Aimé Antoine Léger
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Aimé Antoine Léger (1895 - 1917)

Aimé Antoine Léger
Born in Cocagne, Dundas, Kent, Nouveau-Brunswick, Canadamap
Ancestors ancestors
Died at age 21 in Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex, England, United Kingdommap
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Profile last modified | Created 26 May 2019
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Contents

Biography

Lieutenant Aimé Antoine Léger served in the Canadian Army in World War I
Service started: Jan 4, 1916
Unit(s): 74th Regiment; 165th Battalion (Acadiens) CEF; Canadian Forestry Corps; Royal Air Force
Service ended: Sep 11, 1917 (Killed during training)

Aimé Antoine was born in 1895 in Cocagne to Louis Legere, a teacher, and Marcelline Goguen. [1] He was killed in an airplane accident, while training as a pilot, near Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex, England in 1917. He was 21 years old. Aimé Antoine rests in Old Shoreham Cemetery, Sussex, United Kingdom.

War Service

On January 4th 1916, Aimé Antoine headed to Moncton to join the army. He was 20 years old at the time and a B.A student. Upon enlistment, he was assigned to the unit 74th Regiment and the 165th Battalion CEF and given the rank of lieutenant. His enlistment papers were signed by Lieut. Colonel Daigle, commanding the 165th « Acadian » Battalion CEF. He would be paid an average of 110 $ a month. His personnel record does not mention the place where he received his training during the following 14 months but according to sources the 165th Battalion’s training camp was in Valcartier, Québec. [2][3]

1st Battalion at Valcartier

On March 16th 1917, he signed a last will and testament, which was standard procedure in the army. He bequeathed his belongings to Joseph A.B Legere, an employee at General Offices, 117 Lutz St., Moncton.

On March 25th 1917, he embarked on a ship in Halifax. He arrived in Liverpool England two weeks later.

In May 1917, he was assigned to the Base Depot Sunningdale in England and transferred to the Canadian Forestry Corps, attached to the Royal Flying Corps.

Canadian Forestry Corps Recruitment Poster.
« The Forestry Corps was created during the First World War when it was discovered that huge quantities of wood were needed for use on the Western Front. Duckboards, shoring timbers, crates—anything that needed wood had to be provided. The British government concluded that there was nobody more experienced or qualified in the British Empire to harvest timber than the Canadians. (...) The Canadian Forestry Corps cut trees in forests in England, Scotland and France, where the timber was squared, sawed and transported. The CFC also built aerodromes in France for the ever-burgeoning Royal Flying Corps. »[4]The following month, he assumed command of the 165th Quarantine Detatchment. In July, he proceeded to RFC Reading. He seems to have served mainly in England, and trained as an airplane pilot. One interesting fact is that the world’s first military airplane (video) was built only 8 years earlier, in 1909, by the Wright brothers. During World War I, the training personnel was not always well qualified and many of the airplanes were unsuitable. The casualties during training were greater than during combat. [5]
Vickers F.B.12 single-seat pusher fighting scout.© IWM (Q 68158). ( See comment by Geoffrey Raebel in the comments section below.)

Aimé Antoine might have trained in a FARMAN MF 11 SHORTHORN, a two-seater biplane "pusher aircraft," in which the engine and the propeller are located behind the pilot.

In Aimé Antoine’s personnel file, it is written that he was killed in an airplane accident near Shoreham-by-Sea on September 11th 1917 and that he fell in a tree (which is innacurate - see section below). No other information is given as to the cause of the accident, or the injuries sustained. [6]

Accident

This newspaper article explains the circumstances of the accident.

Worthing Gazette - Wednesday 26 September 1917
« Lieutenant Aime Léger, drowned

FALL INTO THE SEA.

Rustington Fatality

Young Canadian Airman's End

Evidence at the Inquest

ANOTHER young Colonial Officer lost his life while flying in West Sussex last Tuesday evening. This was Lieutenant Aime Antoine Leger, aged twenty-two, a Canadian attached to the Royal Flying Corps. According to the evidence that was given at the inquiry which the West Sussex Coroner (Mr. F. W. Butler) conducted on Thursday afternoon, he was flying along the coast in the neighbourhood of Broadmark-lane, Rustington, when a mishap occurred to his machine, which was carried out over the sea, and eventually fell into the water, some three or four hundred yards from the shore.

Although there were several spectators of the accident, it was not possible to render any assistance at the moment, and by the time some patrol vessels and other motor craft arrived on the scene from Littlehampton all trace of the airman had disappeared. The wrecked machine was towed ashore, and efforts to locate the body were continued during the night, with the result that it was eventually recovered in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

A Promising Pupil.

Formal evidence of identification was given by Lieutenant and Flight-Commander THOMAS STANLEY STEWART, who said the deceased had previously done three hours and twenty-five minutes flying alone, and was a very promising pupil, and quite competent to fly alone. Before the deceased started on Tuesday evening witness himself tested the machine by using it for fifteen minutes, and the engine and everything worked perfectly. He saw the machine again the next morning, when he thoroughly inspected everything. He had no doubt at all that the accident was caused by a portion of the exhaust manifold fouling the propellor. This had the effect of splintering the propellor, and the splinters from the propellor had severed the tail booms, thus putting the machine absolutely out of control. It was very seldom that this sort of thing happened. It would have been a slow or gradual process, and witness thought the deceased must have noticed or heard that there was something wrong with his engine before the propellor broke. He had probably struggled on in order to find a decent place in which to land, but he ought to have

Come Down at Once.

When anything went wrong it was asking too much of the engine and taking liberties with it to try to go on; but it was very unfortunate in this case, because the deceased was almost over a nice landing place when the accident happened.

MATTHEW ROBERT WILKINS, a manufacturer's agent staying at Elm Villa, Church-road, Rustington, deposed that at about twenty minutes past six on Tuesday evening he was sitting on the beach, when he saw an aeroplane about a quarter of a mile inland, flying about a thousand feet up in the air, towards the beach. When the machine got to within five or six hundred yards of where witness was sitting he heard two sharp reports, and saw something fall from the machine. It flew on for a few seconds on an even keel or level, then turned on its left side, then righted itself again, and planed right away down into the sea, striking the water a quarter of a mile from the beach. Witness did not see the pilot at all. As it neared the sea the machine seemed to gather speed, and it struck the water with tremendous force. Witness went to a boat that was on the beach, but found it was waterlogged, and there were no oars.

A Plucky Spectator.

RICHARD AUBREY CALLENDER, a visitor staying at Glengarry, Craigmair-road, Rustington, said he first saw the aeroplane when it was over the landing ground. It was at a height of about five hundred feet. He heard a crack, and then the tail seemed to be all wobbling about, and the machine planed down into the sea and turned over. Witness thought he saw the pilot as the machine touched the water, but not afterwards. He swam out, as did also several others on the beach, but they did not see anything more of the deceased.

Lieutenant Stewart: I think it very plucky of this gentleman to have swum out as he did!

Captain SAMUEL TREHERNE SAUNDERSON, of the Royal Flying Corps, deposed that he was present when the body was found at three o'clock on Wednesday morning. Witness agreed with Lieutenant Stewart as to the cause of the accident. The manifold had become a stationary saw, into which the propellor had gradually cut itself, until it splintered or broke. An official Court of Inquiry had since been held, and they were of opinion that the accident was due to the sleeve of the manifold becoming separated from the outside casing and fouling the propellor, which splintered and

Severed the Tail Booms.

The Court further expressed the opinion that no blame was attached to any of the personnel of the staff. In all probability it was due to a faulty brazing of the manifold, which nobody could have noticed from an external examination.

Captain FREDERICK HENRY BOWEN, of the Royal Army Medical Corps, said there were no external marks of injury, and death was undoubtedly due to drowning. He thought that the deceased was unconscious when he struck the water.

The jury returned a verdict that the deceased was drowned through his aeroplane accidentally falling into the sea. »[7]

Sources

  1. Provincial Archives of New Brunswick. RS141A2/2 Index to County Birth Registers Name LEGER, ANTOINE AIME Sex M Date 1895-11-26 Place COCAGNE County KENT Father LEGER, LOUIS Mother GOGUEN, MARCELLINE Code 8-1-147-628 Microfilm F14035. https://archives.gnb.ca/Search/VISSE/141A2_2.aspx?culture=en-CA&guid=c8751f2c-d8c2-49af-ac09-9d4fd177262b
  2. 165th Battalion - World War I Yarmouth Connections The Wartime Heritage.
  3. Training at Valcartier. The War Museum.
  4. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Forestry_Corps#/search
  5. First World War flying training - Taking Flight. Royal Air Force Museum.
  6. Personnel File of Aimé Antoine Legere. Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; CEF Personnel Files; Reference: RG 150, Accession 1992-93/166, Box 5548 - 69. Item Number: 520502.
  7. Sussex History Forum. http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=14889.0;wap2




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Comments: 2

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Thank you Geoffrey, and BRAVO to you Gisèle, what an extraordinary profile!
posted by Rebecca Bobor
It would appear from the evidence that the aircraft was a pusher type with the engine behind the pilot and the propeller behind that. If a piece of manifold/exhaust came off it would splinter the propeller and the splinters would have hit the 4 wooden tail booms supporting the tail assembly. At probably less than 1,000 feet, it would have all been over in a minute or two. It is likely that the pilot would have perhaps 10-15 hours total flying experience.

Just a quick analysis. G

posted by Geoffrey Raebel