Lot Essay
INDENTLieutenant Vernon Frederick Atride Galvayne, joined the Royal Naval Air Service in 1916, qualified as a pilot and served in France before being posted to Dover where he is reported to have flown in no less than 19 different types of aircraft. He was transferred to Felixstowe Air Station and was employed on patrols and many long distance reconnaissances over the North Sea; he met his death 4 June 1918, when as co-pilot of one of five 'Felixstowe' Seaplanes patrolling off Terschelling they attacked some German Flying Boats. The British force was in turn attacked by a vastly superior enemy force. Galvayne handed over the controls to the senior pilot, leant over the cockpit to give directions as to the disposition of the enemy and was hit in the head by an explosive bullet - his body was returned to Yarmouth and was taken to Birkenhead for burial
A report in the Sunday Chronicle of 23 June 1918 records "... the following thrilling report to the U.S.N. headquarters of how a British seaplane with an American gunner outfought seven German 'planes.' "Fifteen minutes later we sighted five German planes steering west which would bring them upon us. Lieut. G. was seated near the wheel. His duty was to kneel with eyes above the cowl, and direct the pilot. I was in the front cockpit, with one gun and four hundred rounds of ammunition. In the stern cockpit the engineer and wireless rating were to handle three guns. The enemy machines, when almost within range, turned and ran away from us. At once we gave chase, but soon found out that they were too fast. Suddenly we discovered that a large number of hostile planes were steering towards us, not in the air with the four planes, but very close to the water. Ten machines were in this group, but they were joined in a few minutes by five more. The scouts were painted black, the two-seaters green, and seemed very hard to pick up. We swung into battle formation and aimed for the middle of the fleet. When we were nearly within range, four planes on the port side and five on the starboard side rose to our level. Two planes passed directly beneath us, shooting upwards. Firing was incessant from the beginning, and the air seemed blue with tracer smoke. The Germans used explosive bullets. Once I looked around and noticed that Lt. G. was in a stooping position, with his head and one arm on his seat... All this I noticed in the fraction of a second, for I had to continue firing. A few minutes later I turned around once more and found with a shock, that Lt. G. was in the same position. It was then that the truth dawned on me." (The Great Seaplane Battle - Medal News, May 1987 refers)
A report in the Sunday Chronicle of 23 June 1918 records "... the following thrilling report to the U.S.N. headquarters of how a British seaplane with an American gunner outfought seven German 'planes.' "Fifteen minutes later we sighted five German planes steering west which would bring them upon us. Lieut. G. was seated near the wheel. His duty was to kneel with eyes above the cowl, and direct the pilot. I was in the front cockpit, with one gun and four hundred rounds of ammunition. In the stern cockpit the engineer and wireless rating were to handle three guns. The enemy machines, when almost within range, turned and ran away from us. At once we gave chase, but soon found out that they were too fast. Suddenly we discovered that a large number of hostile planes were steering towards us, not in the air with the four planes, but very close to the water. Ten machines were in this group, but they were joined in a few minutes by five more. The scouts were painted black, the two-seaters green, and seemed very hard to pick up. We swung into battle formation and aimed for the middle of the fleet. When we were nearly within range, four planes on the port side and five on the starboard side rose to our level. Two planes passed directly beneath us, shooting upwards. Firing was incessant from the beginning, and the air seemed blue with tracer smoke. The Germans used explosive bullets. Once I looked around and noticed that Lt. G. was in a stooping position, with his head and one arm on his seat... All this I noticed in the fraction of a second, for I had to continue firing. A few minutes later I turned around once more and found with a shock, that Lt. G. was in the same position. It was then that the truth dawned on me." (The Great Seaplane Battle - Medal News, May 1987 refers)