British Airmen - Hospital Farm Cemetery

Hospital Farm Cemetery, CWGC. Authors image

Hospital Farm Cemetery, CWGC, was the name given to a farm building used as a dressing station. There are two Royal Flying Corps men buried in Hospital Farm Cemetery, CWGC. It was traditionally called Hospitaalhoeve as the farm was once owned by the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta The cemetery was used particularly in 1915 and in 1917 by regiments and batteries engaged in the fighting around Ypres. The farm was completely destroyed during a bombardment on 17 June 1916, after which only the barn could still be used as an aid post. The cemetery contains 115 Commonwealth burials of the First World War and one Belgian war grave.

Lieutenant Lambert Playfair. Authors image

Lieutenant Lambert Playfair, 1st Squadron, Royal Flying Corps, attached 1st Battalion Royal Scots.  Killed in action 6 July 1915, age 21. Grave B.9. Son of Sir Harry and Lady Jessie Playfair, Gloucester Terrace, Hyde Park, London. They had previously lived  in Dalaguri, Letekujan P.O., Sibsagar, Upper Assam, India. After leaving Oakham School he went to Sandhurst in 1912 having won a Prize Cadetship and was gazetted to the 1st Battalion Royal Scots in January 1913. He transferred to the Royal Flying Corps as a Lieutenant and joined 1st Squadron. The squadron was based at St Omer. On 6 July Lambert was flying as an observer in an Avro 504 piloted by 2nd Lieutenant Oliver Filley on an observation patrol when at 11.40am they were attacked by two Aviatiks over St Julien at five thousand feet, they had earlier chased off two Aviatiks. Their aircraft was hit in the engine and Lambert was hit in the head and killed and Filley managed to crash land the

Air Mechanic Herbert George Eldridge. Authors image

aircraft near Hospital Farm.

3329 2nd Air Mechanic Herbert George Eldridge, 6th Squadron, Royal Flying Corps. Killed in action 16 June 1915, age U/K. Grave A.8. The 6th Squadron was operating from Abeele airfield. Herbert was the air gunner flying in an FE-2a serial 4228 with pilot Lieutenant Edward Fraser Norris. Shortly after take-off the aircraft crashed, injuring Norris and killing Herbert.