A Great War 1914 Star trio to Lieutenant William Charles Harveyson, Royal Air Force, late Royal Flying Corps and Army Service Corps, who flew SE5 fighter aircraft with 92 Squadron France in 1918 under the command of Major Arthur Coningham, D.S.O., M.C, who was later to become Air Marshall Sir Arthur Coningham.
Three: 1914 Star (M1-7369 PTE. W. C. HARVEYSON. A.S.C.); British War and Victory Medals (LIEUT. W. C. HARVEYSON, R.A.F.), each fitted with individual mounting bars for wearing and contained in the named card boxes of transmission.
Condition: Extremely Fine.
William Charles Harveyson embarked for service in France with the Army Service Corps on 21 Nov 1914. He was appointed Cadet in the Royal Flying Corps on 13 Aug 1917 and received a commission as 2nd Lieutenant into the General List on 8 Nov 1917. He was posted to the Central Flying School on 23 Feb 1918 and appointed Flying Officer. On 12 May 1918, having completed his flying training, Harveyson joined 92 Squadron and on 2 July embarked for service with 92 Squadron in France under the command of Major A. Coningham, D.S.O., M.C..
In early July the squadron mounted patrols along the front line but there were few encounters, so on 18 July they were ordered to mount offensive patrols. On Offensive Patrols the aircraft were vulnerable to anti-aircraft fire from the ground forces and on the Squadron’s first such patrol of six aircraft led by ‘A’ Flight Commander, Captain James Robb, Lieutenant Harveyson had engine trouble.
On the following day, a Friday, the Squadron moved from Bray-Dunes to Drionville, except for Lieutenant Harveyson who crashed after fifteen minutes flying time at Berques, writing off his aircraft. He caught up with the rest of 92 in time for their next Offensive Patrol on Monday morning. However, his luck didn’t change and after a Five a.m. take off, while crossing the enemy lines his aircraft was hit, shot through the leading edge. He stayed with the formation and landed with them at seven o’clock to discover that another right hand bottom plane was required.
(Captain James Robb later became Air Chief Marshal Sir James Robb GCB KBE DSO DFC AFC RAF and Commander-in-Chief of RAF Fighter Command from 1945 to 1947)
Harveyson was invalided home on 19 Aug 1918 and on recovery underwent training at the School of Navigation and subsequently at the School of Map Reading. He was placed on the retired list on 20 April 1919.