Born on 23rd August 1899 at Snaresbrook, son of George Neil (Surveyor and Estate Agent) and Florence Seeley Finlay. 1901: A scholar, living with his parents and sister Dorothy at “Oakhurst” Sylvan Road, Wanstead. In 1911 when the Census was taken, the boys Kenneth and Eric were with their mother, visiting their uncle (her brother in law) in Suffolk. Charles Westropp was a farmer and landowner, and was recorded with his wife Alice, the visitors and others at Melford Place St Mary’s Street, Long Melford. This house burned down in 1967.
Kenneth attended Bancroft’s School, and during this time the family home was at 7 Monkhams Drive, Woodford Green. His father suffered increasingly poor health, and died at “The Olde House” Long Melford in 1915, an address which was associated with the family visits to Suffolk.
On 24th January 1918 Kenneth realised an ambition, progressing from Officer Cadet to temporary Second Lieutenant on probation, and on to pilot in 03-18. He began flying training with 26 (Training) Squadron at RAF Narborough, then the largest airfield in the UK, and the first to be established in Norfolk.
During 3rd June 1918 he took off from Narborough in Armstrong Whitworth FK3 - B9581. A turn at 200 feet developed into a spinning nose dive from which he failed to recover, and he was killed in the resulting crash.
Kenneth is buried in the churchyard at Liston with his father who died in 1915, and sister Dorothy who died in 1991 at the age of 93.
During their visits to Suffolk, the family also used to stay at the Tudor “Olde House” which became the permanent address of his mother after the war. That explains how he comes to be remembered on the Long Melford War Memorial.
Research by Adrian Lee, Local Historian
Sources:
Ancestry.com
Simon Coxall
airhistory.org
For more information on this individual please see The Old Bancroftian website.