Lieut McNamara Winning the VC : 20th March 1917, in the course of a bombing raid in the Wadi Hesi (10 miles ENE of Gaza, Palestine)

image: A BE2C biplane of the Royal Flying Corps in flight close to the ground, appearing to have just taken off. A man stands on the wing of the plane close to the cockpit, suggesting the plane has taken off in a hurry. To the right are Turkish troops on horseback, attempting to catch up with the plane. In the distance a plume of smoke drifts skywards from the wreck of another plane at the edge of the valley, with the high ground of Wadi Hesi rising up behind.

This incident occurred on 20 March 1917 at Wadi Hesi in Palestine and resulted in Lieutenant Frank McNamara being awarded the Victoria Cross. Despite being wounded, McNamara flew to the assistance of another pilot, who had been forced to land behind enemy lines during an aerial bomb attack, with hostile cavalry approaching. After landing, McNamara took the other pilot on board but lost control of the plane, which turned over. The two men succeeded in extricating themselves, set fire to the plane to prevent it going into enemy hands and managed to start the other, damaged plane. McNamara then flew the machine the 70 miles back to the aerodrome, despite being weak from loss of blood. He was awarded the VC for his actions and later rose to the rank of Air Vice Marshal in the Royal Australian Air Force.

Imperial War Museum, RAF Section

Note: This artwork was relocated in August 1939 to a less vulnerable site outside London when the museum activated its evacuation plan.

STUART REID.