Sir,
Please let me introduce myself : I am the president of an association of volunteer named : Abbaye de Beaupré, Etude et Sauvegarde du Site, at La Gorgue, North of France.
The association is in charge of the archaeological site of the Cistercian abbey of “Notre-Dame de Beaupré-sur-la-Lys” (1220-1789). This abbey was situated between La Gorgue and Merville, alongside the river Lys. One of the objects of the association is the study of this site, including, of course, the abbey itself, but also all of what happened on it. Recently, some works on the site lead us to bring to light some materials of the Great War (as for example, an R.F.C. badge and pieces of regimentals) which are now exposed in our little private museum. These conduct us to search more information and we are now persuaded that the site is what is elsewhere called the “British aerodrome of La Gorgue”. Among the squadrons that have occupied the site are N° 16 RFC (with Major H.C.T. Dowding and Major D.W. Powell), N° 46 RFC (with Major Babington), and also for a short time the Naval 8 (later 208 RAF, of Major C. Draper). At present, I am trying to collect informations upon this period.
Surfing on the web, I notably discover the photography of your grand-father W.(?) H.(?) « Billy » Waller surrounded by other pilots and observers of N° 16 Squadron at La Gorgue (I knew the existence of the almost identical photo.
I would like to propose you (and other people interested ?) to exchange. From my part, I could bring our knowledge of Beaupré.
Thank you in advance for your consideration and for not taking into account of my english.
For your information, we have a little website where you will see the farmhouse of the abbey (sorry for french!), we are quite sure that it is the “famous” farmhouse of N° 16 Squadron at La Gorgue!
http://claude.quettier.free.fr/abess/
Best wishes for this New Year and best regards.
S. Comini
