Group Captain Group captain (Gp Capt or G/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries that have historical British influence. Group cap ...

Lionel Wilmot Brabazon Rees, (31 July 1884 – 28 September 1955) was a Welsh aviator,

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

, and a recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

forces. He was credited with eight confirmed aerial victories, comprising one enemy aircraft captured, one destroyed, one "forced to land" and five "driven down".''Above the Trenches'', p. 316 Rees and his gunner, Flight Sergeant James McKinley Hargreaves, were the only two airmen to become aces flying the earliest purpose-built British fighter aeroplane, the Vickers Gunbus. Rees also had a keen interest in archaeology. While flying from

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

in the 1920s, he took some of the earliest archaeological aerial photographs of sites in eastern

Transjordan Transjordan may refer to: * Transjordan (region), an area to the east of the Jordan River * Oultrejordain, a Crusader lordship (1118–1187), also called Transjordan * Emirate of Transjordan, British protectorate (1921–1946) * Hashemite Kingdom o ...

(now Jordan), and published several articles in ''

Antiquity Antiquity or Antiquities may refer to: Historical objects or periods Artifacts *Antiquities, objects or artifacts surviving from ancient cultures Eras Any period before the European Middle Ages (5th to 15th centuries) but still within the histo ...

'' and the journal of the

Palestine Exploration Fund The Palestine Exploration Fund is a British society based in London. It was founded in 1865, shortly after the completion of the Ordnance Survey of Jerusalem by Royal Engineers of the War Department. The Fund is the oldest known organization i ...

. He is considered a father of the archaeological studies of this remote area, and a pioneer of aerial archaeology."Aerial Archaeology in Jordan", David Kennedy and Robert Bewley, ''

'' 83, no 319, pp. 69–81 He was also an accomplished sailor.

Early life and education

Rees was born at 5 Castle Street,

Caernarfon Caernarfon (; ) is a List of place names with royal patronage in the United Kingdom, royal town, Community (Wales), community and port in Gwynedd, Wales. It has a population of 9,852 (with Caeathro). It lies along the A487 road, on the easter ...

, on 31 July 1884, the son of Charles Herbert Rees, a solicitor and honorary colonel in the

Royal Welch Fusiliers The Royal Welch Fusiliers () was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, and part of the Prince of Wales's Division, that was founded in 1689, shortly after the Glorious Revolution. In 1702, it was designated a fusilier regiment and becam ...

, and his wife Leonara. Rees attended

Eastbourne College Eastbourne College is a co-educational Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging school in the English Public school (United Kingdom), public school tradition, for boarding school, boarding and Day school, day pupils aged 13–18, in ...

before entering the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich in 1902. Rees was commissioned on 23 December 1903 into the

Royal Garrison Artillery The Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) was formed in 1899 as a distinct arm of the British Army's Royal Artillery, Royal Regiment of Artillery serving alongside the other two arms of the Regiment, the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) and the Royal Horse ...

and was posted to Gibraltar. Promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

in 1906, he moved to Sierra Leone in 1908 and in May 1913 was seconded to the

Southern Nigeria Regiment The Southern Nigeria Regiment was a British Colonial Auxiliary Forces regiment which operated in Nigeria in the early part of the 20th century. The Regiment was formed out of the Niger Coast Protectorate Force and part of the Royal Niger Consta ...

First World War

Rees was commissioned as an officer in the

, a branch of the

Royal Regiment of Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

. In 1912, Rees learned to fly at his own expense, receiving his Aviator's Certificate (no. 392) in January 1913. By 1913–14, Rees was attached to the

West African Frontier Force The West African Frontier Force (WAFF) was a multi-battalion field force, formed by the British Colonial Office in 1900 to garrison the West African colonies of Nigeria, Gold Coast, Sierra Leone and Gambia. In 1928, it received royal recognit ...

when he was seconded to the

Royal Flying Corps The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British Army before and during the First World War until it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force. During the early part of the war, the RFC sup ...

in August 1914, initially as an instructor at

Upavon Upavon is a rural village and civil parish in the county of Wiltshire, England. As its name suggests, it is on the upper portion of the River Avon which runs from north to south through the village. It is on the north edge of Salisbury Plain ...

, he was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in October 1914. In early 1915 he took command of the newly formed No. 11 Squadron at

Netheravon Netheravon is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish on the River Avon (Hampshire), River Avon and A345 road, about north of the town of Amesbury in Wiltshire, South West England. It is within Salisbury Plain. The village is on ...

and in July they moved to France. He first saw action flying the Vickers Gunbus with No. 11 Squadron in mid-1915, earning a reputation as an aggressive pilot and an above average marksman.

Military Cross

Rees was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

for his actions in 1915, gazetted as follows: By this time he had claimed one aircraft captured, one destroyed, one "forced to land" and five "driven down". Rees returned to England at the end of 1915, where he took command of the

Central Flying School The Central Flying School (CFS) is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 at the Upavon Aerodrome, it is the longest existing flying training school in the world. The sch ...

Flight at Upavon. In June 1916 he took No. 32 Squadron to France.

Victoria Cross

Rees was 31 years old and on detached service from the Royal Garrison Artillery to the Royal Flying Corps on Flying Duties as a temporary

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in No. 32 Squadron when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC. In the first hours of the

Somme Offensive The Battle of the Somme (; ), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and the French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place between 1 July and 18 Nove ...

, Rees was on patrol, taking off in

Airco DH.2 The Airco DH.2 was a single-seat pusher biplane fighter aircraft which operated during the First World War. It was the second pusher design by aeronautical engineer Geoffrey de Havilland for Airco, based on his earlier DH.1 two-seater. The ...

No. 6015 at 0555 hours. His attempt to join a formation of "British" machines brought an attack from one of the Germans. He shot up the attacker, hitting its fuselage between the two aircrew. As it dived away, Rees attacked a

Roland Roland (; ; or ''Rotholandus''; or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. The historical Roland was mil ...

. Long range fire from three other Germans did not discourage Rees from closing on it; it emitted a hazy cloud of smoke from its engine from the 30 rounds Rees fired into it and it fled. Rees then single-handedly went after five more Germans. A bullet in the thigh paralysed his leg, forcing him to temporarily break off his assault. As the shock of the wound wore off, he was able to pursue the German formation leader, which was leaving after dropping its bomb. He fired his Lewis machine gun empty. In frustration, he drew his pistol but dropped it into his DH.2's nacelle. Meanwhile, the German two-seater pulled away above him. The German formation was shattered and scattered. Rees gave up the futile chase, and returned to base. Once landed, he calmly asked for steps so he could deplane. Once seated on the aerodrome grass, he had a tender fetched to take him to hospital. The valour of his actions earned him the Victoria Cross. Its citation reads: He convalesced for a while due to his injuries from the 1 July action, and went on a War Office mission to the United States, becoming a temporary lieutenant colonel in May 1917. For the remainder of hostilities Rees commanded a School of Aerial Fighting based at

RAF Turnberry RAF Turnberry was an airfield in Scotland used by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the First World War, and again by the RAF in the Second World War. Between the two wars, the site reverted to its pre-1914 use ...

Post-war career

On 2 November 1918 Rees was awarded the Air Force Cross in recognition of valuable flying services. In 1919, Rees was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

. On 1 August 1919 he resigned his commission with the Royal Garrison Artillery and took a permanent commission in the newly formed Royal Air Force as a lieutenant-colonel. In 1920, Rees was presented with a sword and the freedom of Caernarfon. Caernarfon Brabazon Rees VC plaque

In June 1920, he took command of the flying wing at

RAF College Cranwell The Royal Air Force College (RAFC) is the Royal Air Force academy which provides initial training to all RAF personnel who are preparing to become commissioned officers. The College also provides initial training to aircrew cadets and is respo ...

, becoming the assistant commandant in March 1923. Promoted to

group captain Group captain (Gp Capt or G/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries that have historical British influence. Group cap ...

after the RAF moved away from the Army rank structure, Rees became deputy director in the Air Ministry directorate of training and in January 1925 he became an additional air aide-de-camp to the King. Rees was posted to RAF Amman in May 1926 and given command of the RAF Transjordan and Palestine in October 1926. He had a keen interest in archaeology, and while flying on the

route during this period, he took some of the earliest archaeological aerial photographs of sites in eastern

(now Jordan), and published several articles in ''

'' and the journal of the

. He is considered a father of the archaeological studies of this remote area, and a pioneer of aerial archaeology. Rees returned to England in October 1926 to take command of the RAF Depot at

Uxbridge Uxbridge () is a suburban town in west London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon, northwest of Charing Cross. Uxbridge formed part of the parish of Hillingdon in the county of Middlesex. As part ...

before he retired from the RAF in 1931 with the rank of group captain. In 1933, he sailed single-handedly across the Atlantic from Wales to Nassau in the Bahamas in a

ketch A ketch is a two- masted sailboat whose mainmast is taller than the mizzen mast (or aft-mast), and whose mizzen mast is stepped forward of the rudder post. The mizzen mast stepped forward of the rudder post is what distinguishes the ketch f ...

. For this achievement he was awarded the prestigious Blue Water Medal by the

Cruising Club of America The Cruising Club of America (CCA) is an international organization of cruisers whose objects are to promote cruising and racing by amateurs, to encourage the development of suitable types of cruising craft, to stimulate interest in seamanship, nav ...

in 1934. When the Second World War broke out, Rees returned to the United Kingdom from the Bahamas and once again joined the RAF. He relinquished his rank of group captain in January 1941 at his own request and was granted the rank of

wing commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr or W/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Wing commander is immediately se ...

. He served in Africa.Sweetman, John, 'Rees, Lionel Wilmot Brabazon (1884–1955)’, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004
accessed 8 June 2014
/ref> On 21 November 1942 Rees reverted to the rank of group captain on the retired list. Rees returned home to the Bahamas and on 12 August 1947, aged 62, he married Sylvia Williams, a young local woman. They had three children.

Death and legacy

Rees died at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Nassau on 28 September 1955 from

leukaemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...

. He was buried at Nassau war cemetery. Described as a real gentleman, during his time in Transjordan and possibly during other parts of his career, Rees was known to give his pay to service charities. An RAF BAe 146 jet of No. 32 Squadron was named in his honour on 21 June 2019.

Selected publications

Rees wrote under the name 'L. W. B. Rees'. * 1916: ''Fighting in the Air'' * 1927: 'Ancient Reservoirs near Kasr Azrak' * 1929: 'The Transjordan Desert' * 1930: 'Transjordan: an ancient and a modern raid' * 1948: 'The Route of the Exodus: The First Stage, Ramies to Etham'''

Palestine Exploration Quarterly The Palestine Exploration Fund is a British society based in London. It was founded in 1865, shortly after the completion of the Ordnance Survey of Jerusalem by Royal Engineers of the War Department. The Fund is the oldest known organization i ...

'', January – April 1948, pp. 48–58

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * * *

External links

www.theaerodrome.com – Lionel Rees

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rees, Lionel Wilmot Brabazon 1884 births 1955 deaths British Army personnel of World War I British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross British World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross Royal Flying Corps recipients of the Victoria Cross British World War I flying aces Deaths from leukemia Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Eastbourne College People from Caernarfon Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) Recipients of the Military Cross Royal Air Force group captains Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Artillery officers Royal Flying Corps officers Military personnel from Gwynedd Royal West African Frontier Force officers Welsh aviators Welsh recipients of the Victoria Cross Remote sensing archaeologists British emigrants to the Bahamas Immigrants to former British colonies and protectorates in the Americas