Description

Hi all,

For a sale nice full set of two medals to:

Herbert Eldon Harvey (12 June 1889 – 5 January 1970)
F11355 / 211355, First Class Air Mechanic
Royal Naval Air Service / Royal Air Force

Life
Herbert Eldon Harvey was born on 12 June 1889, the son of William Harvey and Annie Lloyd Waugh. His mother was from Cork and his parents had married in Cork, Ireland, in 1883 before moving to England. Herbert's father died in 1899, leaving the family without its principal breadwinner.
Herbert was educated at the Royal Masonic School in Middlesex and later worked as a carpenter.
On 28 February 1927, he married Sarah Hilda Wilding. The couple had three children.
Herbert died on 5 January 1970 at the age of 80.

Military Service
Herbert enlisted in the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) on 4 February 1916 as an Air Mechanic. He served at HMS Dunkirk, a shore establishment and operational port in France that supported the Dover Patrol and Royal Naval Air Service operations.
On 1 April 1918, with the formation of the Royal Air Force (RAF), he was transferred to the new service. He initially served with No. 204 Squadron, formerly No. 4 Squadron RNAS. In January 1918, the squadron temporarily moved to Walmer, Kent, for rest and refitting before returning to the Front at Bray-Dunes in March. Following the creation of the RAF, the unit was redesignated No. 204 Squadron on 1 April 1918.
During 1918, the squadron operated from several aerodromes around Dunkirk before establishing itself at Téteghem in May. In October 1918, it advanced to Heule in Flanders, where it remained until the end of the First World War.
On 30 January 1919, Herbert was transferred to No. 108 Squadron. His active military service concluded when he was transferred to the RAF Reserve on 11 March 1919. He was formally deemed discharged on 30 April 1920.