Royal Air Force
Allan John Braine Meikle was born in the third quarter of 1900 at Barnham, Suffolk, the only son of James (a farmer) and Elizabeth Meikle, who lived at Cotehay Farm, Andoversford, Gloucestershire. He was educated at Belmore House School, Cheltenham and had been an apprentice at Alfred Herbert’s engineering company, The Butts, Coventry, with whom he had been a tool maker.
According to the report of his death in the Cheltenham Chronicle of 10 August 1918, he had originally enlisted in the Army Service Corps in January 1917, overstating his age. This is corroborated by the fact that his birth date shown in his Royal Air Force (RAF) record is shown as 24 January 1889. He was posted to Ireland and in about June 1917 he applied to join the Royal Flying Corps. On 13 August 1917 he became a Cadet and trained at a flying school in Buckinghamshire and passed out as a qualified pilot in the autumn of that year, receiving a commission as a Second Lieutenant on 8 November 1917.
He specialised in flying single seat aircraft and according to his RAF Service Record in the National Archives (AIR 76/343), he served with 6, 85 and 87 Squadron and had experience of flying the MFSH, Avro, Sopwith Pup, Camel and Triplane.
He had recently been home on leave, in anticipation of a posting overseas, when he was killed, as a result of a flying accident, on 5 August 1918, whilst with 4 Training Depot Station, at Hooten Park in the Wirral, Cheshire. According to the website www.rcawsey.co.uk/Acc1918b.htm he was flying a Sopwith Dolphin (registration D3698) which spun off turn after take off and caught fire: he was 18 years old.
Second Lieutenant Meikle is buried in the churchyard of St Martin’s Church, Charlton Abbots, where a private stone cross marks his grave.
Researched by Graham Adams 25 April 2014 (revised)