Cedric Ernest HowellPrint Page

Captain Howell was a resident of that parish, and a scholar of the Melbourne Grammar School. When World War One broke out he held a commission in the Citizen Forces, but being under age he enlisted as a private. Attached to the 46th battalion Captain Howell saw service in France as a sniper. He was one of 200 selected from the Australian Imperial Force for training for the Royal Air Force, in which he became a pilot, after passing through the training schools at Durham and Oxford.  While serving with the R.F.C. he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order, the Military Cross,  Distinguished Flying Cross, was three times mentioned in despatches, and, in, addition, gained two Italian decorations.  He was officially credited with having "crashed" 32 enemy machines, and having "driven down" 11 more. Actually, his total was stated to have been 58.

 

After the armistice Captain Howell was in charge of the aerodrome at NetherWollop, Hampshire, and later began preparations for his flight to Australia. He used a Martinsyde machine, equipped with a 275 horse-power Rolls-Royce engine. It was his intention to reach Africa in the first stage of the flight, but striking adverse weather he headed for Crete. His plane crashed into the sea near the coast of Greece. Captain Howell stripped off his clothes in order to tow ashore his mechanic, who could not swim, but they were both drowned.