neverforget Posted 8 March , 2015 Share Posted 8 March , 2015 Is he the commander of the Zion Mule Corps,Lieutenant-Colonel John Henry Patterson? EDIT - yes it must be him - I see he wrote 'Man-Eaters of Tsavo'! Yes indeed. Lion killer etc etc John Henry Patterson. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Henry_Patterson_%28author%29 Sacrificed promotion in order to better look after the interest of his men. His dying wish was to be buried alongside the men he commanded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle George Posted 8 March , 2015 Share Posted 8 March , 2015 Clue #3 for my chap: he wrote a book, which was #1 on the 'New York Times' best-sellers list for weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle George Posted 8 March , 2015 Share Posted 8 March , 2015 Clue #4: the book became a Disney film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverforget Posted 8 March , 2015 Share Posted 8 March , 2015 Clue #3 for my chap: he wrote a book, which was #1 on the 'New York Times' best-sellers list for weeks. Marvin Kent Curtis? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle George Posted 8 March , 2015 Share Posted 8 March , 2015 Marvin Kent Curtis? A very good guess, but no. Clue #5: he received air-to-air refuelling's first patent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverforget Posted 8 March , 2015 Share Posted 8 March , 2015 I`ve got him, I think, thanks to my Disney collection. Victory through air power author, Alexander P. de Seversky? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle George Posted 8 March , 2015 Share Posted 8 March , 2015 I`ve got him, I think, thanks to my Disney collection. Victory through air power author, Alexander P. de Seversky? Yes! Alexander Nikolaievich Prokofiev de Seversky. He was Russia's third-ranking GW ace, despite losing one leg (and breaking the other) and flying with an artificial leg. He worked closely with Billy Mitchell after the war. And a lot more: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_P._de_Seversky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverforget Posted 8 March , 2015 Share Posted 8 March , 2015 A two legged author who played a part with horses in WW1.Who is he??? From the "mounties" to the Royal Irish. Survived the war. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wigwhammer Posted 9 March , 2015 Share Posted 9 March , 2015 a two legged author who played a part with horses in WW1.Who is he???sd.jpg From the "mounties" to the Royal Irish. Survived the war. It's not Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, is it? He was Governor Gerneral of Canada, the Canadian Commander in Chief's (i.e. the king's) representative during WW1 and also the Colonel-in-Chief of the South Irish Horse (integrated into the Royal Irish Regt.). He seems to me to have too much bling (incl. Pour le Mérite?) and braid to be a common-or-garden soldier, but on the other hand, the photo makes a very 1920s/1930s impression on me, nothing like the formal portraits of Arthur's younger years. Cheers Colin P.S Whilst I'll certainly be looking in occasionally during the coming weeks to see what's going on, I probably won't have enough time to take an active part in the fun - there's currently too much upheaval with the impending house move and associated matters. I hope I might get the odd afternoon off when I need a bit of distraction and I should be fully active again in about 4-5 weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverforget Posted 9 March , 2015 Share Posted 9 March , 2015 (edited) Nice try Colin, but not him. My man was captured by the enemy. He was also an artist, and persistent letter-writer to Haig; though not in ink. EDIT: One too many letter for French. Turns out he was a bit of a sherpa too. (My contributions will be a little sparse for the next few days too, as I start my stint of 4 "nights" tonight.) EDIT: Apologies. Meant to respond to the Pour le Merite enquiry. As far as I can see, he was only awarded the Knight of Honour and Devotion of the Order of S.John of Jerusalem. He did get his pip squeak and wilfred too, but was captured on the first day of Mons. Still did his bit for the duration of the war though. EDIT: Another day and still no takers so another clue: From "C" to "Z" Edited 12 March , 2015 by neverforget Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle George Posted 13 March , 2015 Share Posted 13 March , 2015 Nice try Colin, but not him. My man was captured by the enemy. He was also an artist, and persistent letter-writer to Haig; though not in ink. EDIT: One too many letter for French. Turns out he was a bit of a sherpa too. (My contributions will be a little sparse for the next few days too, as I start my stint of 4 "nights" tonight.) EDIT: Apologies. Meant to respond to the Pour le Merite enquiry. As far as I can see, he was only awarded the Knight of Honour and Devotion of the Order of S.John of Jerusalem. He did get his pip squeak and wilfred too, but was captured on the first day of Mons. Still did his bit for the duration of the war though. EDIT: Another day and still no takers so another clue: From "C" to "Z" He is Conrad O'Brien-ffrench. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverforget Posted 13 March , 2015 Share Posted 13 March , 2015 He is Conrad O'Brien-ffrench. Which was going to be my final clue! Correct of course, UG. British intelligence officer, artist, linguist, mountaineer, skier and author. A friend of Ian Fleming, and another source of inspiration for James Bond. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conrad_O%27Brien-ffrench Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverforget Posted 13 March , 2015 Share Posted 13 March , 2015 Another survivor. Shot down and made prisoner. Ace. Later to be a Wing Commander, and ending up as Group Captain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Clifton Posted 13 March , 2015 Share Posted 13 March , 2015 Douglas Bader? Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverforget Posted 13 March , 2015 Share Posted 13 March , 2015 (edited) Douglas Bader? Ron Not Bader, Ron. If you look in the Brass family, that might help with part of his name. EDIT: First served in the Artists Rifles, before becoming a pilot/ace with kills into double figures. To find another part of his name, you may have to tilt to one side whilst setting the hammer. Edited 15 March , 2015 by neverforget Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon_Fielding Posted 16 March , 2015 Share Posted 16 March , 2015 "Group Captain Geoffrey Hornblower Cock MC (7 January 1896 – 16 February 1980) was a British World War I flying ace credited with thirteen aerial victories.[1] He was the highest scoring ace to fly the Sopwith 1½ Strutter.[2]" quite a moniker... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverforget Posted 16 March , 2015 Share Posted 16 March , 2015 "Group Captain Geoffrey Hornblower Cock MC (7 January 1896 – 16 February 1980) was a British World War I flying ace credited with thirteen aerial victories.[1] He was the highest scoring ace to fly the Sopwith 1½ Strutter.[2]" quite a moniker... Thank you, Simon. That just about says it all. Be careful what you google http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_Hornblower_Cock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ph0ebus Posted 16 March , 2015 Share Posted 16 March , 2015 Might I offer a double header? My two chaps have nothing at all to do with one another, other than being quite famous. Chap 1 joined up successfully, but like my previous offering Shemp, had his service prematurely squashed: Chap 2 served as a front line officer, who received quite a few decorations and went on to post war fame. Good luck! Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon_Fielding Posted 17 March , 2015 Share Posted 17 March , 2015 Is 2 Wittgenstein? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ph0ebus Posted 17 March , 2015 Share Posted 17 March , 2015 Is 2 Wittgenstein? Indeed, it is the noted Austrian-British philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein! From the relevant wiki: On the outbreak of World War I, Wittgenstein immediately volunteered for the Austro-Hungarian Army, despite being eligible for a medical exemption.[101][102] He served first on a ship and then in an artillery workshop 'several miles from the action'.[103] He was wounded in an accidental explosion, and hospitalised to Kraków.[104] In March 1916, he was posted to a fighting unit on the front line of the Russian front, as part of the Austrian 7th Army, where his unit was involved in some of the heaviest fighting, defending against the Brusilov Offensive.[105] Wittgenstein directed the fire of his own artillery from an observation post in no-man's land against Allied troops - one of the most dangerous jobs there was, since he was targetted by enemy snipers.[106] In action against British troops, he was decorated with the Military Merit with Swords on the Ribbon, and was commended by the army for "His exceptionally courageous behaviour, calmness, sang-froid, and heroism", which "won the total admiration of the troops."[107] In January 1917, he was sent as a member of a howitzer regiment to the Russian front, where he won several more medals for bravery including the Silver Medal for Valour, First Class.[105] In 1918, he was promoted to lieutenant and sent to the Italian front as part of an artillery regiment. For his part in the final Austrian offensive of June 1918, he was recommended for the Gold Medal for Valour, one of the highest honours in the Austrian army, but was instead awarded the Band of the Military Service Medal with Swords — it being decided that this particular action, although extraordinarily brave, had been insufficiently consequential to merit the highest honour.[108] From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Wittgenstein I am actually stunned that no one has yet picked off the first chap! -Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Clifton Posted 17 March , 2015 Share Posted 17 March , 2015 Hello Daniel Incidentally, Wittgenstein is buried in a cemetary in Cambridge, a couple of miles from where I live. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon_Fielding Posted 17 March , 2015 Share Posted 17 March , 2015 And as I recall was involved in decompression research at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle during WWII... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverforget Posted 18 March , 2015 Share Posted 18 March , 2015 Completely stumped on man number 1 Daniel. Dare I ask for another clue? Will post another candidate to keep him company if he's still unsolved when I get home this evening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolt968 Posted 18 March , 2015 Share Posted 18 March , 2015 We had Wittgenstein and his brother in the previous thread. That is a very good photo of a younger Ludwig, I would not have recognised him. Rm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ph0ebus Posted 18 March , 2015 Share Posted 18 March , 2015 Completely stumped on man number 1 Daniel. Dare I ask for another clue? Will post another candidate to keep him company if he's still unsolved when I get home this evening. Man #1 was born and raised in the United States (I have a copy of his Draft Registration Card). While he lived a good portion of his life in New York, he was not a New Yorker per se. Acclaim for his work was largely posthumous, and his home town recently announced they would be unveiling a bronze bust of him in his honor. Some of his life's work was strongly influenced by (and even about) the Great War. Re: Wittgenstein, not sure how I missed him the first time around, so mea culpa! -Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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