We said 'yes.' The distance from the spot where the Plane crashed and my gun was about 600 yards. These were made by two different Australian antiaircraft crews who were stationed on the Morlancourt Ridge. The 24th Machine Gun Company War Diary for April 1918 includes a statement by Sgt Popkin: "I was the Sergeant in charge of a Machine Gun detachment at J 19 d. I did not feel like a victor. WebHis father, who had an address on the North Shore of Sydney, was recorded as his next of kin. This message was posted before February 2018. Other machine gunners and riflemen also fired at von Richthofens Fokker tri-plane. While recognizing that for "propoganda reason" Capt Brown was awarded credit for the "kill", of course realistically, we could never know who fired the fatal bullet that day=claffey-27. Template Design Joomla Templates GavickPro. Here according to a reliable witness he was fired at by an A.A. gun of the 24th Australian Machine Gun Company. whilst on active service5. WebAustralian gunner sergeant Cedric Popkin (second left), behind a Vickers machine gun, with crew that manned the four machine guns in his battery. Norman Franks, an author and aviation historian, told NOVA. . In January 1917, he had his airplane, an Albatross D.III, painted bright red. 20 Jun 1890 - St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia, Jan 1968 - Tweed Heads, New South Wales, Australia. The police report stated "he keeps company with bad companions and often sleeps out at night". Topics: world-war-1, history, air-force, lismore-2480, france, fingal-head-2487, tyalgum-2484. WebEat Healthy !!! Start a free family tree online and well do the searching for you. Popkin was an anti-aircraft machine gunner in the 24th Machine Gun Company, part of the Australian 4th Division, stationed in the Somme Valley, France. He said he had lent the piece of laminated timber fuselage to someone in Murwillumbah running a war souvenir display and never got it back. We are talking about a "dog-fight". On 21 April 1918 whilst at his post as a gunner with his Vickers Machine Gun, at Corbie in the Somme Valley, Sergeant Cedric Popkin encountered the Red Baron. The Courier - Mail, Feb 15, 2015, pp. Most now believe that a Australian sergeant named Cedric Popkin is the most likely to have fired the bullet that downed the Red Baron. Armed with a Vickers machine gun, he had fired twice on the plane as it flew overhead, the second time at the same angle as the bullet entered von Richthofens body. "Given the evidence and the claimants, we can say that it was a long-range shot, that is, over 600 yards," says Peter Franks. The couple moved to South Murwillumbah where Cedric found work as a tobacconist and had two sons, Roland and Michael. Nova sought the opinion of Norman Franks, author and aviation historian who when asked 'What do we need to look at?' On admission to the Queen Victoria Hospital at Netley, Cedric's right leg was amputated. Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922Name: Cedric B PopkinBirth Date: 1890Birth Place: New South WalesRegistration Year: 1890Registration Place: St Leonards, New South Wales, AustraliaFather: Dan W B PopkinMother: Lilian MRegistration Number: 32243Source InformationAncestry.com. "The only claimant at that range is Popkin. He said, 'There's your man'.". Cedric's company was based at Camiers in France, the base depot for the Machine Gun Corps where he attended training school. When he was four years old, Manfred moved with his family to nearby Schweidnitz (now widnica ). Despite this, the attending surgeons at Richthofen's autopsy were of the opinion that the angle and nature of the bullet wounds ruled out the possibility that he had been shot from the ground, and that the injuries were due to the efforts of a Canadian pilot Roy Brown. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] Popkin was an anti-aircraft (AA) machine gunner with the First Australian Imperial Force (AIF), during World War I . 3 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps. Many experts believe that the shot came from Popkin. It is now widely accepted that Cedric Popkin #424 brought down the Red Baron as studies have demonstrated that the locations that the other contenders would have fired from and the timing of the crash means that none could have inflicted the fatal wound. By 1904 the family was living in Grafton and Cedrics two Supplied: Popkin family archive. Many Australian riflemen were also shooting at the Baron at the time, so one of them may have fired the fatal shot. Websergeant cedric Popkin killed the red Baron? A cavalry officer turned airplane pilot, Baron von Richthofen is considered to betheleading fighter ace of World War I, officially creditedwith 80 aerialvictories. The Baron was hit by a 0.303 calibre bullet which passed diagonally from right to left through his chest. It is now considered all but certain by historians, doctors, and ballistics experts that von Richthofen was killed by an AA machine gunner firing from the ground, for a number of reasons. Whilst in training camp at Perham Downs on Salisbury Plains, Cedric was reprimanded for insulting language to a NCO, which turned out to be his one and only military offence. By 7 April, when his company commander Sgt Phee was declared missing in action, Cedric was promoted to Sergeant. . It was in this airplane that he scored most of his victories, and earned his nickname. Popkin was an anti-aircraft (AA) machine gunner with the First Australian Imperial Force (AIF) during the First World War. There was a lump in my throat. "Now the evidence is that the wounds were actually probed by the medical staff after he had been shot down and they were actually able to follow the bullet path through the body. The next day Cedric was at the 47th Casualty Clearing Station before being moved to the 3rd Australian General Hospital. Cedric, Service No 424, was originally assigned to the 6th Machine Gun Reinforcements as a private on 20 June, then to the 7th Machine Gun Company on 4 August 1916 when he embarked in Melbourne on the Port Lincoln. "Given the evidence and the claimants, we can say that it was a long-range shot, that is, over 600 yards," says Peter Franks. Youll get hints when we find information about your relatives . In turn, the Baron was chased by another Canadian pilot, Captain Roy Brown. On arriving at Sierra Leone, Cedric and his company were transferred to the Ulysses which carried the troops to England. Cedric Popkin enlisted in the AIF in Brisbane on 6 May 1916, just before his 26th birthday. WebCedric Bassett Popkin (ur. "He said, 'Have you got somebody who knows what they're doing, 600 yards away, and he's firing at von Richthofen's right side?' I gnashed my teeth, I cursed the war. "Now the evidence is that the wounds were actually probed by the medical staff after he had been shot down and they were actually able to follow the bullet path through the body. At about 10.35am on 21 April, Baron von Richthofen, flying his red Fokker DR-1, engaged Sopwith Camels from 209 Squadron, RAF. The Pilot (whom I was subsequently told was Captain Baron Von Richthoven (sic)), I saw had at least three machine gun bullets through his body, one in his ribs at the side, and a couple through his chest, and I consider he died as a result of these wounds from the time he was hit till he hit the ground, a matter of 2 or 3 seconds. Just before his 26th birthday, on 6 May 1916, Cedric Bassett Popkin travelled to Brisbane to enlist in the AIF. Despite this, the attending surgeons at Richthofen's autopsy were of the opinion that the angle and nature of the bullet wounds ruled out the possibility that he had been shot from the ground, and that the injuries were due to the efforts of a Canadian pilot Roy Brown. The 24th Machine Gun Company War Diary for April 1918 includes a statement by Sgt Popkin: "I was the Sergeant in charge of a Machine Gun detachment at J 19 d. The Planes came from an Easterly direction and when within range of my gun, were flying very low, just above the tree tops. Many researchers have come to the conclusion that Sergeant Cedric Bassett Popkin, 24th Australian Machine Gun Company, 4th Division, Australian Imperial Force, fired the burst of gunfire that struck the Baron. "I started firing at the body of the German pilot directly through my peep sight," Buie wrote. By 1895 the Sands Directory gives Dan's address as the "Derby Hotel" in Regent Street, Sydney and in 1896 he is listed at Terminus Street, Sydney. Nellie Popkin (nee Bull) died in 1965 at Murwillumbah. Hall, Peter. As soon as this risk was over, I opened fire a second time and observed at once that my fire took effect. If you would like to view one of these trees in its entirety, you can contact the owner of the tree to request permission to see the tree. Many experts believe that the shot came from Popkin. These facts, and the angle at which the bullet passed through Richthofen's body, suggest that he was killed by a long-distance, low velocity shot from a ground-based weapon. His face, particularly peaceful, had an expression of gentleness and goodness, of refinement. Running to the wreckage, Fowler saw bullet wounds in Richthofen's chest, and was convinced he had been killed by the gunners. He bled freely after he hit the ground from the wounds in his chest. Because of the type of weapons that where involved, we can say that it was probably a Vickers MG that fired the shot. WebSon of Major Albrecht Philipp Karl Julius Freiherr von Richthofen, his education was in a succession of military schools and academies. As shown on PBS's NOVA, the medical reports showed von Richthofen was hit by an upward shot to the right side. On 21 April 1918 whilst at his post as a gunner with his Vickers Machine Gun, at Corbie in the Somme Valley, Sergeant Cedric Popkin encountered the Red Baron. I immediately got my gun into action and waited for our own plane to pass me, as the planes were close together, and there was a risk of hitting both. His mother is the former Mitzi Jurkowitz, formerly of this city. E01716, Casualty List 417 of 16 August stated Cpl Cedric Bassett Popkin of Palmwoods was wounded. I handed my gun over to the No. Discover the meaning and history behind your last name and get a sense of identity and discover who you are and where you come from. Cedric's company was based at Camiers in France, the base depot for the Machine Gun Corps where he attended training school. The most famous flying ace of World War One, Cavalry Captain Baron Manfred von Richthofen (The Red Baron), was shot down and killed on 21 April 1918 near Vaux-sur-Seine in an Australian-held sector of the Allied line. NOVA's program focuses on the two best-known claims attributing Richthofen's death to machine gun fire from the ground. If he had been my dearest friend, I could not have felt greater sorrow., Captain Arthur Roy Brown, D.S.C. "Fragments flew from the plane and it lessened speed. I immediately got my gun into action and waited for our own plane to pass me, as the planes were close together, and there was a risk of hitting both. Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific military history task force, the Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific military history task force, https://archive.is/20091005212023/http://www.suncoast.com.au/Palmwoods/News/98-04/p5a.html, http://www.suncoast.com.au/Palmwoods/News/98-04/p5a.html, https://web.archive.org/web/20110613145710/http://deepthought.hass.adfa.edu.au:8080/showPerson?pid=243551, http://deepthought.hass.adfa.edu.au:8080/showPerson?pid=243551, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Cedric_Popkin&oldid=849600504, Start-Class biography (military) articles, Low-importance biography (military) articles, Start-Class Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific military history articles, Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific military history task force articles, Low-importance Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific military history articles, Military aviation articles needing attention to referencing and citation, Military aviation articles needing attention to coverage and accuracy, Military biography articles needing attention to referencing and citation, Military biography articles needing attention to coverage and accuracy, Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific military history articles needing attention to referencing and citation, Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific military history articles needing attention to coverage and accuracy, World War I articles needing attention to referencing and citation, World War I articles needing attention to coverage and accuracy, Military history articles needing attention to referencing and citation, Military history articles needing attention to coverage and accuracy, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This article has been checked against the following, If you have discovered URLs which were erroneously considered dead by the bot, you can report them with, If you found an error with any archives or the URLs themselves, you can fix them with, This page was last edited on 10 July 2018, at 03:00.

Mr Sanu Gynaecologist, Mobile Homes For Sale In Harford County, Md, What Is A Major Element Found In Eggs, Articles C