JOHN ROBERT FOX
1 June 1898 - 16 August 1918
At School 1907 - 1914
2nd Lieut 55 Squadron Royal Air Force
John was born in Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire and in 1901, aged 2, was living at 103 Cheadle Road, Cheadle with father John, a wholesale grocer, and mother Agnes. By 1911 the family had moved to 5 Sefton Road, Chorlton-cum-Hardy; John was at School and father John was working as a sales manager for a cattle feed manufacturer. John appears to have enjoyed sports at School, in 1908 at Sports Day coming 3rd in the Under 11, 80 yards , and in 1913 coming 2nd in the Under 16 hurdles and 3rd in the U-16 100 yards. John also represented the School, playing for the School 2nd lacrosse and cricket teams in 1913. On leaving School John went to work as a salesman with John Dugdale & Bros, Textile Merchants in Sackville Street, Manchester. The Hulmeian Magazine reports that he was at first a private in the East Lancashire Regiment, presumably on being conscripted at the age of 18 in 1916. He appears to have then joined an Officer Cadet Unit as the London Gazette 0f 27 March 1918 announced his promotion to 2nd Lieutenant in the Manchester Regiment from such a unit. John was seconded for service with the newly formed RAF and in May 1918 was posted to RAF Station Eastchurch in Kent, for training. On his RAF service record he is shown as A1 fit for service with special qualifications of having spent 6 months at Northern Aircraft School of Aviation, Windermere from June to December 1913. John joined the 55th Squadron RAF on 2 July 1918, assigned to general duties. The Squadron was based at Azelot, south of Nancy, in the Lorraine Region of North East France.

The 55th Squadron was a long range daylight bomber squadron flying de Havilland D.H.4 aircraft. The D.H.4 was described as heavily armed and equipped with a powerful twelve cylinder engine, which gave it great speed. Nicknamed the "Flaming Coffin", its huge fuel tank was dangerously p0sitioned between the pilot and observer, hindering
communication! On 27 July John was granted a temporary commission as a 2nd Lieut (Observer Officer) and commenced flying duties. The squadron's targets in Germany were up to 120 miles behind the lines and to increase the bombers' range extra petrol tanks were fitted under the pilot's seat, to give 5 hours flying time. One hour's flying was allowed before crossing the lines to gain altitude of 15,000 ft, three and a half hours flying was allowed for over the lines leaving half an hour for machines to glide down and land. Twelve aircraft were usually employed for bombing raids comprising two formations of 6 machines each.
The Squadron history reports that on 22 July a raid was carried out on the powder factory at Rottweil which was successful. For the ensuing week the weather was unfavourable for day raiding but on 30 July normal service was resumed and a raid was scheduled for Stuttgart. Owing to thick fog and low cloud it was decided to divert to Offenburg and bomb bursts were observed on the engine sheds and railway. On the return journey the bombers were attacked by fifteen enemy aeroplanes but all returned safely with two observers being wounded. The following day a raid was carried out on Coblentz and on 1 August on Duran, 145 miles over the lines, without casualties. Unfavourable weather prevented further missions until 8 August when the factory at Rombach was bombed. Further raids were carried out between the 11 and 14 August, including one to Frankfurt, but the history reports that enemy aircraft had become more active inflicting several casualties. Although his name is not mentioned it is likely that John took part in some if not most of these raids. On 16 August he would take part in his last raid only three weeks after becoming an Observer Officer.
The history reports that the bombers took off at 5.15 a.m., the objective being Darmstadt, 118 miles over the lines. However owing to the large banks of cloud which were visible to the north of Nancy, it was decided to make for the alternative target of Mannheim. The lines were crossed at 13,000 ft at Senones, whence a course was followed over Molsheim, Hagenau, Landau and thence to Mannheim. Near Hagenau several enemy machines attacked but were driven off.
When Mannheim was reached, the formation leader, Captain B J Silly, observed that the wind did not appear to have affected the ground speed of the formation to any extent, so with "characteristic energy", he decided to carry on to the original objective at Darmstadt, notwithstanding the fact that about fifteen enemy machines from Mannheim attacked the formation. In the course of the combat which ensued, Observer 2nd Lieut C E Little shot down one enemy machine out of control and two other observers each drove one down. The enemy however continued to molest the D.H.4's all the way to Darmstadt, which was reached by ten out of the eleven D.H.4's which had set out. One 230lb and sixteen 112lb bombs were dropped from which many bursts were observed in the town. Meanwhile the German machines maintained their attack and continued after the bombers had turned following as far as Worms.
On nearing home at Severne another six to eight enemy machines, presumably scouts from Buhl aerodrome, attacked the formation with great vigour and considerable skill. They managed to bring down three of the bombers whose occupants were 2nd Lt's J Campbell (pilot) and J R Fox (observer); E A Brownhill (pilot) and W T Madge (observer); Lt J B McIntyre (pilot) and 2nd Lt H H Bracher (observer). With the exception of Campbell all these officers were killed. In addition observer 2nd Lieut A C Roberts was wounded. Further 2nd Lieut T H Laing had his petrol tank shot through and he was forced to land at Luneville. His observer 2nd Lt N Wallace being slightly injured.
The six heroic survivors of this most gallant episode landed at 10.15 a.m. having been out just over five hours.
The Sky Their Battlefield states that John was flying as an observer in D.H.4 numbered A7813, piloted by 2nd Lt J Campbell on a bombing mission on Darmstadt. Combat with enemy aircraft and shot down south of Mannheim. The aircraft was seen to descend under control but John died the same day as a prisoner of war. John must have been mortally wounded during the combat and succumbed to his injuries shortly after landing. 2nd Lt Campbell was taken prisoner and John was buried by the Germans in a local cemetery, Ingwiller Communal Cemetery in the Bas-Rhin region of France.

John's is the only Commonwealth War grave in the cemetery.