MOTTERSHEAD, Thomas
Sergeant, 20 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps.
London Gazetted on 12th February 1917.
Born on 17th January 1893 at Widnes, Lancashire.
Died on 12th January 1917 at Bailleul, France.
Memorial at Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension, France and on an Obelisk, Victoria Park, Widnes.
Digest of Citation reads:
On 7th January 1917 near Ploegsteert Wood, Belgium, Sergeant Mottershead was on flying patrol when he was attacked at an altitude of 9.000 feet, the petrol tank pierced and the machine set on fire. Enveloped in flames which his observer was unable to subdue, the sergeant nevertheless managed to take his aircraft back to the Allied lines and made a successful landing. The undercarriage collapsed on touching the ground however, throwing the observer clear but pinning the pilot in his cockpit. He was subsequently rescued but Died on four days later.
Additional information: He also held the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) - Added to the citation in VC 1856 to 1920 it states, 'Though suffering extreme torture from burns, Sgt Mottershead showed the most conspicuous presence of mind in the careful selection of a landing place, and his wonderful endurance and fortitude undoubtably saved the life of his observer. He has since succumbed to his injuries'. He was married. His wifes name was Lilian.

Further additional information..... Thomas Mottershead was born on 17th January, 1892, at 6 Vine Street, Widnes, one of a family of six boys and four girls to Thomas Snr and Lucy Mottershead, (nee Hawkins).

His father was employed as a horse keeper for the United Alkali Company in Widnes. Sgt Mottershead was educated at Simms Cross school and later gained a place at the Widnes Technical school. On leaving school he was apprenticed as a fitter and turner at the Widnes Alkali Works and studied engineering in his spare time, gaining a number of certificates. A keen sportsman, he played football for a team in the local league. He was a parishioner of St Paul`s church in Widnes and became a Bible Reader.

In February, 1914, he married his childhood sweetheart, Lillian Bree and they set up home at 12 Market Street, Widnes. Thomas had been working at Cammel Laird`s shipyard in Birkenhead and with a friend he set off for a new job in the Portsmouth Naval Dockyard. Only days after starting at the dockyard, war was declared, and on the 10th August, 1914, along with his friend Frank Moore, he enlisted into the Royal Flying Corps as an air mechanic. Posted to the Central Flying school at Upavon in Wiltshire, he was promoted to Corporal in September, 1915 and became an Acting Sergeant in January, 1916. He gained the rank of full Sergeant in April that year. In May, 1916, he began pilot training and on 9th June, he obtained his 1st Class Flying Certificate. A month later he was on his way to France with a group of three other Sgt pilots and joined the pilots pool at St Omer. Posted to No.25 Squadron on 6th July, 1916, he was soon in action in the opening days of the Battle of the Somme.

He took to operational flying from the start and in his first attack made a low level bombing raid on a German anti- aircraft battery which he and his observer successfully destroyed. Another mission, on 22nd September, with 2nd Lt C. Street as his observer, involved the low level bombing of a railway station at Samain. Flying at 1500 ft they bombed and destroyed a train carrying ammunition and strafed another train causing some damage. Attacked by a German Fokker scout, Mottershead managed to out-manoeuvre the enemy pilot and shoot him down. For this action and other displays of gallantry, Sgt Mottershead was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal and soon after promoted to the rank of Acting Flight Sgt and transferred to No.20 Squadron at Clairmarais, flying FE two seaters. He came home on leave at Christmas 1916 to spend it with his wife and young son, Sydney Thomas.

Returning to his squadron in France, Flight Sgt Mottershead was soon in action and on 7th January, 1917, set off on a fighting patrol over Ploegsteert Wood with Lt W.E. Gower as his observer.

Attacked by two enemy Albatross fighters, Lt Gower managed to hit one of them and put it out of action, the second Albatross however, managed to hit Mottershead`s FE with a burst of machine gun fire which punctured the planes fuel tank and within seconds the FE was ablaze. Descending at speed, Lt Gower attempted to fight the fire with a hand fire extinguisher and began spraying his pilot, whose clothing and back was now beginning to burn. Despite the pain from his burns, Flight Sgt Mottershead decided to attempt to put the plane down safely in allied territory. Although now engulfed in flames, he managed to turn into the wind and make a landing just behind the British front line trenches. On landing, the already weakened undercarriage collapsed and the nose of the aircraft dug into the soft earth throwing Lt Gower clear. When the plane came to a halt, Flight Sgt Mottershead was trapped in his cockpit in the still burning FE. The crash was witnessed by troops in the trenches and with their assistance Lt Gower, although badly cut and bruised, managed to free Mottershead from his burning plane. Very badly burned on his back, legs and hands, Sgt Mottershead was still conscious and managed to talk to his rescuers as he was evacuated to the nearest Casualty Clearing Station.

During the next four days surgeons fought hard to save Sgt Mottershead, but, due to the extent and depth of the burns he had suffered, he finally died on 12th January, 1917 at the No.8 Casualty Clearing Station.

Buried the next day with full military honours in the cemetery at Bailleul, every man from his squadron attended to pay their last respects. His Commanding Officer wrote to Mrs Mottershead ...." At the funeral as we lifted the wreath and Union Jack from the coffin and laid them on the ground, we sorrowfully knew that we had laid to rest one of the bravest men who had ever fallen in war..."
On 12th February, 1917, in the London Gazette, the award of the Victoria Cross to Flight Sgt Mottershead was announced. The citation stated "...For most conspicuous bravery, endurance and skill....though suffering extreme torture from burns, Sgt Mottershead showed the most conspicuous presence of mind in the careful selection of a landing place, and his wonderful endurance and fortitude undoubtedly saved the life of his observer..." Lt W.E. Gower was awarded the Military Cross for his gallantry in same incident.

In an open air investiture in Hyde Park, London on 2nd June, 1917, His Majesty the King, George V, presented the Victoria Cross to Mrs Mottershead, remarking that he was sorry he could not have presented the medal to her husband himself.

When the announcement was made of the award became known in Widnes, an appeal fund, "The Mayor of Widnes Memorial Fund to Thomas Mottershead" was launched with the main aim to provide for Flight Sgt Mottershead`s widow and young son. The target of £1,000 was soon reached. What happened then is something of a mystery, for neither Mrs Mottershead or her son received a penny from the Appeal Fund or indeed any other form of assistance from the town and were forced to endure financially difficult circumstances for several years.

The records of the fund and the location of the monies collected was also lost for over fifty years until a major council audit in the 1960`s when it was located by an alert auditor. Although too late to help Mrs Mottershead and her son, the matter so upset Sydney Thomas that he sold his father`s hard won medal out of sheer disgust at the disgraceful efforts of the fund`s trustees in handling the fund. The medal is still in private hands.

The money in the memorial fund was used to endow the "Mottershead Scholarship" at the Halton College of Further Education in Widnes.

Besides his commemoration on the memorial, Tom Mottershead also had a road, Mottershead Road, named after him on a Council scheme built in the 1920`s.

Flight Sgt Mottershead is unique in that he was the only non-commissioned flying officer in the Royal Flying Corps or Royal Air Force to be awarded the Victoria Cross in the 1914-18 war. One of the N.C.O. pilots that crossed to France with him in July, 1916 was later to become Major J.T.B.McCudden, V.C., D.S.O. & bar, Miltary Cross & bar, Military Medal and Croix de Guerre. He was killed in France at Marquise on 9th July, 1918. The two remaining Sgt pilots who crossed to France with Mottershead and McCudden, Sgt`s Pateman and Haxton were also killed in action.