Mystery war death of famous actress's Bradford uncle

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ON a tour of First World War battlefields, Bradford WW1 Group visited the grave of Captain Walter Alexander Scales - the uncle of actress Prunella Scales.

The story of Capt Scales has resurfaced in Ed Caesar's excellent article in the New Yorker magazine about Captain EV Tempest, author of the official history of the Bradford Territorials. Ed has been in touch with myself and Nick Hooper, former Head of History at Bradford Grammar School who has researched all pupils who served in the First World War, and hopes to talk to our group in November.

Walter Scales' father was Walter Henry Scales, who formed the Scales and Beckett company to ship textile goods abroad in 1882. He married Edith Emily Birkinshaw, daughter of an Ilkley manufacturer. Walter Alexander, known as Alex, was their third child, born in 1893. His younger sister, Catherine, was the mother of Prunella Scales. The family lived on North Park Road, overlooking Lister Park. Alex and his brother Cuthbert went to Bradford Grammar School.

Aged 21 Walter enlisted as a private in the 6th Btn West Yorks. These local territorials were commanded by local solicitors HO Wade and CE Scott, both of whom had served in the African war and were also old boys of the Grammar School. When the battalion was training in Gainsborough Walter was commissioned and joined the unit abroad as 2nd Lieutenant on July 20, 1915. For his action in a gas attack in December 1915 he was awarded the Military Cross. In July 1917 the battalion War Diary reports him being appointed GSO3, 49th Division and struck off 6th Btn strength. He died on January 6, 1918 and is buried in Doullens Communal Cemetery.

Capt WA Scales MC photographed at Vignacourt, April 1916 aged 22

Burial records show only four men who died on that day, buried next to each other: Major Richard Nagle Ford MC, Royal Fusiliers; Capt WA Scales MC, West Yorkshire Regiment; Capt Robert Reeder, Royal Flying Corps; 2Lt Frederick Albert Egner, Royal Flying Corps.

Flight Global magazine of January 31, 1918 has the following entry: Major RN FORD, MC, acting commander of a battalion, Royal Fusiliers, was accidentally killed on January 6 while attending a flying course, aged 33. He was the youngest son of Mr and Mrs ES Ford, of Perranwell, Cornwall, educated at Temple Grove, Rugby and Sandhurst. He entered the Army in 1903, and was gazetted captain in 1912. He was twice wounded in the second battle of Ypres, and received the Military Cross in January, 1917.

No similar entry for Capt WA Scales has been found. Would it be reasonable to deduce that he was also involved in a flying accident whilst attending the course with Major Ford? Walter's Medal Roll entry tells us he was "accidentally killed" which seems to confirm this.

Ed's reference to WA Scales prompted a response from an expert on the Royal Flying Corps, Steve Buster Johnson, who confirms that my hunch was right. On his website, stevebusterjohnson.com, he writes that Ed's article about Capt Tempest mentions "a fellow 1/6th Battalion officer officially listed as Killed In Action on January 6, 1918, but upon further investigation was found to have been killed in a flying accident involving two 6 Squadron aircraft".

Members of Bradford WW1 Group on a trip to battlefields in France

Writes Johnson: 'Why would an army officer who had not transferred or been seconded into the Royal Air Force be flying in the first place? The man's name, Walter Alexander Scales, rang a bell with me as I remembered mentioning his death in my book, Over the Western Front. During WW1, 6 Squadron was referred to as an 'Army Cooperation' squadron, since most duties involved day-to-day cooperation with various operational units of the allied army. From October 1914 until November 1917, 6 Squadron was based in the northern sector of the Western Front, and later moved south to the Somme. Extracts from Johnson's book, Over the Western Front, explain what happened at the Battle of Cambrai and the consequences for 6 Squadron.

'The men were confined to camp until November 23, by which time it was clear that 6 Squadron would not be required. In an unprecedented move, one never repeated for any other squadron, it was decided that 6 Squadron would take on an instructional role in educating senior officers of the other military Arms in capabilities and limitations regarding the Royal Flying Corps in its army cooperation capacity. 6 Squadron came under control of HQ RAF until July 20, 1918. The plan was to run four-day courses over a five month period, attended by 24 officers. The rear cockpits of each RE8 (18 aircraft) would be occupied by officers under instruction. With the squadron no longer operational, preparations were made for the first intake of army officers. Bertangles aerodrome was capable of accommodating two squadrons, so 6 Squadron took one side, the other used for courses and accommodation of army officers.'

Captain Scales attended one of the first courses. The pilots were still getting used to flying close to other aircraft, albeit friendly ones. In January 1918 four aircraft were written off in accidents, with five men killed and two injured. The first accident involved Capt Scales. Capt Robert Reeder and 2nd Lt Frederick A Egner were killed when their RE8s collided mid-air on January 6 during an instructional flight. Their army officer passengers, Capt Scales of West Yorkshire Regiment and Major Richard Nagle Ford of Royal Fusiliers, were also killed. Their bodies were transported to Doullens Cemetery, buried side by side.

Due to the secrecy afforded to the Army officer training initiative run by 6 Squadron it is hardly surprising that the deaths of the two officers were officially recorded as Killed In Action. With Captain Scales' father already dead I wonder if his mother was ever informed of the real cause of her son's death. It is likely we will never know.'

* Tricia Restorick is President of Bradford WW1 Group.