Flight Lieutenant Harwood James Arnold
Individual attestation record images are not available for this person.
PERSONAL INFORMATION
MILITARY INFORMATION
Flight Lieutenant (Royal Navy).
Distinguished Service Order
Description: Flight Commander Cull and Flight Sub-Lieut. Arnold were spotting on the 11th July, under fire in a biplane, when the enemy's fire damaged it, so that it descended in a quarter of an hour from 3,200 feet to 2000 feet. During this time no attempt was made to return to Headquarters at Mafia, although it was obvious that this could not be done unless a start was made at once. Flight Sub-Lieut. Arnold continued to send spotting signals the whole time, and when a quarter of an hour later, the machine was again hit and forced to descend, Flight Commander Cull controlled the machine and Flight Sub-Lieut. Arnold continued to send spotting corrections to the last, after warning the monitors that they were coming down and would endeavour to land near them. The aeroplane finally came down in the river, turning over and over. Flight Commander Cull was nearly drowned, but was assisted by Flight Sub-Lieut. Arnold, and both were rescued by a boat from the Mersey.
Date of award: 1915-12-08
Date of award: 1915-07-11
Mentioned in Despatches 'A' List
RESEARCH INFORMATION
Harwood lived in Canada from 1911 to 1914. He spent several years on the west coast of British Columbia, working as a wireless telegrapher. He worked on Triangle Island near Prince Rupert, BC, and later for the Canadian Naval Service on the Queen Charlotte Islands. The Prince Rupert Daily News noted he was well known in the area and later reported his death (Daily News online archives). When war broke out he immediately set out alone for Vancouver by boat. He found his way back to England to sign up because he believed he could combine wireless telegraphy with aviation in the RNAS.
In 1915 Harwood was awarded the DSO for his accurate spotting of the Konigsberg which was disabled in an action in German East Africa. He landed in the Rufiji River, swam to his downed aircraft and saved the pilot.
He returned to England in 1916 to take pilot training and became a flying instructor at Eastchurch. He married in England in 1917. He was killed accidentally in 1918 in a target shoot when a student's bullets hit his propeller and caused the craft to catch fire and crash (Collishaw and Company, 2010).
Collishaw & Company by J. Allan Snowie. Bellingham, WA: Nieuport Publishing, 2010.
Prince Rupert Daily News online archives.
[Flight Lieutenant Royal Navy Royal Naval Air Service Royal Naval Air Service (Eastchurch) Mentioned in Despatches & 'A' List Distinguished Service Order Flight Commander Cull and Flight Sub-Lieut. Arnold were spotting on the 11th July, under fire in a biplane, when the enemy's fire damaged it, so that it descended in a quarter of an hour from 3,200 feet to 2000 feet. During this time no attempt was made to return to Headquarters at Mafia, although it was obvious that this could not be done unless a start was made at once. Flight Sub-Lieut. Arnold continued to send spotting signals the whole time, and when a quarter of an hour later, the machine was again hit and forced to descend, Flight Commander Cull controlled the machine and Flight Sub-Lieut. Arnold continued to send spotting corrections to the last, after warning the monitors that they were coming down and would endeavour to land near them. The aeroplane finally came down in the river, turning over and over. Flight Commander Cull was nearly drowned, but was assisted by Flight Sub-Lieut. Arnold, and both were rescued by a boat from the Mersey. ]