The letters are reunited with the Pearson family

Apologies from your rather scatty bloggers on this long overdue update!

In March this year we managed to reunite Olivers letters to the Pearson Family.
Francis and his wife Hilary were such gracious hosts for the afternoon and couldn't have made us more welcome. I can't say how happy Dan and I were to finally hand over the letters back to the family, where they belong, and also that they were so pleased to have them back. It was a perfect end to this story for us.

Hilary treated us to one of the best Sunday roasts I've had for a very long time, and afterward we got to see Oliver's effects that had been passed down to Francis from his father Aubrey. Oliver's wallet, a short diary, some family photos, a map of North Belgium, and his medals and 'Death Penny' Memorial Plaque.

Your humble blog authors with Francis Pearson.

Francis with Olivers letters, while I am holding an 1897 bottle of Madeira, from Francis's own collection, which he opened especially to honour the occasion. The date is significant - the year Oliver was born.
(The bottle now proudly sits on Mikes bookshelf.)

Francis and I with Olivers Great War letters

Oliver's diary.

Oliver's wallet, containing cards and addresses, a few family photos, and his last R.F.C. pay cheque.

Nell, June 1917, sitting on the tail of a Naval Avro.

RFC cheque.

Oliver's 'Death Penny', and his British War Medal, and Victory Medal, often refered to as 'Mutt and Jeff'
The Death Penny, or Memorial Plaque, was issued to the Next of Kin of every British and Empire service personnel who were killed as a result of the war.

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Welcome to 'An Airmans Lost Letters' 1915-1917

These long forgotten letters penned by a young R.F.C. pilot, 2nd Lt. Oliver Charles Pearson to his Mother during the Great War, were discovered and liberated from a skip filled with the remnants of a roof clearance at a property in Southampton, UK during the mid 1990s. Within the past year they were rediscovered (again) having sat in a box in a loft for the last 10-15 years and were kindly passed to this sites authors, both of whom share an interest in social and military history from this period. Any links the letters had with the Pearson family have been long forgotten. We, the creators of this website, believe these documents are important social records of great interest to many, truly deserving preservation and a wider audience. When the letters came into our possession, via the nephew of the original finder, we deliberated over what we should do with them - perhaps donate them to a war museum? Oliver Pearsons old school? or return them to any living descendants, should we di...

Lt Werner Voss claims his 44th victim

On the 10th of September 1917 two young pilots met over the Flanders battlefield. One was nineteen year old 2nd Lt Oliver Charles Pearson, the other was twenty year old Leutnant Werner Voss , flying a prototype of one of the brand new Fokker Triplanes ... Oliver had left the 70 Sqn airfield near Poperinge at 4.45pm in Sopwith Camel B3787, on an offensive patrol to nearby Houlhulst Wood. Lt Werner Voss was by then commander of 10 Jasta. One of Germanys top fighter aces, he was a natural pilot and aggressive fighter with 43 kills to his credit so far, second only to his friend and competitor Baron Manfred Von Richthofen. Werner had been chosen to test fly Anthony Fokkers prototype only a few days before at the end of August. With aero engines in short supply his was fitted with a 110 hp LeRhône engine engine from a captured RFC Nieuport 17 fighter. Voss with Anthony Fokker Voss and his Triplane with his distinctive Japanese kite face p...

Shuttleworth Uncovered at Old Warden

I made a long overdue visit to the Shuttleworth Collection recently, for their Shuttleworth Uncovered display. The Shuttleworth Collection has been on my radar for many years now, especially since we started this blog of Olivers letters. For this event there was a special Sopwith line up, and although none were flying, we were treated to several engine runs of the Brooklands Camels 130hp Cleget motor. To finally see this stubby little aeroplane close up was an amazing experience, but to smell the castor oil and hear the throaty roar of the motor was even better, and will stay with me for a very long time. And this is one of the last 10 Pup's built by the Sopwith Factory in 1919. They converted them into a two seaters and called them 'Doves'. Richard Shuttleworth acquired it in 1936 and converted it back into a single seat Pup. We had a fantastic afternoon at Old Warden, can't recommend a visit highly enough. Now planning my next visit ... Click here for t...

An Airman's Lost Letters

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