‘Hero gunner who stopped the Red Baron in his tracks’
100 years ago tomorrow, on April 21, 1918, the infamous German airman Baron Manfred von Richthofen was shot down from the sky. Known as the Red Baron, his death saw the loss of one of the deadliest flying aces of the war. New research shows that the shot
During the First World War, German air power was epitomised in the guise of Baron Manfred von Richthofen – known as The Red Baron.
Easily recognisable in his red triplane, he was the deadliest flying ace of the war.
Eighty confirmed kills were attributed to him, but he was shot down on April 21, 1918, by what is now believed to be the brother of a Porthcawl soldier.
At first Captain Arthur Roy Brown, flying a Sopwith Camel, was credited with the kill and was awarded a bar to his DSC for the feat.
In reality, Capt Brown did not himself claim the victory and was actually saddened by the death of such an accomplished and skilful fellow pilot.
However, more recent historical research and evidence attributes the fatal bullet as having been discharged from the Australian Lewis Gunners sited below in Vauz sur Somme.
Of the three possible Gunners of the 4th Australian Division – Buie, Evans and Popkin, it is now widely believed that Sergeant Cedric Bassett Popkin fired the fatal shot.
Sgt Popkin’s statement read: “As [von Richthofen] came towards me, I opened fire a second time and observed at once my fire took effect. The machine swerved, attempted to bank and make for the ground, and immediately crashed.”
Born in Australia, Cedric was the eldest son of Dan William Bassett Popkin and Lilian Gilbert Popkin, of Sydney, New South Wales.
His father, Dan, or William as he was known in Wales, was born in 1863 in Maesteg. He emigrated to Australia and married Lilian in 1884 in Queensland.
It was after the birth of their first daughter, Gladys, that they moved to Sydney, where Sophie and Marjory were born, and eventually, Cedric, on June 20, 1890. The couple later had two more children, Dorothy, born in 1892, and finally Roland Gilbert Popkin in 1894.
After Lilian’s death in 1902, Dorothy and Roland were sent to live with their aunt Matilda and her husband, Lewis George Jones, in Aberkenfig, and later in Mary Street in Porthcawl after Lewis’ death.
On leaving school Roland studied law at a university in London, from where on October 26, 1916, he was conscripted to the London Regiment (Artist’s Rifles) 28th Battalion Service No 762984.
After training, Roland’s unit disembarked in Le Havre on February 17, 1917. Less than two years later he was killed in action in France, on September 27, 1918, and is commemorated on the Porthcawl War Memorial.
Cedric survived the war despite losing a leg and died in 1968 in New South Wales, aged 78.
Alongside Roland three more Porthcawlian soldiers are remembered for their actions in April 1918.
Earlier that month, the Porthcawl News reported the death of Able Seaman James Thomas Cloke.
On April 4, 1918, Jim’s ship, the destroyer HMS Bittern, was sunk off Portland Bill following a collision with the SS Kenilworth.
A court of inquiry found negligence on the part of the master of SS Kenilworth, who had disregarded the orders to keep to the coastline.
Instead, the inquiry found the ship headed straight across the water with no fog lights showing and had hit the Bittern at 3.15am.
HMS Bittern sank quickly with the loss of all hands.
Jim, as he was known, was born, one of four children, on July 17, 1896, in Porthcawl at 15 Railway Terrace.
On May 15, 1911, he followed his father, who was a shunter, into the employ of the Great Western Railway as an assistant porter at the railway station at the top of Station Hill.
However, by February 24, Jim realised that the railway life was not for him, taking up a role as a golf caddy until joining the Royal Navy on November 22, 1915, at the age of 19.
The Welshman served on HMS Bittern for 13 months, patrolling the waters off Egypt.
In November 1917, Jim had been home on leave, during which time he was one of the first Porthcawl servicemen to be presented with a gift from the Local Heroes Fund.
Sadly his body was never recovered, and as a consequence, he is honoured on the Plymouth Naval Memorial. Later that April more sad news reached the town.
Private Ernest John Williams, 10th Battalion, Welsh Regiment, had been killed, on April 19 in northern France.
His commanding officer, Major JW Taylor, wrote: “Your son was killed yesterday under distressing circumstances.
“He was one of a party of four who went to place a cross over the grave of a comrade who had been killed a few days ago, when a shell struck him, killing all four instantaneously.”
Jack, as he was known, had only recently been attached to the 38th Machine Corps and was learning new skills as a machine gunner.
Born in Mumbles in July 1894, Jack was the second child born to Ernest and Mary Williams.
Ernest Senior, a gardener, moved the family to Nottage in 1898, from where he gained a position as a groundsman at the Royal Porthcawl Golf Club.
Through this association with the club Jack was able to become a member; moving on to become an assistant professional golfer under a Mr JG Hutcheson at the age of 14 before winning the Welsh Assistants Golf Championship before the war.
At the time of Jack’s death the family had moved to 12 Philadelphia Road, Porthcawl, which they named Senlis Cottage after hearing that their son had been laid to rest in Senlis Communal Cemetery in France.
But while some Porthcawl families received the news they had been dreading, others had more positive news.
Seven months before the end of the war Private Bertie John, of Brisbane House, New Road, was serving in India.
In April 1918 he wrote home to inform his family that he had represented his regiment, the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, against the South Wales Borderers in rugby, winning 12-10.
He was, however, more pleased that he had played alongside one of his heroes, the Welsh international Dr Ted Morgan, who was also in India serving with the regiment.
Doctor Edward “Teddy” Morgan had not only been a member of the winning Wales team that beat the touring All Blacks in 1905, but had scored the winning try.
In his letter Bertie goes on to ask after the quality of rugby being played on the Mercies Field, Porthcawl. Little did he know that two weeks previously the Porthcawl News had reported that “for the last two years the Mercies Field had produced a wonderful crop of potatoes”.
Past articles have been compiled into Porthcawl and The Great War Parts 1 & 2, which are on sale at Porthcawl Museum at £10 each. All proceeds will go to the museum.