2ND LIEUT. SYDNEY EDWIN BOOTH, 20TH SQUADRON R.A.F. KILLED IN A FLYING ACCIDENT AT OSSOIGNE, NEAR CHARLEROI, DECEMBER 3RD, 1918. AGED 23. At the School 1909—12 (Park House). 2nd Lieut. S. E. Booth was the only son of the late Edwin Booth, formerly of 4, Manor Grove, Beckenham, and formerly of Scott's Lane, Shortlands, and married on September 21st, 1918, Hilda Winifred, third daughter of George Cowen, of Heathfield, Scott's Lane, Shortlands. He entered the School in September, 1909, from Clare House School, Beckenham, having been elected to a Foundation Scholarship in the previous June. In the following summer he was awarded the Judd Scholarship. Having passed the London Matriculation in June, 1912, he left at the end of the term, and was then articled to Messrs. Joselyne and Miles, Chartered Accountants, and passed the Preliminary Examination in the following January. Soon after the outbreak of war he enlisted as a Private in the 3rd London Field Ambulance, E.A.M.C. (T.F.), September 17th, 1914, and on March 11th, 1915, went out to France to the 85th Field Ambulance, with which he served at the second battle of Ypres and elsewhere, till his Division was sent to Salonica in November, 1915. He served with the Salonica Force for two years till November, 1917, when, having applied for a commission in the R.F.C., he was sent to No. 3 Cadet Wing, R.F.C., in Egypt. His commission as Temporary 2nd Lieutenant, General List, for duty with the R.F.C., was dated March 24th, 1918, and he was confirmed in his rank as 2nd Lieut, in the Flying Branch of the R.A.F., May 21st, 1918. After further training in Egypt he returned to England on leave in July and was then posted to 33 T.D. Squadron at Witney. On September 21st he was married, and on November 6th went out once more to France, where he joined No. 20 Squadron. On December 3rd the Squadron was moving to a new aerodrome at Ossoigne, near Charleroi, and both he and his passenger, a Corporal from his flight, also a married man, were instantaneously killed as the result of an accident in turning to land under difficult conditions— " an accident," as his Squadron Commander wrote, " which has occurred to many good pilots and is known as ' stalling on the turn.' " He was buried at Belgian Cemetery, Charleroi. His Captain gave the following account of the accident :— " The weather was very bad for flying, as there was a strong gusty wind which made the machines difficult to handle. Your son, who was a very good pilot, had made one attempt to land at the new aerodrome—a very small one—but had not succeeded owing to interference by another machine also endeavouring to land, and whilst making a circuit preparatory to coming in again, his machine became unmanageable. As he was close to the ground at the time, he was unable to regain control before his machine struck the ground, and he was killed instantly. Lieut. Booth had the making of a very fine active service pilot, and though he had only been with us a short time, was already very well liked by all in the Squadron, who all regretted his death very keenly." A Chaplain, whom he had on various occasions, as a sound and reliable pilot, flown on visits to other Squadrons, wrote of him: — " He struck me as being such a straight, good lad, with all the qualities that go to make up a splendid man."