| William Barnard Rhodes Moorhouse [1887-1915] |
 The London Gazette, dated 22nd May,
1915, records the following:- "For most conspicuous bravery on 26th
April, 1915, in flying to Courtrai and dropping bombs on the railway
line near that station. On starting the return journey he was mortally
wounded, but succeeded in flying for 35 miles to his destination, at a
very low altitude, and reported the successful accomplishment of his
object. He has since died of his wounds."
William's wife Linda Rhodes-Moorhouse was to suffer again in 1940 when in an almost carbon-copy sequel their son William Henry Rhodes-Moorhouse, a Hurricane pilot, was killed during the Battle of Britain. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and lies in the same plot as his father. William Barnard Rhodes-Moorhouse's Victoria Cross has the distinction of being the first to be awarded to an airman |
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![William Barnard Rhodes Moorhouse [1887-1915]](images/Moorehouse.jpg)
William was the son of Edward Moorhouse, of Parnham House near
Beaminster where his grave is located on a hillside above the house.
William died on the afternoon after the raid, but only after having been
promised he would be buried at his beloved Parnham. A rarity at the time
when thousands were being killed each week but very few bodies were
shipped home.