Born in 1898 at Forest Gate, son of Edgar Walter (Tea Taster) and Mary Frances Phillips. 1911: A Scholar with his family at “Fernbank” Buckingham Road, South Woodford. The family home was later “Ebenezer” Churchfields, South Woodford, and this was John’s home on death. He was an Old Bancroftian, along with his twin brother Richard Frederick Phillips.
Having expressed a wish to fly, John was undertaking training in the single seat Sopwith Camel aircraft, while posted to B Squadron at the Central Flying School, RAF Upavon in Wiltshire. Here on 20th May 1918 while flying Camel D6496 he executed a double nose dive, but entered a spin from which he did not recover. He was found by Police in the wreckage of his aircraft at Milton Pewsey.
His twin brother Richard Frederick Phillips joined the Army on 21st October 1916, but shortly after deployment sustained a wound to his leg, and was made a Prisoner of War in Germany.
Research by Adrian Lee, Local Historian
Sources:
Ancestry.com
Simon Coxall
For more information on this individual please see The Old Bancroftian website.