a little formation work and some on the target, but it is no small job to get a squadron organized.\u201d \u00a0Soon, however, they were flying regular dawn and dusk line patrols and, against regulations, crossing the lines; they had a confused encounter with German planes on July 7, 1918; a Fokker had Campbell briefly in his sights before being chased off by others from the 17th<\/sup>.16<\/a><\/p>\n

Ten days later, Campbell began two weeks leave, which he spent in England visiting friends in Spalding and relatives in Bewdley and Erdington; he also took the opportunity to check in with his friend from training squadron days, Ronald John James Smith, who was at Hillington Hall in Norfolk recovering from an injury.<\/p>\n

Campbell returned to France at the beginning of August; he wrote to a friend back home: \u00a0\u201cThe night I arrived back in France they bombed the place where I stayed, Boulogne, and dropped a pill close enough to the hotel where I was staying to close the windows (swing type) of my room.\u201d17<\/a>\u00a0 But he arrived safely back at Petite Synthe late in the morning of August 2, 1918. \u00a0The next day he went out on an early morning offensive patrol. \u00a0His flight encountered Fokkers near Roulers, and, when one tried to dive on him and Goodnow, Campbell, flying Camel C1627, downed his first enemy plane.18<\/a>\u00a0 Bad weather curtailed patrols the next few days, but on the 7th, Campbell, in Camel D1941 on an offensive patrol over Armenti\u00e8res, shot down two Fokker DVIIs.19<\/a><\/p>\n

\"A
Campbell’s combat report for his two victories on August 7, 1918, from Clapp’s A History of the 17th Aero Squadron (1918) in Gorrell.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On August 11, 1918: \u00a0\u201cI went on my first bombing escort or rather cooperation this morning. \u00a0I led the upper group of 3. \u00a0We escorted 211 Sq. We went out to sea several miles to escape Archie, then came in over Holland and just this side of the wash and attacked Bruges from the east. We circled around the south of the city while the bombers went over the docks and dropped their pills. \u00a0We only saw two or three Huns who were a little shy (I don\u2019t blame them), as there were about 25 or 30 of us.\u201d \u00a0In the afternoon, he went out on an offensive patrol and that evening went to bed hoping for a good night\u2019s sleep before the planned raid on Varsenare\u2014which, however, was postponed because of poor weather: \u00a0\u201cAm rather disappointed as we wanted to get the thing over.\u201d20<\/a><\/p>\n

The raid came off on August 13, 1918. On that day, the 17th<\/sup>, along with several R.A.F. squadrons, targeted the German aerodrome at Varsenare. \u00a0\u201cI dropped my pills on the Fokker hangars, then shot up the machines and also the Chateau which was the object of much interest, as it was understood that the Hun C.O lived there. \u00a0Forty Camels can surely play havoc with an airdrome.\u201d Everyone returned safely and received warm congratulations.21<\/a>\u00a0 The men of the 17th<\/sup> were given the rest of the day off: \u00a0\u201cWent down to Calais for the afternoon to get away from camp and flying in general. \u00a0A person feels rather relieved to get away and know that there is nothing else to be done during the day. \u00a0I met Bill Mathews and we had a good afternoon together as is always the case when we get together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A
An undated photo of Campbell in flying clothes, courtesy of David Campbell. A similar photo accompanied the article \u201cMurton Campbell\u2019s Last Letters Home,\u201d published in the November 1918 issue of The Ohio State University Monthly.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The next morning, Campbell \u201cwent on the bombing escort\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. at 10:30 and believe me we had a time too. \u00a0Went overland and came in on Bruges from the S.W. \u00a0Just before we got there the Huns jumped in upon us.\u201d \u00a0During the dogfight that followed, Campbell, again in Camel D1941, scored his fourth victory just before his guns jammed.22<\/a>\u00a0 As he tried to remedy the problem, enemy planes started firing at him, and he headed west, twisting and turning and losing height to shake them off. \u00a0\u201cMaybe I didn\u2019t sweat blood those 20 odd minutes coming out of Hell. \u00a0I expect the Fokkers tho\u2019t I was going to crash when I got down to the ground but nothing like that in my family. \u00a0I might have been scared but not sufficient to make me crash. \u00a0The reprobates left me at the lines, being too poor sports to come over.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next evening (August 15, 1918), the 17th<\/sup> received word that it was to relocate the next morning, \u201cbut there was nothing doing, as we went on a 10:30 bombing raid over Bruges. \u00a0Although there were a couple of Huns up overhead they did not attack, one of them being a\u00a0monoplane, the Huns\u2019 latest outfit.\u201d23<\/a>\u00a0 However, on August 17, 1918, the pilots got up at 4 a.m. and began the move south to Auxi-le-Ch\u00e2teau. \u00a0No. 54 Squadron had in the meantime been reassigned to Fienvillers, not far from Auxi, and on August 19, 1918, Campbell was able to visit men at his old R.A.F. squadron.<\/p>\n

<\/a>With the 17th Aero at Auxi-le-Ch\u00e2teau<\/a><\/h6>\n

On the 20th<\/sup> Campbell wrote that \u201cwe have been informed that the push is coming off tomorrow so we can be prepared for it.\u201d \u00a0The \u201cpush\u201d was the effort to recapture Bapaume. \u00a0The 17th<\/sup> was to escort R.A.F. bombers and, soon after their arrival at Auxi, to do low bombing and strafing themselves, as opposed to the high altitude patrols, which, with the exception of the raid on Varsenare, had been their fare at Petite Synthe.<\/p>\n

Campbell again flew D1941 as part of a cooperative offensive patrol escorting R.E.8s the morning of August 21, 1918, and came close to claiming his fifth Fokker over Cambrai: \u00a0\u201cI got a Hun out of control but do not expect confirmation. The push has been a success so far according to reports and appearances.\u201d24<\/a>\u00a0 He went out on another offensive patrol in the afternoon, and on the 22nd<\/sup> \u201cescorted the R.E.8s again this morning and met the Huns as usual.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next day, August 23, 1918, Campbell participated in the 17th<\/sup>\u2019s first strafing sortie. Squadron historian Clapp describes the reason for the new tactic:<\/p>\n

It was the nature of the fighting on the ground, while the Hun was going back, that worked so complete a change in our operations. The Air Force of the enemy was largely concentrated in the vicinity of Cambrai, but the congestion on the roads behind his lines gave us an opportunity of doing greater damage to his morale and material by attacks on moving infantry and transport, than we could ever have accomplished by devoting all our attention to his scouts. The latter, for the most part, flew in very large flocks and, except for sallies from time to time against small detached flights of Allied machines, they waged a defensive offensive. It was but natural, however, that they should make low-bombing and machine gun attacks on ground targets hazardous in the extreme.25<\/a><\/p>\n

The raid in which Campbell participated with other A flight members Goodnow, Floyd Morrison Showalter, and George Thomas Wise was the first of five on August 23, 1918, and the only one of that day whose report Clapp failed to include in his history. \u00a0Reed and Roland, in Camel Drivers<\/i>, however, provide a description. \u00a0The flight of four planes left at 11:30 a.m.; they initially targeted an ammunition dump near Combles, about six miles due south of Bapaume. \u00a0Then they turned north and targeted transport on the road between Albert and Bapaume near Warlencourt. \u00a0And it was near Warlencourt that Campbell, flying Camel D1941, was shot down, perhaps by ground fire, but probably by an enemy Fokker.26<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a>Epilogue<\/a><\/h6>\n

Henry Robinson Clay, Jr., of the first Oxford detachment, who had been sent to France at the same time as Campbell, and was now with the 148th<\/sup> Aero, wrote in a letter to his parents on August 27, 1918, that \u201cI lost one of my best friends of the [17th<\/sup>] squadron on a ground strafing stunt, Campbell was his name. \u00a0He was one of the six who came out [to France] with me and a darn good friend of mine.\u201d27<\/a><\/p>\n

\"A
From Campbell’s World War One Burial File at NARA’s National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On September 4, 1918, a note was sent from the commander of III Brigade R.A.F.\u2014to which the 17th<\/sup> was assigned\u2014to the Third Army\u2019s graves registration committee reporting that a Lt. C. L. Miles of the Royal Field Artillery had found Campbell\u2019s grave, and requesting that the grave be registered.28<\/a><\/p>\n

Clay wrote to his brother that \u201cthe other day some one found a grave of one of my best friends marked by a bottle with the envelope of a letter inside it\u2014the bottle stuck in the ground. He came down a couple of miles behind the Hun lines and as they had time to put him away they did.\u201d29<\/a><\/p>\n

According to Clapp, he and other members of the 17th Aero sought out the grave and found that Campbell \u201chad landed, upside down, in that broad belt of shell-torn country where there is not a yard not shattered by heavy explosive. \u00a0His grave was a low soft mound beside his crashed machine.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. \u00a0We made a cross of a broken four-bladed \u2018prop\u2019 of fine mahogany that we got from salvage, and engraved a nameplate on a copper disk. \u00a0We took it up past wrecked villages and then more wrecked villages, into the old No Man’s Land of some of the fiercest battles of the war. \u00a0At the head of his grave without ceremony we set it up.\u201d30<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Detail
Detail from a 1918 map (Great Britain, War Office, Geographical Section, General Staff, [Combles Region (Somme) : Somme Battlefield 1918]: [Belgium & France]) with \u201cX\u201d marking the approximate location of Campbell\u2019s grave, reported as at \u201c57C. S.W. 1\/20,000 M.9.b.5.2.\u201d The detail includes grid square \u201c9\u201d within grid square \u201cM.\u201d The \u201cX\u201d is at reference point \u201c5\u201d (out of 10) horizontally and reference point \u201c2\u201d vertically within quadrant \u201cb\u201d of square \u201c9.\u201d For a larger version of the map, see here<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>On June 11, 1919, Campbell\u2019s body was disinterred from its isolated grave and reburied in a British military hospital cemetery on the grounds of the Centre Hospitalier Philippe Pinel, an asylum whose buildings had been used by British medical units; the asylum was located near the west side of the road leading south southwest from Amiens to Dury (Somme).31<\/a>\u00a0 After the war, Campbell\u2019s family had his body brought home, and he was given a final resting place in a cemetery in Wakeman in 1921.32<\/a>The Royal Air Force awarded Campbell the Distinguished Flying Cross. \u00a0I have not been able to determine the date of the award, but news of it was circulating by September 14, 1918.33<\/a>\u00a0 The citation reads:<\/p>\n

1st<\/sup> Lieut. Merton [sic<\/i>] Llewellyn Campbell. On 13-8-18, Lieut. Campbell took part in an operation against Varssenaere aerodrome. He dropped 4 bombs from 200 feet on to some aeroplane hangars, which were afterwards observed to burst into flames. He then made several circuits of the aerodrome machine gunning huts, billets, E.A. on the ground and also the Headquarters of the aerodrome Staff, which was situated in the Chateau. On his way home, 20 miles over enemy country, he machine gunned, from ground level, several A. A. batteries. In addition this officer destroyed 2 E. A. on 7-8-18. These E. A. were observed to crash by other pilots, and Lieut. Campbell followed his 2nd<\/sup> victim down to 100 feet, although many miles the enemy\u2019s side of the lines. On 3-8-18, he also destroyed 1 enemy machine. His dash and pluck are a splendid example to the rest of his\u00a0squadron.34<\/a><\/p>\n

The United States awarded him the Silver Star; the citation reads in part \u201cFirst Lieutenant Campbell distinguished himself by gallantry in action while serving with the American Expeditionary Forces, in action near Varssenaere, Belgium, 13 August 1918, while on a patrol.\u201d35<\/a><\/p>\n

mrsmcq June 12, 2017; November 10, 2017<\/em><\/span>36<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Notes<\/h3>\n

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

\n

1<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Campbell\u2019s place and date of birth are taken from Ancestry.com, U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918<\/i>, record for Murton Llewellyn Campbell. \u00a0The photo is a detail from a group photo of Squadron 8<\/a> at the Ohio State University School of Military Aeronautics.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

2<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Information on his family is based on documents available at Ancestry.com.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

3<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0See his draft registration cited above and \u201cGround School Graduations [for September 1, 1917].\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

4<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0The whereabouts of Campbell\u2019s original diary is currently unknown, but it was published in installments over the summer of 1930 in The Norwalk Reflector-Herald<\/i>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

5<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 Murton Campbell, Diary, November 2, 1917.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

6<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 Murton Campbell, Diary, November 3, 1917. \u00a0Further quotations from his diary will be footnoted only when the date would otherwise not be evident. \u00a0The account of Campbell\u2019s activities during his training and active duty periods are based on his diary; his R.A.F. service record provides very little information.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

7<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 Murton Campbell, Diary, November 19, 1917.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

7a<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 Murton Campbell, diary, December 28, 1917.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

7b<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 Murton Campbell, Diary, December 29, 1917.\u00a0 This was actually No. 81 Squadron, which was formed as a training unit and continued to serve as a training squadron rather than an operational squadron during World War I.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

7c<\/strong><\/a> See here<\/a> for R.F.C. graduation requirements.\u00a0 I have not found a document spelling out what was required of second Oxford detachment men to qualify for their commissions, but several of them indicated that they needed to have flown twenty hours solo.\u00a0 See, for example, Hooper,\u00a0Somewhere in France<\/em>, letters of December 28, 1917, January 31 and February 14, 1918; Milnor, diary entry for January 16, 1918; Deetjen, diary entry for February 14, 1918; see also, however, Clements, diary entry for March 9, 1918, when he had just over fourteen hours solo:\u00a0 \u201cgraduated by both R.F.C. qualifications and ours.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0In practice, the men often fulfilled the twenty hours solo requirement at about the same time that they fullfilled the R.F.C. graduation requirements.\u00a0 While the consequences of R.F.C. graduation were immediate (graduation leave and then commencement of the next stage of training), commissions were often long delayed, presumably in part due to the logistics of distance (recommendations had to go from the squadron to London, to Pershing in France, to Washington and then back by the same route).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

8<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Pershing had recommended commissions for Campbell, Frost, Stier and Sweeney in a cable dated February 14, 1918 (602-S); the confirming cablegram was dated February 21, 1918 (821-R). \u00a0It was typical that some days should elapse before the men were informed and sworn in.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

9<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 Murton Campbell, Diary, March 9, 1918.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

10<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0See \u201cVelde [sic<\/i>; sc. Velie], H.G.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

11<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 Murton Campbell, Diary, March 14, 1918. \u00a0As it turned out, Zistel, whose commission had not come through, was replaced by Henry Robinson Clay (Campbell, Diary, March 15, 1918).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

11a<\/strong><\/a> Murton Campbell, Diary, April 4, 1918; and see Sturtivant and Page, The Camel File<\/em>, entry for D1783 (p. 112).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

11b<\/strong><\/a> Murton Campbell, Diary, April 7, 1918, and entry for D6527 on p. 129 of Sturtivant and Page, The Camel File<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

12<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0See Campbell\u2019s diary entries for April 17 \u2013 20, 1918, as well as the casualty book entry transcribed at Pentland\u2019s Royal Flying Corps<\/i> site (entry for Campbell in the \u201cSurnames C-F\u201d spreadsheet).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

13<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 Murton Campbell, Diary, undated entry between April 25 and April 29, 1918.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

14<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 Murton Campbell, diary entry for June 21, 1918.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

15<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Reed and Roland, Camel Drivers<\/i>, p. 30.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

16<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0See Campbell\u2019s diary entry for July 7, 1918, and Reed and Roland, Camel Drivers<\/i>, pp. 35-36.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

17<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u201cMurton Campbell\u2019s Last Letters Home,\u201d p. 15.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

18<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0Murton Campbell, Diary, August 3, 1918; see his combat report on pp. 58-59 of Clapp, A History of the 17th<\/sup> Squadron<\/i>.\u00a0\u00a0For his plane number, see Sturtivant and Page, The Camel File<\/em>, entry for C1627, where the downed enemy aircraft is described as a Fokker DrI. Campbell\u2019s combat report reports a \u201cFokker biplane.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

19<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0See Campbell\u2019s combat report in Clapp, A History of the 17th<\/sup> Aero Squadron<\/i>, pp. 60-61.\u00a0\u00a0Sturtivant and Page, The Camel File<\/em>, entry for D1941 (p. 118) identify Campbell\u2019s plane and the type of plane flown by his opponents; Campbell\u2019s combat report lists \u201c2 Fokker biplanes destroyed.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

20<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 Murton Campbell, Diary, August 12, 1918.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

21<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0See Reed and Roland, Camel Drivers<\/i>, Chapter 5, on the Varsenare raid.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

22<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0See Clapp, A History of the 17th<\/sup> Squadron<\/i>, p. 64, for Campbell\u2019s combat report.\u00a0\u00a0 Sturtivant and Page, The Camel File<\/em>, entry for D1941 (p. 118) identify his plane and indicate that the enemy plane was a DVII.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

23<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 Murton Campbell, Diary, August 16, 1918.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

24<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 Murton Campbell, Diary, August 21, 1918; see his combat report on p. 68 of Clapp, A History of the 17th<\/sup> Squadron<\/i>.\u00a0\u00a0Sturtivant and Page, The Camel File<\/em>, entry for D1941 (p. 118), identify Campbell\u2019s plane, noting \u201cFokker DVII D[riven] D[own] Cambrai.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

25<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Clapp, A History of the 17th<\/sup> Squadron<\/i>, p. 38.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

26<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0See Reed and Roland, Camel Drivers<\/i>, p. 70, as well as the entry in Henshaw, The Sky Their Battlefield II<\/i>. Henshaw notes that there was a possible Camel claim in the relevant area by Carl-August von Schoenebeck.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

27<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Skelton and Williams, Lt. Henry R. Clay<\/i>, p. 111.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

28<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Campbell, World War One Burial File; the location given is \u201c57C SW 1\/20,000\u2013M.9.b.5.2.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

29<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Skelton and Williams, Lt. Henry R. Clay<\/i>, p. 120.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

30<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Clapp, A History of the 17th<\/sup> Squadron<\/i>, p. 39.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

31<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Campbell, World War One Burial File. See Reed and Roland, Camel Drivers<\/i>, p. 71, for a photo of the grave marker and the card sent by the American Red Cross to Campbell\u2019s family. \u00a0Most of the other graves from this cemetery were relocated in the 1920s to the Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

32<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u201cExpect Aviator\u2019s Body.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

33<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Ford, Bert, \u201cFive U.S. Airmen are Decorated.\u201d And see Siebert, In the Camps and at the Front<\/i>, p. 265, which suggests the award was announced on September 11, 1918.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

34<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u201cList of Honors and Awards, No. 1, Air Service, American E. F.,\u201d pp. 7\u20138.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

35<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u201cMerton [sic<\/i>] L. Campbell.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

36<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 Updated mainly to reflect information on planes numbers taken from Sturtivant and Page,\u00a0The Camel File<\/em>, with some additions from Campbell’s diary related to incidents on April 4, 7, and 17, 1918.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Toledo, Ohio, August 31, 1893 \u2013 near Warlencourt, France, August 23, 1918) 1 Oxford, Grantham, Doncaster\u00a0\u272f\u00a0 Scampton, Turnberry, Ayr \u00a0\u272f\u00a0 France, No. 54 Squadron R.A.F.\u00a0 \u272f\u00a0 17th Aero, Petite Synthe \u00a0\u00a0\u272f\u00a0 17th Aero, Auxi-le-Ch\u00e2teau\u00a0 \u272f\u00a0 Epilogue Campbell\u2019s first name is frequently spelled \u201cMerton,\u201d but early reliable sources (including his draft registration with his signature) spell … Continue reading “Murton Llewellyn Campbell”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1585,"parent":30,"menu_order":18,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-811","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/811","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=811"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/811\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8950,"href":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/811\/revisions\/8950"}],"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\/1585"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=811"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}