Maurice Frederick Perry 1901-1978 aka Paul Parry Sefton
Military Service:
family photo shared by SS
B: 20 June 1901?
Birthplace:
Town Colchester
Parish:
Wivenhoe
County:
Essex
RAF
Date
of actual entry 2.11.20
age
19 135/365
No
previous engagement in forces
Civilian
Occupation: Insurance Agent
Employer:
Pearl Assurance, High Holborn, London
Period
of Employment: July 1919 - Oct 1920
Person
to be informed of Casualty: Mr E Perry. Hunters Cottage, Hornes Green,
Northolt. Kent (father) E Perry was actually Edith Perry, his mother.
Height-5'10” Chest-33” Hair-Dk Brown Eyes-Brown Complexion-Fresh. Small white scar back left hand.
crown copyright
Diary of Attachments:
2/11/20-RAF
depot Uxbridge
9/12/20-23/12/20-H
Gen. Hosp
16/1/21-Moved
from 16th section Uxbridge to
S
of TT Manston (School of Technical Training)
19/11/21-Moved
from 1 Sec Manston to 2 Sec Manston
23/9/22-Moved
from STT Manston to 25 Squadron
23/10/22-Disembarked
Constantinople
Internet
searches indicate that 25 Squadron were involved in air defence of the Naval
ships and garrison in the Dardenelles/Black Sea area during the Chanak crisis.
MOD Air Historical Branch-RAF crown copyright
Pictured are pilots of 203 Squadron looking on as ground
personnel service the engine of one of the squadron's Nieuport Nightjar
fighters whilst detached to Gallipoli, Turkey, in 1922.
'Turkish troops entered the Allied controlled demarcation zone
around Gallipoli and encamp at Chanak. Allied governments are determined to
prevent Turkey occupying Chanak and reinforcements, including a number of Royal
Air Force (RAF) units, are rushed to the area.
Elements from Nos. 4, 25, 56, 203 207, 208, and 267 Squadrons
are formed into the Constantinople Wing, which supports the garrison until the
crisis is settled in August 1923.'
31/12/22-Admitted
to 82nd Gen Hosp Constantinople
19/1/23-Discharged
from 82nd Gen Hosp Constantinople
16/4/23
Admitted to 82nd Gen Hosp Constantinople
10/5/23
Transferred 15 Hosp Malta
Internet data indicate that Malta was the hub of departures and arrivals from Turkey.
29/6/23 Transferred from hospital Malta to UK Halton Hospital
28/8/23
Discharged from Halton Hospital to home address. Discharge from service
A further page of the document gives his rank as AC2 and trade as motor-cyclist who reaches satisfactory standards and very good character record on 31.12.20 31.12.21 & 31.12.22.
Grandad reported that he had fallen off the wing of an aircraft during maintenance. Unfortunately I have been unable to access any records from the hospital, which may have corroborated this. However the long term effects of this injury were such that he was discharged from the RAF on being discharged from the hospital.
The Chanak Crisis also known as the The Chanak Affair. (I am not an historian but this is a brief precis from various articles available online.)
A brief overview: Following the end of WW1 a number of Treaty's were signed. |One such was The Treaty of Sevres, signed in 1920 by WW1 allies and The Ottoman Empire, ceding parts of the Ottoman Empire to France, UK, Greece and Italy. This led to hostility and Turkish Nationalism, resulting in Mustafa Kemal Ataturk leading the Turkish Nationalists in a war against the signatories of the Treaty.
Chanak applies to the area on the Anatolian side of the Dardanelles Straits, Incorporating Cannakale, Istanbul and Izmir. Turkish troops marched upon British and French troops patrolling the Dardanelles neutral zone. War seemed likely, David Lloyd George, PM of the UK alongside Winston Churchill alongside others were prepared to declare war upon Ataturk and the Turkish Nationals. However there was little appetite for another war from the UK public and the British Military. Allies including France and Canada, also refused to back military force. The initial outcome was that, Sir Charles Harington, the top general on the scene refused to relay an ultimatum to the Turks as he believed a negotiated settlement could be achieved. Meanwhile in parliament the conservative MP's within the coalition government refused to vote with David Lloyd George and Winston Churchill's call for war.
The crisis quickly ended once the Turkish had overwhelmed the Greeks and negotiated settlement gave the Turks of the territory they wanted. In the summer of1923 French and British troops withdrew from the area.
Political effects of the Charnak Affair were that his mishandling of the crisis contributed to the downfall of David Lloyd George. This was the first act of diplomatic independence from Britain. Arthur Balfour later asserting that the 'dominions' of the British Empire, as 'autonomous communities, equal in status and in no way subordinate to one another in any internal or external affairs, though united in a common allegiance to the crown.'
The human cost was that many Greeks were displaced and there are many images of refugees fleeing the area, very reminiscent of those most recently evident in Syria.
I have recently been given a copy of a letter from Dr Kenneth Ward, post examination in 1925.
Transcript: Darenth Cottage Brasted
I have recently been attending Mr Maurice Perry. Mentally he is
abnormal making cold statements which cannot be true. He varies
much from time to time, stutters
in his speech and is very forgetful.
He is a possible case of ? General
Paralysis and would bear
investigation and watching for any
grave mental disease.
KLS Ward MB
Feb XV 25.
To complete the story I am happy to say that my Grandad recovered and continued to live a colourful and eventful life, which I aim to add at a later date.
Comments
Post a Comment