The original grave of Lieutenant (Lt) Jack Diamond Sumner Potts, AFC, Captain (Capt) Harald ...

The original grave of Lieutenant (Lt) Jack Diamond Sumner Potts, AFC, Captain (Capt) Harald Hewett, RFC, and Second Lieutenant (2nd Lt) A Butt, RFC, who died during combat over enemy territory on 4 January 1918. The men were buried with full military honours by German airmen who set a broken propeller to the head of the grave. The inscription on the cross translates to "Here rest in God three fearless English flyers, fallen 4/1/18" and lists the names of three men: Captain Hewett, Lieutenant Butt and Bill Bailey. Around 10 January 1918 a photograph (or possibly photographs) and a message were dropped over Australian lines from an enemy aircraft believed to be that of Oberleutnant (Lieutenant) Gerhardt Felmy, the leading German pilot facing No. 1 Squadron, who earned the admiration of his adversaries. It was not uncommon for him to drop messages from and photographs of recently captured Australian airmen on their home field. The proceedings of a court of inquiry found that "On January 4th 1918, Lieut J D S Potts, Pilot and 2/Lieut V J Parkinson, Observer, were flying an R E S, on a bomb raid on the enemy aerodrome at Jenin. They failed to return...On January 10th, a message was dropped by Hostile aircraft which stated that our machine had been forced to land and that Lieut Potts had been buried and that 2/Lieut V J Parkinson was slightly wounded and was the a Prisoner of War. It also stated that Lieut Potts had been buried at Jenin, and enclosed a photograph of his grave." Since the time of the burial there has been some confusion over the names listed on the plaque. Photographs P11163.001, B02165 and B02903, show the original plaque which lists the names Captain H Hewett, Lieutenant Butt and Lieutenant (J S?) Potts. This photograph, B02225, and B02137 show the plaque after the text had been overwritten in white and Sumner Pott's name replaced with "Bill Bailey". A document on the service record of Lt Sumner Potts, dated 24 January 1918, indicates that it was originally believed that Butt was an incorrect spelling of Potts and that the third name was Bill Bailey. This photograph, B02225, was from the album of J H Butler (No 1 Squadron AFC) and in his handwriting was written "Dropped on our aerodrome by German airmen". Captain Hewett and 2nd Lt Butt were the crew members of a No. 113 Squadron RFC RE8 aircraft which collided with the RE8 aircraft B5854 piloted by Lt Sumner Potts. 2nd Lt Vincent John Parkinson, AFC, was the wireless operator and observer who survived the crash with a fractured skull and was taken prisoner of war (POW). Following the Armistice, the remains of Lt Sumner Potts, Capt Hewett and Lt Butt were re-interred in the Jerusalem War Cemetery, Israel. A jackeroo from Longueville, NSW, prior to enlistment, 1203 Private (Pte) Jack Sumner Potts embarked with his brother 1181 Pte Leonard Malcolm Sumner Potts, from Sydney with the 8th Reinforcements, 7th Light Horse Regiment from Sydney on HMAT Suffolk on 28 July 1915. The brothers transferred to the Australian Flying Corps. After qualifying as a pilot, Jack Sumner Potts was promoted to Lieutenant and posted to No. 67 (Australian) Squadron, RFC (previously No. 1 Squadron, AFC). (See also photographs P11163.001, P11163.002, P11163.003, P07016.004, B02136, B02137, B02165, and B02903.