HORNE, Herbert George MacMillan
| Service Number: | Commissioned Officer |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Second Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | Royal Flying Corps |
| Born: | Traralgon, Victoria, Australia, 24 January 1898 |
| Home Town: | Traralgon, Latrobe, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Melbourne Grammar School, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Student |
| Died: | Aerial combat, France, 13 April 1917, aged 19 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Arras Flying Services Memorial, France |
| Memorials: | Malvern St George's Anglican Church Honour Roll, Melbourne Grammar School WW1 Fallen Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 1 Jun 1915: | Embarked Private passage to the UK | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Nov 1915: | Promoted Second Lieutenant, 19th Battalion, London Regiment | |
| 16 Aug 1916: | Transferred Second Lieutenant, Royal Flying Corps, 17th Reserve Squadron | |
| 31 Oct 1916: | Involvement Second Lieutenant, Commissioned Officer, Royal Flying Corps, AFC / RFC operations Western Front / Middle East, No. 49 Squadron RFC | |
| 28 Jan 1917: | Involvement Second Lieutenant, Royal Flying Corps, AFC / RFC operations Western Front / Middle East, No. 59 Squadron RFC | |
| 13 Apr 1917: | Involvement Second Lieutenant, No. 59 Squadron RFC | |
| 13 Apr 1917: | Involvement Second Lieutenant, Commissioned Officer, Royal Flying Corps, AFC / RFC operations Western Front / Middle East, No. 59 Squadron RFC |
Help us honour Herbert George MacMillan Horne's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Faithe Jones
Herbert George MacMillan Horne who was killed in action in France on 13th April 1917 was the son of Dr. Herbert Horne. He was born in 1898 and was at the School from 1910 to 1915 and was in the crew in 1914 and 1915. He enlisted in the Inns of Court Officers' Training Corps in August 1915. He obtained his commission in 3rd/19th London on 11th November 1915. Acted as bombing instructor for some months near Winchester. On 16th August 1916 he was attached to the Royal Flying Corps, and two months later 16th October, obtained his wings. As he was still under age for service abroad he remained as flying instructor until 13th February 1917, when he flew over to St. Omer, France, with the 57th Squadron. He was engaged on the Arras front in taking photographs and bombing until 13th April 1917, when six machines, of which his was one, were all brought down. They were attacked and outnumbered very considerably by the enemy. Seven men were killed and three wounded and taken prisoners. The following letter from his Major tells of how much he was appreciated; "Horne went out with five other machines to do some photographic work some way over the lines, and all six failed to return. What happened I cannot say; they were undoubtedly brought down. It indeed was a terrible blow to me. They were my very best fellows (all twelve). He was invaluable to me, always cheerful and willing and ready for any job that came along. Brave as a lion, I could not have had a greater loss. I feel his loss personally tremendously. He was such a fine fellow."
War Services Old Melburnians 1914 - 1918
Biography contributed by Sharyn Roberts
Herbert George MacMillan HORNE was born on 24th January, 1898 in Traralgon, Victoria
His parents were Herbert Roger HORNE and Flora MacMILLAN who married in Melbourne in 1895. Flora died when Herbert was a baby due to an accidental overdose of morphine & he was brought up by two relatives of the family. His father remarried in 1903 in Broken Hill, NSW to Mary Eliza MacMILLAN who was Floras sister
His father Dr. Herbert Roger HORNE died in Traralgon n 1908 in a car accident after a dog ran under the car & damaged it
Herbert (Mac) left Melbourne on 1st June, 1915 on the ship Marathon and enlisted in August 1915 in the Inns of Court Officers Training Corps in London as a Private
On 11th November 1915 he received his commission and in August 1916 transferred to the 19th County of London Battalion (St Pancras) Regiment attached to the 49th Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps - on 16th August, 1916 he was assigned to the Royal Flying Corp & undertook instruction in military aeronautics & soon afterwards was attached to the 17th Reserve Squadron where he graduated as a pilot
On 28th January 1917 Lieutenant Horne was attached to the 59th Squadron where he was an assistant flying instructor
The squadron was based at La Bellevue Aerodrome south of Arras where it flew reconnaissance missions over the Western Front
On 13th April, 1917 the 59th Squadron was on a photo reconnaissance mission , 6 aircraft were allocated to the mission and Lieutenant Horne was the pilot on the aircraft to carry the photo equipment
The flight was sighted by aircrew from the German Army Air Service at La Brayelle Aerodrome, west of Douai and the fighter pilots took off to intercept. Six british aircraft were shot down and his plane (R.E. 8 - A4191))was shot down by the German ace, Lieutenant Lothar Von Richthofen over Pelves, a small village on the River Scarpe.
Herberts body was never recovered - he died on 13th April, 1917 - his name is memorialised on the Arras Flying Services Memorial , Pas de Calais, St George Church, Malvern Memorial which has the Great War Memorial in St Martins Chapel & also the London WW1 Memorial
The Commonwealth War Graves states he was in the 59th Squadron, Royal Flying Corps & 9th Battalion & also the London Regiment (Queen Victorias Rifles) but no further information is to hand
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His father Herbert Roger HORNE served in the Boer war on two occasions (SN 718 & SN419) & was with the Victorian Citizens Bushmen (Cameron Scouts) and on both occasions he was seriously injured & repatriated back to Australia. On recovery he resumed his medical practice at Broken Hill, White Cliffs & Albury
There are stories & photos on the listed links about Herbert (Macs) service which go into more detail - also see the link to Boer War Records for more detail about his fathers service
Click images to start slideshow.