Stationed at Kingsnorth air base

By Tina Bilbe

Claude Rowland was a Hydrogen Worker at Kingsnorth

My grandfather was stationed at Kingsnorth air base during WWI and I decided to find out more about his life at the time.

Wilfred Claude Rowland was born at 15 Lorne Street, Reading on the 11th May 1894.

He was called by his second name, Claude, from a fairly early age.

I have his Bible, it is inscribed: 'Claude Rowland, All Saints Sunday School, Reading, chmas 1905. Emily Raikes/Super'.

According to his Navy record his civilian occupation was as a motor mechanic and driver. On 18th February 1916, during the First World War, he joined the Royal Navy. He served in President II (Kingsnorth), this was one of the stations that constructed and operated Submarine Scout class airships. Kingsnorth Air Station was set up before the First World War, on the south side of the Hoo peninsula and the opposite side of the Medway to Chatham Dockyard.

Starting as an AMII, he was promoted to acting AMI on 30th April 1917 and was transferred to Daedelus on 1st July 1917. Daedalus was a hulk in the Medway used as the nominal depot ship for all RNAS personnel serving on other stations, which makes it impossible to know where he was at this time.

A Hydrogen Worker

Claude forged lifelong friendships at the air base

His trade classification was Hydrogen Worker. Hydrogen balloons were used for spotting enemy positions and directing the targeting to hit them, the Navy used them to spot mines and submarines, not surprisingly the enemy was quite keen to shoot them down.

Filling the balloons from tanks of compressed gas was a hazardous task even before they were launched. Claude was promoted to Leading Mechanic on 1st February 1918 just as he was being transferred into the newly formed RAF.

When the RFC (Royal Flying Corps) and the RNAS (Royal Navy Air Service) became the Royal Air Force his rank changed to Corporal Mechanic and his service number became 212,110. At this time he was earning five shillings a day, over three times as much as a private on one shilling and sixpence a day.

A gas attack

The family believed that he was shot down whilst in an observation balloon, landed in no mans land during a gas attack and his lungs were damaged. His RAF service records do not corroborate this story.

When he transferred to the RAF he was stationed back at Kingsnorth, he passed his Sergeant's exam on 29th October 1918. He is still listed as a Hydrogen Worker but has no 'special qualifications' and the section headed 'Casualties, Wounds, Campaigns, Medals, Clasps, Decorations, Mentions, Etc.' has nothing recorded in it.

He moved from Kingsnorth 64470 Unit to the Discharge Centre at Crystal Palace on 3rd February 1919 where the medical board gave him medical category 'a'.

Being discharged

Claude had a very different job once he was discharged

He was transferred to RAF G Reserve on 5th March 1919. The discharge date is blank but the records either side have 'deemed' discharged 30th April 1920 on them, perhaps they turned over two pages as they whizzed through discharging everyone. His RNAS medal card records his eligibility for the British War Medal and nothing else so the other medal ribbons on his photo are a mystery.

The real story

So how did the story about the gas attack come about?

Hydrogen gas is very volatile and no doubt he inhaled at least a little every time he changed the pipes on the gas cylinders, this will have affected his lungs.

It is possible the effects of the gas didn't show up till later which is why he was passed as fit when he left the service, less charitable is the thought that the RAF Doctors were instructed to declare 'fit' as many men as possible to reduce the possibility of disability claims later.

From his photo album it is clear he kept in touch with at least some of his comrades from the forces and probably discovered that he was not alone in developing a weak chest, it wouldn't have taken much to put two and two together and realise the cause was the hydrogen gas.

If anyone asked him about it he probably just told them it was the result of the gas he had inhaled and subsequently the family seemed to have jumped to a wrong conclusion.

A very different role

The shop where became an assistant to his father

After the war he became a fishmonger and poulterer's assistant at Colebrook & Co Ltd where his father was a manager. It wasn't easy working for his father as the old man scrupulously avoided any possibility of being accused of favouritism.

Much of Claude's job involved visiting the big houses buying and selling fish and game. He kept an autograph album, in which were examples of the feathers of lots of different game birds.

His work meant that he had to drive a car, but for personal travel he had a motorbike. He used his old flying helmet when he was riding the motorbike and his wife Margaret had a scrimshaw pendant with his photo wearing the flying helmet in it which he may have sent her during the war.