On admission to the Queen Victoria Hospital at Netley, Cedric's right leg was amputated. I gnashed my teeth, I cursed the war. On 19 June 1918, Sergeant Popkin was wounded in action, suffering a severe shrapnel wound to his right leg. Despite this, the attending surgeons at Richthofen's autopsy were of the opinion that the angle and nature of the bullet wounds ruled out the possibility that he had been shot from the ground, and that the injuries were due to the efforts of a Canadian pilot Roy Brown. 0 comment 2 Obits previous His brother Harry M. Popkin was the executive producer of Million Dollar Productions, a partnership that included Ralph Cooper. ", In an email to ScienCentral, Franks went into more detail. 424 Sgt Popkin, C.B., AIF War Diary of the 24th Australian Machine Gun Company for April 1918. ", In an email to ScienCentral, Franks went into more detail. The three planes flew over Morlancourt Ridge, in the 4th Division's sector, and Popkin "using a Vickers machine gun" and other Australian machine gunners and riflemen also fired at Richthofen. He said, 'There's your man'.". I gnashed my teeth, I cursed the war. . When he was four years old, Manfred moved with his family to nearby Schweidnitz (now widnica ). In turn, the Baron was chased by another Canadian pilot, Captain Roy Brown. Within a few years the family had moved to Grafton in the northern rivers district of NSW. About 10.45am on the 21st April, 1918, one of our Aeroplanes was being engaged by a German Aeroplane and was being driven down. Home; About; Products; chimney spark arrestor requirements Cedric Cedric Bassett Popkin (20 June 189026 January 1968) was an Australian soldier considered most likely to have killed "The Red Baron" according to original research and forensics done by Dr M Geoffrey Miller The death of Baron Manfred Richthofen: Who fired the fatal shot? in 1998 (Journal and Proceedings of Military History Society of Australia). Description: The Australian website dedicated to researching WW1 Diggers and nurses who came from or were associated "Because of the nature of the ammunition and how it performs within body tissue, we can determine in these circumstances at what approximate range the shot was fired. I made the following changes: When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs. Norman Franks, an author and aviation historian, told NOVA. He personally engaged two Fokker triplanes, which he drove off; then seeing that one of our machines was being attacked and apparently hard pressed, he dived on the hostile scout, firing the while. These were made by two different Australian antiaircraft crews who were stationed on the Morlancourt Ridge. Despite this, the attending surgeons at Richthofen's autopsy were of the opinion that the angle and nature of the bullet wounds ruled out the possibility that he had been shot from the ground, and that the injuries were due to the efforts of a Canadian pilot Roy Brown. "I started firing at the body of the German pilot directly through my peep sight," Buie wrote. 1 gunner and proceeded to where the plane fell. Popkin is believed to have shot down Baron Manfred von Richthofens plane. Roland G Popkin, 762984, a law student, enlisted in 1916 in 28th Battalion, Artists' Rifles. WebHis father, who had an address on the North Shore of Sydney, was recorded as his next of kin. the sight of Richthofen as I walked closer gave me a start. M.G.Coy for April 1918, AWM4 24/24/8. New york: J. Wiley & sons, 994. As shown on PBS's NOVA, the medical reports showed von Richthofen was hit by an upward shot to the right side. After February 2018, "External links modified" talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. "He said, 'Have you got somebody who knows what they're doing, 600 yards away, and he's firing at von Richthofen's right side?' She served in Greece and returned to Australia in 1918. These trees can change over time as users edit, remove, or otherwise modify the data in their trees. There was evidence of only one hit on the triplane, which would fit with the cone of fire from a Vickers at long range. We collect and match historical records that Ancestry users have contributed to their family trees to create each persons profile. As soon as this risk was over, I opened fire a second time and observed at once that my fire took effect. "The fact that the bullet was found intact inside the clothing of Richthofen is another indicator that it was a long-range shot," Franks told NOVA, "and I would say that would be probably 600 yards plus. On 30 August Cedric was assigned to the 24th Machine Gun Company as Acting Corporal, then Corporal, and shipped out to France on 7 September with his unit. There was a lump in my throat. Cedric's enlistment papers describe him as 5ft 6 in tall, 150 lbs, brown eyes and black hair. But Brown would have been firing from behind and above left. Many experts believe that the shot came from Popkin. Cedric's sister Edith Sophia lived with them for a short time around 1958 and they remained at Fingal Head until at least 1963. Template Design Joomla Templates GavickPro. WebTitle: Adopt a Digger:POPKIN AND THE RED BARON. Porizkova had been With a feeling of shame, a kind of anger against myself moved in my thoughts, that I had forced him to lay there. Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980 [database on-line]. He was based at the Machine Gun Corps depot at Camiers, where he attended training school6. Popkin was an experienced AA gunner, the volume of fire from the Vickers was far greater (at least 450 rounds per minute) than the bolt-action Lee-Enfield rifles (up to 30 rounds per minute) used by the infantry, and Popkin was the only machine gunner known to have fired at Richthofen from the right, and from a long distance, immediately before he landed. Here according to a reliable witness he was fired at by an A.A. gun of the 24th Australian Machine Gun Company. Sgt Popkin 2nd from right middle row. He came from an aristocratic family, and his father was Major Albrecht Philipp Karl Julius Freiherr. Running to the wreckage, Fowler saw bullet wounds in Richthofen's chest, and was convinced he had been killed by the gunners. A student at the same school, Cedric was reported as having a "bad" character who had been before the Bench of Magistrates previously. NOVA | Transcripts | Who Killed the Red Baron? | PBS Whilst in training camp at Perham Downs on Salisbury Plains, Cedric was reprimanded for insulting language to a NCO, which turned out to be his one and only military offence. Two postmortem examinations determined that the fatal bullet entered von Richthofens chest from low on the right side, struck his spine and exited to the left. It was reported that a spent .303 bullet was found inside Richthofens clothing. I handed my gun over to the No. There has been speculation that the Barons wound was actually caused by a .303-caliber (7.756mmR) rifle or machine gun bullet fired from the ground, rather than from Browns Sopwith Camel. conclusions in this article. So a low damage, low velocity hit tends to indicate a long-range shot. highway motor vehicle crashes occur approximately once every During the battle, the Red Baron was wounded in the chest and crash-landed near Vaux-sur-Somme, France. He bled freely after he hit the ground from the wounds in his chest.The British Plane which was being chased, did not fire at the German Plane when they were both low down and within range of any gun.I am quite satisfied that the Plane was brought down as the result of the fire from my gun."(Sgd.) One witness, Gunner George Ridgway, stated that when he and other Australian soldiers reached the plane, Richthofen was still alive but died moments later. Capt.) Who Killed the Red Baron? - Historic Mysteries WebCedric Bassett Popkin was the eldest son of Dan William Bassett Popkin and Lilian Gilbert Popkin of Sydney, New South Wales. Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922Name: Cedric B PopkinBirth Date: 1890Birth Place: New South WalesRegistration Year: 1890Registration Place: St Leonards, New South Wales, AustraliaFather: Dan W B PopkinMother: Lilian MRegistration Number: 32243Source InformationAncestry.com. Autopsies revealed that the wound which killed the Baron was caused by a bullet moving in an upward motion. His troubled youth behind him, by 1908 Cedric was working as a builder at Mullumbimby in northern NSW. And in my heart I cursed the force that is devoted to death. "In our view and final analysis, the best candidate for bringing down von Richthofen was Cedric Popkin, Australian Sergeant machine gunner," Norman Franks told NOVA. Live Healthy !!! "Given the evidence and the claimants, we can say that it was a long-range shot, that is, over 600 yards," says Peter Franks. POPKIN Cedric Bassett - Diggers Database - Search for a Armed with a Vickers machine gun, he had fired twice on the plane as it flew overhead, the second time at the same angle as the bullet entered von Richthofens body. Cedric was working as a builder in Mullumbimby in 1908 and later moved to Brisbane where he married Nellie Ellen Bull on 10 March 1913. Initially, the credit was given to a Canadian pilot, Roy Brown, however it is now accepted that Sergeant Cedric Bassett Popkin was responsible for the demise of the Red Baron. had also fired at this plane when it was directly over my head, but the noise of the engine prevented my hearing the shooting. Medical examination of the body revealed that the wound that killed the Baron was caused by a low velocity, long distance shot moving in an upward direction from the right and delivered by a ground-based weapon. Running to the wreckage, Fowler saw bullet wounds in Richthofen's chest, and was convinced he had been killed by the gunners. who is the highest paid worker in sierra leone Because of the type of weapons that where involved, we can say that it was probably a Vickers MG that fired the shot. NOVA's program focuses on the two best-known claims attributing Richthofen's death to machine gun fire from the ground. He remained in hospital for two months before being discharged to the 2nd Auxiliary Hospital at Southall. Deaths Search ResultsName Registration NumberFather's Given Name(s)Mother's Given Name(s)District POPKIN NELLIE ELLEN 22665/1965 MICHAEL MARY JANE MURWILLUMBAH POPKIN CEDRIC BASSETT 17996/1968 WILLIAM MARTHA TWEED HEADS POPKIN VEDA LUCY 108827/1986 HERBERT EDWARDKATEhttps://familyhistory.bdm.nsw.gov.au/lifelink/familyhistory/search;jsessionid=901E3F03C8A5501C6F0235B74E31FA81?0 accessed 6 Apr 2018, Births Search ResultsName Registration Number Father's Given Name(s)Mother's Given Name(s)DistrictPOPKIN CEDRIC B 32243/1890 DAN W B LILIAN M ST LEONARDS https://familyhistory.bdm.nsw.gov.au/lifelink/familyhistory/search/births?1, Categories: Genealogy Challenge | Australian World War I figures, Vickers machine gunner, Australian 24th Machine Gun Company, 4th Division, St Leonards, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License, https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1959589/, https://familyhistory.bdm.nsw.gov.au/lifelink/familyhistory/search;jsessionid=901E3F03C8A5501C6F0235B74E31FA81?0, https://familyhistory.bdm.nsw.gov.au/lifelink/familyhistory/search/births?1, https://www.werelate.org/wiki/Person:Cedric_Popkin_%281%29. In his Official History, war historian Charles Bean suggests that it was probably Cedric Popkin who killed the Red Baron. With his father away most of the time, controlling young Cedric was not an easy task and he was soon in trouble with the law. WebWilly John "Snowstain" Evans (c. 18911925) was a Lewis machine gunner in the Royal Australian Artillery (RAA) during World War I. Unsolved History, produced by Discovery Channel credited him with firing the shot that killed Manfred von Richthofen ("The Red Baron"), near Vaux-sur-Somme, France on 21 April 1918.
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