Royal Air Force
Donald Humphrey Sessions was born on 21 February 1897, the youngest son of Herbert and Rebecca Sessions: his father was a timber merchant. The family lived at Quedgeley Court, Gloucester and the 1901 Census shows the household was supported by several servants. He entered Radley School in 1911 but reportedly left in 1914 and his occupation upon enlistment was stated to be as a clerk at Sessions & Son in Gloucester.
It appears that upon joining the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) he trained at Denham (September 1916) and Oxford (November 1916). He was a Temporary Lieutenant in the RFC in 1917 and commissioned into the Royal Air Force (RAF) at that rank upon its formation on 1 April 1918. CWGC records give his Number as S/358990. His Service File in the National Archives (AIR 76/454) reports that in the RFC he had experience of flying in DH4, RE8, Graham White, Avro 90, LPAW types. It is possible that he was an Artillery Observer with BEF in France in 1918.
Donald died in an aero accident at New Romney (Romney Marsh), Kent on 20 June 1918, whilst with No 2 School of Aerial Gunnery, RAF; he was 21 years old. A mechanic who accompanied him on the flight died with him and the death was reported in the Gloucester Journal of 22 June 1918*.
Donald was buried at Quedgeley (St James) churchyard and a standard CWGC headstone marks his grave.
His Military Cross was awarded (posthumously) on 18 January 1919.
*The website www.rcawsey.co.uk states that the aircraft involved was a DH4 (Reg. No. B5454) of 1 (Observers) School of Aerial Gunnery, New Romney, which broke up in flight. Along with Lt. Sessions, Air Mechanic 1, Herbert Munton also died. He is buried in Manchester (Gorton) Cemetery.
Researched by Graham Adams 5 September 2024 (revised)