Cecil Francis Kilner
Encyclopedia
Group Captain Cecil Francis Kilner DSO*
ADC
(8 October 1883 – 20 October 1925) was an early English
aviator
and pilot in the 1914 Cuxhaven Raid
. He was awarded two Distinguished Service Order
s during service with the Royal Naval Air Service during the first world war, he died as a Royal Air Force Group Captain in 1925 after a short illness.
12 April 1887 the son of William and Frances Kilner.
following flights at the Central Flying School
at Upavon, Wiltshire and went on to serve with the Royal Naval Air Service
.
On Christmas Day 1914 he took part in the Cuxhaven Raid
for which he was awarded the DSO
. The raid was an air reconnaissance flight in the Heligoland Bight with an opportunity to bomb German facilities. The aircraft were launched from seaplane-carriers, which were supported by destroyers and light cruisers, at first light, with bad weather the aircraft had to fly low. The low flying aircraft and the supporting ships were attacked by defending forces with submarines, seaplanes and Zeppelins. Kilner with his observer Erskine Childers
flying a Short Admiralty Type 135 was one of the few who managed to return to his ship.
with a permanent commission as a Major. In early 1925 he was appointed as Air Aide-de-Camp
to the King but he died soon after in London on 20 October 1925 at 16 Beaumont Street, London.
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
ADC
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
(8 October 1883 – 20 October 1925) was an early English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
aviator
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
and pilot in the 1914 Cuxhaven Raid
Cuxhaven Raid
The Cuxhaven Raid was a British ship-based air-raid on the German naval forces at Cuxhaven mounted on Christmas Day, 1914.Aircraft of the Royal Naval Air Service were carried to within striking distance by seaplane tenders of the Royal Navy, supported by both surface ships and submarines...
. He was awarded two Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
s during service with the Royal Naval Air Service during the first world war, he died as a Royal Air Force Group Captain in 1925 after a short illness.
Early life
Kilner was born on 8 October 1883 in Kemsing, KentKent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
12 April 1887 the son of William and Frances Kilner.
Royal Marines
In 1902 Kilner joined the Royal Marines after leaving the Royal Military College at Sandhurst. In the 1911 Census he was described as a Lieutenant of the Royal Marines Light Infantry aboard HMS Swiftsure in the Grand Harbour, Malta.Royal Naval Air Service
On 22 October 1913 he was awarded the Aviators Certificate #667 from the Royal Aero ClubRoyal Aero Club
The Royal Aero Club is the national co-ordinating body for Air Sport in the United Kingdom.The Aero Club was founded in 1901 by Frank Hedges Butler, his daughter Vera and the Hon Charles Rolls , partly inspired by the Aero Club of France...
following flights at the Central Flying School
Central Flying School
The Central Flying School is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 it is the longest existing flying training school.-History:...
at Upavon, Wiltshire and went on to serve with the Royal Naval Air Service
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
.
Cuxhaven Raid
The Cuxhaven Raid was a British ship-based air-raid on the German naval forces at Cuxhaven mounted on Christmas Day, 1914.Aircraft of the Royal Naval Air Service were carried to within striking distance by seaplane tenders of the Royal Navy, supported by both surface ships and submarines...
for which he was awarded the DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
. The raid was an air reconnaissance flight in the Heligoland Bight with an opportunity to bomb German facilities. The aircraft were launched from seaplane-carriers, which were supported by destroyers and light cruisers, at first light, with bad weather the aircraft had to fly low. The low flying aircraft and the supporting ships were attacked by defending forces with submarines, seaplanes and Zeppelins. Kilner with his observer Erskine Childers
Robert Erskine Childers
Robert Erskine Childers DSC , universally known as Erskine Childers, was the author of the influential novel Riddle of the Sands and an Irish nationalist who smuggled guns to Ireland in his sailing yacht Asgard. He was executed by the authorities of the nascent Irish Free State during the Irish...
flying a Short Admiralty Type 135 was one of the few who managed to return to his ship.
Royal Air Force
In 1919 he transferred to the new Royal Air ForceRoyal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
with a permanent commission as a Major. In early 1925 he was appointed as Air Aide-de-Camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to the King but he died soon after in London on 20 October 1925 at 16 Beaumont Street, London.
Honours and awards
- 19 February 1915 – Captain Cecil Francis Kilner, RNLI (Flight Commander) is awarded the Distinguished Service OrderDistinguished Service OrderThe Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
for distinguished service on the combinded operations by HM Ships and Naval Seaplanes on the 25 December 1914.
- 1 October 1917 - Sqdrn. Cd. Cecil Franscis Kilner, DSO, RNAS (Capt, temp Major RMLI) a bar to the Distinguished Service OrderDistinguished Service OrderThe Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
for services in reconnaissance and bombing flights in the eastern mediterranean.