The fascinating Great War North Sea Destruction of Zeppelin L53 Sopwith Camel pilot’s single Distinguished Service Order with accompanying documentation, the insignia attributed to Lieutenant later Group Captain S.D. Culley, D.S.O., Royal Naval Air Service, later Royal Air Force. Culley was born in the United States of America at Omaha in Nebraska, the son of an English father and a Canadian mother, and having travelled from Canada, then began his flying training in May 1917, being posted operational some four months later as a Seaplane Pilot. It was on 11 August 1918 in the North Sea when 10 miles south west of Borkum Rift Light Vessel in the Heligoland Bight, that Culley made history. Then 18 years old, he ‘took off on what must still be the world’s smallest flight deck to intercept and destroy Zeppelin L.53.’ Zeppelin commanders at the time knew they were immune from interception over the North Sea as the nearest British land base wax at Harwich which would require a fighter aircraft with a radius of action of 500 miles for interception and no such aircraft existed. So the Royal Navy hit upon the idea of towing a plane out to sea to get nearer to any Zeppelin force that approached the area. It was an ingenious trap. To lure a Zeppelin into the vicinity faked wireless massages were sent out discussing tactics for a mock naval battle, which the British knew the Germans would intercept. The ‘carrier’ for the Sopwith Camel, was a small lighter boarded over making a 30 foot flight deck and towed out to sea by H.M.S Redoubt at around 30 knots which was expected to be enough to get the Camel airborne. Sure enough at around 0830 hours, the ‘lured’ Zeppelin, L53, was sighted and the Camel was ‘launched’ at precisely 0841 hours. It took Culley 49 minutes to climb, when in full view of the Harwich Force, and position himself 300 feet below L.53’s altitude of 19,000 feet. His number one gun jammed after only seven rounds but a “double charger” from his number two gun caused the airship to erupt in flames. After searching for the main task force ships, that took two hours with only one pint of fuel in his tank remaining, he ditched close by. So successful was his ditch that the Camel was easily retrieved and was flying again soon after its arrival on dry land. Admiral Tyrwhitt, commanding the Harwich Force, would in later years recall of the actions of the 18 year old pilot: “It was the grandest and bravest thing I have ever seen in my life.” There is evidence to show that Culley was originally considered for a Victoria Cross, but was eventually awarded the Distinguished Service Order, gazetted to him on 2 November 1918. The Sopwith Camel he flew in this action is now on display on the Imperial War Museum. He was further awarded a Mention in Despatches in January 1919, and then saw service out in the Baltic when flying Sopwith Camel’s off the aircraft carrier Vindictive, and during October 1919 he completed a number of sorties against Bolshevik targets, including bombing the Bolshevik battleship Andrei Pervosvanny in dry dock at Kronstadt. He won a further Mention in Despatches, and then gained another when commanding No.35 Squadron during the Mohmand 1933 expedition, before seeing service during the Second World War in the Syrian Campaign during 1941.
Distinguished Service Order, D.S.O., GVR cypher, silver-gilt and enamels, complete with original ribbon and top brooch pin, and housed in its Garrard & Co to His Majesty The King fitted presentation case.
Condition: enamel work good, Nearly Extremely Fine.
Together with the following:
Mention in Despatches Award Certificate, inscribed in ink to: ‘Lieutenant Stuart D. Culley D.S.O., Royal Air Force’, as published in the London Gazette dated ‘1st January 1919’. Bearing facsimile signature of Winston Churchill as Secretary of State for Air. This with traces of tape to reverse having been sometime removed from a frame.
King George V Military Appointment Warrant in the rank of Flying Officer, issued in the name of ’Stuart Douglas Culley’ and dated for 2nd August 1919. This bearing the facsimile signature of King George V, in addition to the facsimile signature of Hugh Trenchard and W.A. Rolinson. This bearing some significant staining from manner in which it has been pasted to a backing board, and framed.
London County County School’s King’s Medal for Attendance in Bronze, rim impressed: ‘D. Colley’, and complete with bar for 1911-12, original ribbon and L.C.C. top brooch pin.
London County County School’s King’s Medal for Attendance in Bronze, rim impressed: ‘D. Colley’, and complete with bar for 1914-15 and two additional laurel leaf attendance bars, original ribbon and L.C.C. top brooch pin.
Stuart Douglas Culley was born on 23 August 1895 in the United States of America at Omaha in Nebraska, the son of an English father and a Canadian mother, he was educated in both California and Vermont. The London County County School’s King’s Medal for Attendance that accompany the Distinguished Service Order, bear a slightly different spelling of his surname, but came with everything, and are believed to be related.
Owing to the ongoing Great War, he joined the Royal Naval Air Service at Ottawa on 19 April 1917, and arrived in the United Kingdom on 21 May 1917, and then underwent pilot training. Appointed a probationary Flight Officer, he completed his pilot training via Manstone, and was commissioned then as a temporary Flight Sub-Lieutenant on 4 September 1917 on completion of his flying training. Culley was stationed with R.N.A.S Calshot from 10 November 1917, and then at R.N.A.S. Falmouth from 23 February 1918. He transferred into the Royal Air Force on its formation on 1 April 1918 in the rank of Lieutenant. In the early autumn of 1918 he moved to R.N.A.S. Felixstowe.
It was on 11 August 1918 in the North Sea when 10 miles south west of Borkum Rift Light Vessel in the Heligoland Bight, that Culley made history. Then 18 years old, he ‘took off on what must still be the world’s smallest flight deck to intercept and destroy Zeppelin L.53.’ Zeppelin commanders at the time knew they were immune from interception over the North Sea as the nearest British land base wax at Harwich which would require a fighter aircraft with a radius of action of 500 miles for interception and no such aircraft existed. So the Royal Navy hit upon the idea of towing a plane out to sea to get nearer to any Zeppelin force that approached the area. It was an ingenious trap. To lure a Zeppelin into the vicinity faked wireless massages were sent out discussing tactics for a mock naval battle, which the British knew the Germans would intercept.
The ‘carrier’ for the Sopwith Camel, was a small lighter boarded over making a 30 foot flight deck and towed out to sea by H.M.S Redoubt at around 30 knots which was expected to be enough to get the Camel airborne. Sure enough at around 0830 hours, the ‘lured’ Zeppelin, L53, was sighted and the Camel was ‘launched’ at precisely 0841 hours. It took Culley 49 minutes to climb, when in full view of the Harwich Force, and position himself 300 feet below L.53’s altitude of 19,000 feet. His number one gun jammed after only seven rounds but a “double charger” from his number two gun caused the airship to erupt in flames. After searching for the main task force ships, that took two hours with only one pint of fuel in his tank remaining, he ditched close by. So successful was his ditch that the Camel was easily retrieved and was flying again soon after its arrival on dry land. Admiral Tyrwhitt, commanding the Harwich Force, would in later years recall of the actions of the 18 year old pilot: “It was the grandest and bravest thing I have ever seen in my life.” This is more-so when considering that ‘Culley (apparently) volunteered to fly the aircraft without any previous practice at this type of take-off.”
Another account details that Culley had first successfully flew this particular Sopwith 2F.1 Camel (Serial No.N6812) from a lighter towed by H.M.S Truculent on 31 July 1918 and had landed at Martlesham Heath. Five days later he flew this same aircraft off Lighter H3 in an attempt to intercept a Zeppelin. This action was unsuccessful, however, on 11 August a “Kill” was secured. By the time it came to grief, Zeppelin L53, which had been built on 8 August 1917, had already made 19 reconnaissance missions and 4 attacks on England, when dropping 11,930 kg of bombs.
There is another wonderful aspect to this story. if you visit the newly revamped Imperial War Museum in London, you will notice that the Sopwith Camel that was displayed for a long time handing from the ceiling in the main hall, has now been moved, but it is still there and displayed in the World War War ! Exhibit together with a British Mark V tank and a recreated trench line. This Sopwith Camel is N6812, the very same one that Culley flew off the lighter to destroy Zeppelin L.53.
Culley’s action was also depicted in a number of paintings, one of which shows his aircraft climbing to attack the Zeppelin and is depicted on the front cover of the book ‘Royal Navy Aircraft Serials and Units 1911-1919’ by Sturtivant and Page. There are also photographs known to survive showing his aircraft being recovered from the water of the North Sea.
There is some evidence to suggest that Culley was originally promised the award of the Victoria Cross for his bravery, but possibly owing to the fact that the Zeppelin never returned fire, he subsequently received the Distinguished Service Order, the award and citation being published in the London Gazette for 2 November 1918, and reading as follows: ‘Ascending to a height of 19,000 feet, at which altitude he attacked an enemy airship and brought it down in flames completely. This was a most difficult undertaking, involving great personal risk, and the highest praise is due to Lieutenant Culley for the gallantry and skill which he displayed.’ Of further note, the man who swung his aircraft’s propellor on the precarious deck of the lighter, was subsequently awarded the Air Force Medal.
Culley who was also appointed to acting Captain whilst employed as an Airship and Seaplane Officer on 1 November 1918, and went on to be further awarded a Mention in Despatches ‘for distinguished services in war areas’ in the London Gazette for 1 January 1919.
Culley then found himself posted aboard the converted aircraft carrier Vindictive for operations in the Baltic in 1919 during the Allied Intervention in the Russian Civil War when again flying in Sopwith 2F.1 Camel aircraft.
Having been appointed to the rank of Flying Officer on 2 August 1919, on 2 October 1919 he bombed the Bolshevik battleship Andrei Pervosvanny in dry dock at Kronstadt. On 4 October he bombed a Bolshevik destroyer but due to engine failure then had to make a forced landing. Then on 6 October he bombed a railway station near Petrograd; and on 14 October bombed Krasnaya Gorka and machine gunned a Bolshevik fort. On 16 October he bombed a Bolshevik destroyer off Krssnaya Gorka, and on 18 October he bombed Fort No.5 at Kronstadt, and that same day also bombed Krasnaya Gorka and attacked a kite balloon. Then on 20 October he bombed Krasbnaya Gorka again, and on 25 October attacked another kite balloon. His final known sorties was on 29 October when he bombed and machine-gunned a Bolshevik destroyer.
For his gallant and distinguished services during the Baltic 1919 campaign, he was awarded his second Mention in Despatches in the London Gazette for 12 July 1919.
Remaining with the Royal Air Force, he was promoted to Flight Lieutenant on 1 January 1924, when still serving with the General Duties Branch, in which year he also returned from a trip to Canada. He was further promoted to Squadron Leader on 1 June 1932, and had command of No.39 Squadron from 10 March 1933, when he commanded his squadron out in India during the Mohmand Campaign for which he was again awarded a Mention in Despatches.
Culley was promoted to Wing Commander on 1 April 1937, and in that same year was seconded for duty with the Iraqi Government from 1 October. Shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War he was promoted to Group Captain (No.03203) on 1 June 1940, but ceased to be seconded for ‘Special Duty’ with the Iraqi Government on 1 September 1940, but when on to see service during the Syrian Campaign in 1941. Culley was officially retired on 9 December 1945, and later settled in Italy. He died in 1975.
