Group Captain Cecil Francis Kilner,
DSO*,
ADC
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* ADC (gene), a human gene
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* Antibody-drug conjugate, a type of anticancer treatm ...
(8 October 1883 – 20 October 1925) was an early
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
aviator
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...
and pilot in the 1914
Cuxhaven Raid
The Raid on Cuxhaven (german: link=no, Weihnachtsangriff, Christmas Raid) was a British ship-based Airstrike, air-raid on the Imperial German Navy at Cuxhaven mounted on Christmas Day, 1914.
Aircraft of the Royal Naval Air Service were carried ...
. He was awarded two
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...
s during service with the Royal Naval Air Service during the First World War, he died as a Royal Air Force Group Captain in 1925 after a short illness.
Early life
Kilner was born on 8 October 1883 in
Kemsing
Kemsing is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. The parish lies on the scarp face of the North Downs, 20 miles south east of Central London, north east of Sevenoaks. Also in the parish are the hamlets of Hea ...
,
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
12 April 1887 the son of William and Frances Kilner.
Royal Marines
He graduated from the
Royal Military College at Sandhurst,
and was commissioned a
second lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank.
Australia
The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
in the
Royal Marine Light Infantry
The history of the Royal Marines began on 28 October 1664 with the formation of the Duke of York and Albany's Maritime Regiment of Foot soon becoming known as the Admiral's Regiment. During the War of the Spanish Succession the most historic achi ...
on 1 September 1902. In the 1911 Census he was described as a Lieutenant of the Royal Marines Light Infantry aboard
HMS ''Swiftsure'' in the Grand Harbour,
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
.
[1911 Census RG14 34973]
Royal Naval Air Service
On 22 October 1913 he was awarded the
Aviators Certificate #667 from the
Royal Aero Club
The Royal Aero Club (RAeC) is the national co-ordinating body for air sport in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1901 as the Aero Club of Great Britain, being granted the title of the "Royal Aero Club" in 1910.
History
The Aero Club was foun ...
following flights at 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. The school was based at R ...
at Upavon, Wiltshire and went on to serve with the
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...
.
![Cuxhaven Raid 1914](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Cuxhaven_Raid_1914.JPG)
On Christmas Day 1914 he took part in the
Cuxhaven Raid
The Raid on Cuxhaven (german: link=no, Weihnachtsangriff, Christmas Raid) was a British ship-based Airstrike, air-raid on the Imperial German Navy at Cuxhaven mounted on Christmas Day, 1914.
Aircraft of the Royal Naval Air Service were carried ...
for which he was awarded the
DSO.
The raid was an air reconnaissance flight in the Heligoland Bight with an opportunity to bomb German facilities. The aircraft were launched from seaplane-carriers, which were supported by destroyers and light cruisers, at first light, with bad weather the aircraft had to fly low.
The low flying aircraft and the supporting ships were attacked by defending forces with submarines, seaplanes and Zeppelins.
Kilner with his observer
Erskine Childers flying a
Short Admiralty Type 135
The Short Type 166 was a 1910s British two-seat reconnaissance, bombing and torpedo-carrying folder seaplane, designed by Short Brothers.
Development
The Short Type 166 was designed as a 'folder' aircraft to operate from the Ark Royal as a t ...
was one of the few who managed to return to his ship.
Royal Air Force
In 1919 he transferred to the new
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
with a permanent commission as a Major.
In early 1925 he was appointed as Air
Aide-de-Camp to the King but he died soon after in London on 20 October 1925 at 16 Beaumont Street, London.
Honours and awards
* 19 February 1915 – Captain Cecil Francis Kilner, RNLI (Flight Commander) is awarded the
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...
for distinguished service on the combined operations by HM Ships and Naval Seaplanes on 25 December 1914.
* 1 October 1917 – Squadron Cd. Cecil Franscis Kilner, DSO, RNAS (Capt, temp Major RMLI) a bar to the Distinguished Service Order for services in reconnaissance and bombing flights in the eastern Mediterranean.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kilner, Cecil Francis
1883 births
1925 deaths
English aviators
Royal Marines officers
Royal Marines personnel of World War I
Royal Naval Air Service aviators
Royal Air Force officers
People from Kemsing
Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst
Military personnel from Kent