Military History

• 1914? - Enlisted in 24th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers
• 10 Feb 1915 - Probationary Pilot in Royal Naval Air Service
• 25 Feb 1915 - Obtained his pilots license
• 07 Jun 1915 - Attacked and destroyed Zeppelin Airship number LZ37 which led to the award of his bravery medals
• 15 Jun 1915 - Killed in flying accident

Victoria Cross Citation

For most conspicuous bravery on the 7th June, 1915, when he attacked and, single-handed, completely destroyed a Zeppelin in mid-air. This brilliant achievement was accomplished after chasing the Zeppelin from the coast of Flanders to Ghent, where he succeeded in dropping his bombs on to it from a height of only one or two hundred feet. One of these bombs caused a terrific explosion which set the Zeppelin on fire from end to end, but at the same time overturned his Aeroplane and stopped the engine. In spite of this he succeeded in landing safely in hostile country, and after 15 minutes started his engine and returned to his base without
damage. Gazette

Circumstances of Death

Rex was killed when he was test flying a Henry Farman F27 biplance at Buc Aerodrome near Paris, at 2000 feet the aeroplane began to spin snapping off the tail which in turn took off the engine and the plane crashed killing Reginald.

The following is taken from his Victoria Cross Online obituary (see below):

"On 7th June 1915 at Ghent, Belgium, Warneford, flying a Morane-Saulnier Type L, attacked the German airship LZ37. He chased the airship from the coast near Ostend and, despite its defensive machine-gun fire, succeeded in dropping his bombs on it, the last of which set the airship on fire. LZ37 sunsequently crashed in Sint-Amandsberg. The explosion overturned the Warneford’s aircraft and stopped its engine. Having no alternative, Warneford had to land behind enemy lines, but after 35 minutes spent on repairs, he managed to restart the engine and returned to base.

He arrived to a hero’s welcome, and this rapidly spread so quickly, that within just four days, it was announced that he was to be awarded the Victoria Cross. Through the days that followed, it was given celebrity status and went to Paris, where he was awarded the Legion d’Honneur. Shortly afterwards, he received a message that he needed to test a new machine at Buc that afternoon (17th June). He chose to offer a pleasure flight to a Lieutenant Commander, R.F. Lee-Dillon, who he had been reported rude to earlier that day. Lee-Dillon accepted reluctantly, and soon he and his wife and another Naval pilot were heading for Naval HQ with Rex in an RNAS Fiat car with a French military driver. Here the other pilot left, his place being taken by a civilian named Henry Beach Needham, a reporter for an American newspaper.

Arriving at Buc, the men got out and Warneford and Lee-Dillon climbed into a new Farman F27, and gave instructions that the passenger tap him on the shoulder three times when he had had enough. The flight was uneventful and they landed safely. It was agreed that Needham should be next to go up with Rex rather than Lee-Dillon’s wife. They took off without incident and rose to 300 feet, before Rex went into a steep dive to about 50 feet. When he straightened out, the aeroplane went into a spin and crashed into a wheat field, about three-quarters of a mile from the watchers.

A search of the field found Needham first, killed instantly by the impact. Rex was found a few minutes later, lying on his face and in a terrible state. Lee-Dillon checked for a heartbeat and discovered he was alive. He was rushed to the Trianon Palace Hotel, Versailles, but Rex died before a doctor could fully examine him. He had never regained consciousness and his injuries were extensive: fractured skull, both arms broken and fractures to the right hip and leg".

The following links provide more information about Rex:

• King Edward VI School Biography
• Victoria Cross Online Biography
• Wikipedia Entry
• Western Front Association article