Hello Everybody, What a wonderful site! I stumbled on this while trying to find out about my GREAT uncle, an RFC 2nd Lt. who crashed over England January 14, 1918 at the age of 21. I have just found him on the CWGC site, and also just got his medal card. No one in our family really knew much at all since his closest relative (my grandmother) died in 1957 before I was born. Any advice and help from any of you would be MOST appreciated. I live in California. He is buried in St. Mary's Churchyard, Chilton Foliat, grave B. 49. The WWI memorial there evidently has no names recorded. I would like to find the specifics of his crash. Is this possible? I hope to have his name SOMEWHERE memorialized... and that he was an American flying with the British. I was told by my uncle that the plane was "sabotaged" (wires/struts filed through). I have sent a written request to the Royal Air Force Museum in Hendon for a "crash card". My great uncle is LYMAN HOLDEN CUNNINGHAM, an American born in NYC in 1897, perhaps signed up via Canada (his medal card says "From Canada"), and died under UK nationality flying with the British.
I have read Amy's offer of research help... Amy, is that offer still open? Best Wishes, Lois
My wife and I helped our son, Scott, move into his dorm at Yale University this past weekend. While there, we toured the campus. One of the buildings we toured (Woolsey Hall) honors Yale alumni that perished in all the wars from the American Revolution through the Vietnam War. There are hundreds of names engraved on limestone tablets that adorn the walls of Woolsey Hall. One of those tablets bears the name of your great uncle. I was taken with the number of names of the fallen that never got to fulfill their mission at Yale University - they gave their all before having the opportunity to graduate. I was saddened by that and thought that I owed them all the courtesy of remembering at least one name, and the date of his ultimate sacrifice, from the hundreds of inscriptions. Your great uncle's was the name I chose to commit to memory. Although I can't help you with the specifics of his crash, I hope that your knowing that his name is memorialized on one of the finest college campuses in the world will be of some comfort to you. If my memory serves me well, his inscription reads as follows: LYMAN HOLDEN CUNNINGHAM ~ CLASS OF 1919 ~JANUARY 13, 1918 OVER THE SALISBURY PLAIN. If you like, I'll ask my son if he can get a digital image of the inscription. If so, I'll email it to you. Hope this helps.
I feel so touched by your ancestors sacrifice for the freedom of my country that, should you wish it, I would be more than willing to visit the Church, take a photograph of his grave and pay my respects on your behalf.
