Charles Reginald Morris
The Felixstowe flying-boat patrols set up n 26 April 1917 have not taken long to have some success. Today Flight Sub-Lieutenants Charles Reginald Morrish and Henry George Boswell, 1st Air Mechanic William F Caston, and Leading Mechanic A. E. Shorter), were on patrol in an H12 ‘Large America’ 8663 east of the North Hinder, when they sighted a submarine in full buoyancy about five miles away.
The pilot bore down on the U-boat and, as recognition signals went unanswered, they dropped two bombs, each of which exploded in front of the conning tower. The U-boat went under and patches of oil came to the surface, but there was no real indication of her fate.
A post-war comparison with the German records, however, has revealed that she was probably the U.C.36 which never returned to her base. This seems to have been the first direct sinking of a U-boat by aircraft.
Eventually on 14 July 1919, the crew were awarded £125 bounty by the prize court.
airwar19141918 