Desmond Arthur
| Desmond Lucius Studdert P. P. Arthur | |
|---|---|
| Born |
31 March 1884 O'Brien's Bridge, County Clare, Ireland |
| Died | 27 May 1913 (aged 29) Lunan Bay near Montrose, Angus, Scotland |
| Buried at | Sleepyhillock Cemetery, Montrose, Angus, Scotland |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch | Army Motor Reserve Royal Munster Fusiliers Royal Flying Corps |
| Years of service | ca. 1911 – 1913 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Unit |
Royal Munster Fusiliers No. 2 Squadron RFC |
Lieutenant Desmond Arthur (1884–1913) was an Irish aviator in No. 2 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps. Following his death in Scotland's first fatal aircraft accident; a government inquiry was launched to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash. The first inquiry found him responsible, but a later investigation exonerated Arthur. His name is most famously connected to sightings of a ghost believed to haunt the airfield at RAF Montrose in Montrose, Angus, Scotland. It is considered one of the most well-known ghost stories of the First World War. Desmond Arthur was the first Irishman to be killed in an aircraft accident.
Lieutenant Desmond Lucius Studdert P. P. Arthur was born on 31 March 1884 at O'Brien's Bridge in County Clare, Ireland. The son of Thomas F. Arthur and Helen Studdert, he came from a prominent Clare family and had a sister, and a brother: Captain Charles William Augustus Arthur. Arthur was educated at Portora Royal School, Enniskillen. He was an enthusiastic sportsman and won a number of prizes in motoring speed trials, before becoming Lieutenant in the Army Motor Reserve in 1908. Arthur attended the first Irish Aviation Meeting at Leopardstown Racecourse on 29 August 1910. It was there that he was introduced to Cecil Grace, which reinforced his desire to become a pilot. Arthur joined the 5th Battalion Royal Munster Fusiliers (Special Reserve) and was promoted to Lieutenant on 27 May 1911. He was known for his adventurous nature, as well as his "unassuming manner and unfailing good spirit".
On 18 June 1912 Arthur gained his Royal Aero Club certificate No.233 after completing his trials flying a Bristol Prier monoplane at Brooklands. He joined No. 2 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps on 17 April 1913, based at Montrose. In 1913, Montrose Airfield was built as an operational base for the training of pilots for the Royal Flying Corps, the first of its kind in Britain. The flying training school, like many others, experienced frequent crashes as it built up a force of skilled pilots through the First and Second World Wars. At around 7:30am on Tuesday 27 May 1913 Arthur's B.E.2 biplane No.205 collapsed without warning while flying over Montrose during a routine training flight from Upper Dysart to Lunan Bay. Arthur had begun to descend when, at 2500 feet, the right wing of the aircraft snapped off and it plunged to the ground. Arthur was thrown from the aircraft and died instantly. He was found 160 yards away from his machine. Arthur's death in an accident was one of the first to occur in the Royal Flying Corps, and the first at Montrose. He was buried in Sleepyhillock Cemetery, Montrose.
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