Captain Richard Henry Driffield Lee - Flight Commander RFC 1917

LEE RICHARD H.D…………………………………………………………………

Memorial in the church

To the glory of God and in loving memory of
RICHARD HENRY DRIFFIELD LEE
Captain in the VIth Battalion The Norfolk Regiment;
Flight Commander in the Royal Flying Corps
And of Woodton Rectory
Who was Killed while on Service testing a new design of aeroplane
At Mousehold, Norwich June 23rd 1917. Aged 29 years.

“He put duty before everything & laid down his life for his friends”

To whose memory, with others, the Vestry was built.

From the headstone in the churchyard
RICHARD HENRY DRIFFIELD LEE.
Captain in the Norf.Regt and Flight
Commander in the Royal Flying Corps.
Born April 21st 1888. Died June 23rd 1917.

Beloved and Honoured only sons of
The Revd Frederick Lee. Rector of Woodton
And Alice Louisa his wife

LEE, RICHARD HENRY DRIFFIELD
Rank:……………………………….Captain
Trade:……………………………..Flt. Comdr.
Date of Death:…………………23/06/1917
Age:…………………………………29
Regiment:………………………..Royal Flying Corps and 1st/6th Bn. Norfolk Regiment
Grave Reference:……………..South of Church.
Cemetery:
WOODTON (ALL SAINTS) CHURCHYARD
Additional Information:
Son of the Rev. Frederick and Alice Louisa Lee, of Woodton Rectory, Born at Great Bricett, Ipswich. Wounded in France in 1916. His brother Frederick Gordon Driffield also died in service.
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2802959/LEE,%20RICHAR...

The Medal Index Card for Captain Richard Henry Driffield Lee, Norfolk Regiment and Royal Flying Corps, is held at the National Archive under reference WO 372/12/46814
discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D3337802

Richard can be seen on Picture Norfolk here
norfolk.spydus.co.uk/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/FULL/OPAC/BIBENQ/...
The Picture title say 6th Battalion Norfolk Regiment but unless it’s a blemish on the picture it already looks like he is wearing his Pilots wings.

The accompanying notes read:-
Richard Henry Driffield Lee was born 1888 in Great Bricett, Suffolk the son of Revd Frederick and Alice Louisa Lee (nee Driffield) of Woodton Rectory, Norfolk. He was noted as killed on the 23rd June 1917. His unit was Royal Flying Corps and 6th Battalion, Norfolk Regiment

The birth of a Richard Henry D Lee was recorded in the Bosmere District of Suffolk in the April to June quarter of 1888. A Richard Henry Driffield Lee appears in the Suffolk Baptism Index for 1888.

Census

The 2 year old Richard H D, born Great Bricett, Suffolk, was recorded on the 1891 census at The Vicarage, Bricett, Bosmere, Suffolk. This was the household of his parents, Frederick, (aged 36 and a Clerk in Holy Orders from Birkenhead, Cheshire) and Alice L, (aged 33 and from Knowsley, Lancashire). As well as Richard, they also have a daughter, Alice P D, (aged 8 months and from Great Bricett).

They also have two live in servants.
The 12 year old Richard Henry Driffield Lee was recorded on the 1901 census as a boarder at an Educational establishment, St Johns Foundation School, Epsom Road, Leatherhead. This was a school dedicated to “Maintaining and educating free of charge for a period of years the sons of Poor Clergy of the Church of England.”

On the 1911 census Richard, aged 22 and an Insurance Clerk, was recorded living at Woodton Rectory, Norfolk. This was the household of his parents, Frederick, (aged 56 and a Clergyman, (Established Church), from Tranmere, Cheshire) and Alice Louisa, (aged 53 and from Lancashire). The couple have been married 24 years and have had 5 children, of which 4 were still alive. As well as Richard, there are also two live in servants.

Employment

Perhaps it not surprising that as an Insurance Clerk in Norfolk that Richard was actually an employee of Norwich Union – in fact the Fire Insurance part.

He remembered on the successor companys web-site.

He was first appointed to the company in 1908. He was an amateur photographer and all-round sportsman who was wicket keeper in the Norwich Union cricket team. He was also a keen motorist, took part in office dramatic society performances and installed a wireless at his father’s house, Woodton Rectory, near Bungay. According to his obituary in the staff magazine: "Up to the outbreak of war he was able to receive messages, although not to transmit them, but immediately hostilities commenced the government sent men to dismantle the installation, as was done in cases of private ownership throughout the country. It is rather pathetic to note that quite recently, after Lee has been dead for years, the Government have offered to re-install the apparatus. Although it is useless to him from a practical point of view, his father is accepting the proposal, as the installation will form a memorial to his dead son." A member of the territorials he was called up on the outbreak of war and served with his battalion, the Norfolk Regiment 1st/ 6th Cyclist Battalion, on coastal defence until 28 November 1915. By December 1915 he was enlisted in the Royal Flying Corps and was sent to France where he was wounded whilst flying in August 1916. A letter to the company from his father suggests that he may have been wounded having made a bad landing in fog or at night. He recovered and became a test pilot at Mousehold Norwich where he died when the new design of plane he was testing crashed. His father wrote: “My son’s death is our share of the sacrifice in the present need, but it is a very great one which we try to make as cheerfully as he made his.” The notice in the staff magazine on his death ended: “Lee was a real sport. May the earth rest lightly on him!” His older brother, Frederick Gurdon Driffield Lee, also died in the war.
www.aviva.com/about-us/heritage/world-war-one/roll-of-hon...

The War Office announcement of his injury was reprinted in the edition of Flight Magazine dated 24th August 1916.
www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1916/1916%20-%200719...

An obituary for Richard appeared in the edition of Flight Magazine dated 5th July 1917.

Captain RICHARD HENRY DRIFFIELD LEE, Norfolk Regiment and R.F.C. killed on special flying duty on June 23rd was the elder son of the Rev. Frederick and Mrs Lee of Woodton Rectory, near Bungay. He was educated at St John’s Foundation School, Leatherhead and later became one of the staff of the Norwich Union Fire Office. He received his commission in the Norfolk Regiment in 1912 and his (temporary) captaincy in 1915, and the same year he was seconded for service with the Royal Flying Corps an attached to a squadron at the front. Being wounded a few weeks afterwards he returned to England and subsequently became a test pilot for new machines. Early in the present year he was gazetted captain and a few weeks ago received a special appointment with the rank of flight-commander. Captain Lee’s only brother, also of the Norfolk Regiment, died in March last year from pneumonia contracted while on duty.
www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1917/1917%20-%200675...

His school has an on-line roll of honour. Richard date of birth is given as 21st April 1888. He attended St Johns from 1899 to 1906
stjohns-ww1.daisy.websds.net/Authenticated/ViewDets.aspx?...

From De Ruvignys Roll of Honour, (which also has a picture)

LEE, RICHARD HENRY DRIFFIELD. Capt. 6th (Territorial) Battn (Cyclists), The Norfolk Regt., and Flight Commander R.F.C., son of the Rev.Frederick Lee, Rector of Woodton, Bungay by his wife Alice Louisa, dau. , of Walter Wren Driffield, of Prescot, Lancs; and brother to Lieut. F.G.D Lee, (q,v); b near Ipswich, 21st April 1888;educ. St Johns Foundation School, Leatherhead;was engaged on the staff of the Norwich Union Fire Society;joined the Territorial Force in 1912;on the outbreak of war was called up for service;served with his battn., on coast defence until 28th Nov.1915;seconded for duty with the Royal Flying Corps in May 1916;served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders;was wounded 8 Aug., following;returned to England on sick leave;on his recovery becoming test Pilot for new machines; was promoted Capt.,in Feb 1917;in May he received a special appointment in charge of all machines and pilots at an Aircraft Acceptance Park and was killed at Norwich on the 23rd June 1917, while on special flying duty, testing an aeroplane of new design. Buried at Woodton, near Bungay. His Commanding Officer wrote:-“Whatever was requiredof him, I had the utmost confidence that he would do it thoroughly and well”. His Adjutant wrote:- “He was a great favourite as an officer who put his duty before everything. While testing pilots here – eight months – I might say that we have never had a complaint of any machine tested by him. His loss is not only a great loss to all of us here, but also to the service itself”. Unm.

Taken in: UK / England / South Norfolk District / Woodton (show map)

Taken on: October 5, 2014

Tags:

All Saints Woodton

Woodton

England

Dulce et decorum est

In memoria

Old Soldiers Rest in Peace

The Norfolk Dead

Richard Lee

Richard Henry Driffield Lee

1st/6th Battalion Norfolk Regiment

Royal Flying Corps

Aircraft Acceptance Park Mousehold Norwich

23rd June 1917

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Sets appears in: • In memoria • Dulce et Decorum Est..Pro Patria Mori more » • Woodton • Norfolk Air Crashes « less

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Camera:	Fujifilm FinePix S602 ZOOM
Aperture:	f/2.8
Exposure Time:	0.017 sec (1/60)
Focal Length:	9.7mm
ISO:	200
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Auto, Fired
Exposure Program:	Program AE
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Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
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Color Space:	sRGB
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