Home  |   The Great War  |   Second World War  |   Other Conflicts  |   Useful Links  |   Contact Us

 

Squadron Leader Eric Ralph Carrington HOBSON DSO DFC
6 Squadron Royal Air Force Date of birth: 12th February 1895 Date of death: 9th April 1938 Died aged 43 Buried at Ramleh War Cemetery
Eric Ralph Carrington Hobson was born in Trinidad on the 12th of February 1895 the son of Leonard Manning Hobson, an attorney-at-law, and Dorothy (nee Carrington) Hobson of Circular Road, San Fernando in Trinidad. He was educated at Lancing College from June 1908 to December 1909 where he was in News House. He went on to Sherbourne School from January 1910 to December 1913 where he was in School House. He was a member of the Shooting VII in 1912 and 1913 and a member of the 2nd Rugby XV in 1913. On leaving school he returned to Trinidad. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Trinidad Local Forces before being commissioned, with the rank of Captain, in the British West India Regiment on the 7th of July 1917. He transferred to the Royal Flying Corps with the rank of Honorary Captain on the 13th of April 1918. He was promoted to Pilot Officer on the 5th of December 1918 and was granted a short service commission with the Royal Air Force with the rank of Flying Officer on the 5th of December 1919. At the end of the war he was serving with 47 Squadron at Helikon in Egypt. In November 1919 the British began planning a fifth expedition against Dervish forces in Somaliland which were led by Mohammed Abdullah Hassan, who was known by then British as the "Mad Mullah". The British force was code named "Z" Force and included twelve Airco DH 9A aircraft which were deployed there as part of the force assembled for the operation. The aircraft were loaded on board the aircraft carrier "Ark Royal", with Eric Hobson being one of the pilots. On the 20th of January 1920 he and his Observer were on patrol over the desert when they were forced to land due to engine trouble. The Observer managed to fix the problem and they took off again, although they had lost the rest of the squadron. On their return to base they spotted and vast, camouflaged encampment at Medistie which Eric Hobson identified as Hassan's main base. The following day he led the squadron bask to the site which destroyed the stronghold and forced Hassan and the survivors of his rebel army to retreat to the mountains, effectively ending his twenty year uprising. For his actions Eric Hobson was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, which was announced by the Air Ministry on the 12th of July 1920. On the 1st of September 1923 he was posted for an instructor's course to the Electrical and Wireless School at Flowerdown. On the 27th of November 1924 he was posted to the Aircraft Depot in Iraq. He was promoted to Flight Lieutenant on the 1st of January 1927 and was posted to 70 Squadron, based in Iraq, the same day. On the 4th of November 1926 he was posted to 216 Squadron based in Egypt. On the 10th of February 1930 he was posted to the Directorate of Intelligence at the Air Ministry. He was married at St Lawrence's Church, Lechlade in Gloucestershire to Ruth Evelyn (nee Large) on the 2nd of August 1930 and they lived at "High View", Derby Road, Caversham in Reading. He represented the Great Britain Rifle Team on their tour of Canada in 1931 and was a member of the Royal Air Force Small Arms Team. He joined the Depot at Uxbridge on the 1st of February 1932 and on the 21st of February he was posted to 57 (Bomber) Squadron based at Netheravon. He served as an instructor to 501 (City of Bristol) Squadron and later to 601 (County of London) Squadron where he also served as Squadron Adjutant. On the evening of the 1st of May 1933 Eric Hobson took off from RAF Hendon with three other Hawker Hart aircraft which included one flown by Lord Knebworth MP, a member of the Air Force Auxiliary serving with 601 Squadron, with Leading Aircraftsman Ralph Harrison. They were part of a formation of twenty seven aircraft which were practising for the upcoming Auxiliary Air Force display to be held on May the 7th. During a mock bombing run the aircraft crashed and burst into flames killing Knebworth and seriously injuring Harrison who died later in hospital. At the inquest, which was held on the 4th of May, Eric Hobson attempted to take the blame for the accident. With a voice which was said to have been trembling with emotion he explained that he had not been undertaking "stunts" but giving a bombing demonstration from a height of 2,000 feet, pulling out of the dive at the customary 500 feet :- "I was leading a V shaped flight of three planes. I began to pull out of the dive at 600 feet. Somehow I continued to lose height, until dangerously near the ground. Knebworth was obliged to follow me. He had not a good view of the ground. I cannot satisfactorily explain what happened except by saying that I suffered a "blacking out" by which in high speed flying the mind ceases to function for a fraction of a second. I mention this, not as an excuse, but as a possible explanation. Whatever may have been the reason for the error of judgement it was not carelessness or recklessness." It was suggested to him that an air disturbance caused by thunder may have contributed but Hobson replied that the air had been calm at the time. The Coroner, Dr J.A. Gorsky, paid tribute to him in his summing up by referring to his:-"very generous and sportsmanlike action" in attempting to take the blame for the accident but said that he did not do himself justice adding in his summation to the jury:-"You have heard that there is such a thing as blacking out during which for some reason or other, the mind temporarily becomes slightly blank. It may be only for a second or two. Those who have been flying realize that one or two seconds can be quite sufficient. None of us will ever know exactly what did happen. I think, rather than to suggest it was an error of judgement, it would be more generous to say it was an Act of God. A verdict of "death by misadventure" was recorded. In June 1934 he was appointed to air staff duties in the Middle East. He had previously commanded 33 (Bomber) Squadron before being seconded. He was promoted to Squadron Leader on the 1st of February 1936 and on the 14th of March he was posted to the Royal Air Force Aircraft Depot at Karachi. On the 20th of January 1937 he was appointed as Commanding Officer of 6 (Bomber) Squadron based at Ismailia where the squadron were deployed in response to increasing tensions between the Arabs and the Jews. On the 31st of January 1938 the Arab leader, Sheikh Atiyah Ahmed Awad, leader of the "Black Hand" in Damascus launched an attack against a British army unit near Umm El Fahm, near Jenin in Palestine. 6 Squadron had been alerted to their presence the night before and despatched aircraft at regular intervals throughout the day to bomb and machine gun the rebel positions. Eric Hobson took off at 4.50pm and landed safely at 5.45pm. During the day the squadron claimed to have killed an estimated fifteen of the enemy with machine gun fire and an unknown number with the thirteen bombs they dropped in the area during the day. For his part in this action Eric Hobson was awarded the Distinguished Service Order which was announced by the Air Ministry on the 6th of May 1938. The citation read:- "For gallant conduct in action against armed bands at Umm El Fahm on 31st January 1938." In the London Gazette of the 23rd of December 1938 it was announced that his name was brought to the notice by the General Officer Commanding British Forces in Palestine and Trans Jordan in recognition of distinguished services rendered in connection with the operations in Palestine during the period 12th of September 1937 to the 31st of March 1938. He was found shot dead in an office at Ramleh Aerodrome in Palestine with a revolver lying next to his body. Initial reports suggested that he had been killed by an Arab but it was quickly established that this was not the case.

News House