Thomas Charles Richmond Baker

Thomas Charles Richmond Baker (1897-1918), soldier and airman, was born on 2 May 1897 at Smithfield, South Australia, eldest son of Richmond Baker, schoolmaster and farmer, and his wife Annie Martha, née Gardner, and nephew of Thomas Baker photographic scientist.  Richmond married Annie in 1892 in Victoria, previous to this he had been a school teacher in Adelaide.

Thomas had four other siblings;

Ellen Beaton Ilford         b. 22 Sept 1893 at Smithfield
Rhoda Beatrice                b. 19 Aug 1895 at Smithfield
Wyndham Charles Richmond     b. 14 Aug 1901 at Smithfield
John Campbell                b. 6 Oct 1905 at Adelaide

He was educated from 1911 at the Collegiate School of St Peter, Adelaide, where he won the Farrell Scholarship, rowed, played tennis and football and was a member of the cadet corps.  On leaving school in 1914 he became a clerk in the Adelaide branch of the Bank of New South Wales.

Enlisting on 29 July 1915, Baker embarked in November for the Middle East as a reinforcement gunner for the 6th Field Artillery Brigade; his battery, the 16th, moved on from Egypt to France, arriving in time to take part in the first battle of the Somme. As a gunner he showed considerable courage. He won his first Military Medal on 15 December 1916 in an action near Gueudecourt: as part of an observation team sent forward to record the fall of shot and to secure the range for a bombardment, he repeatedly repaired broken telephone lines while under heavy fire. Shortly after this episode he was awarded a Bar to his Military Medal when, at great personal risk, he put out a fire in a gun-pit containing ammunition.

Though he had proved himself a competent gunner, Baker centred his hopes on joining the Australian Flying Corps.  As a boy his chief hobby had been making model aeroplanes and in France aerial combat captured his imagination.  In August 1917 he remarked that he was 'almost green with envy' on seeing Allied aviators in action.  When an opportunity arose in September he transferred to the A.F.C. as an air mechanic, but he was selected for flying and sent to England to No. 5 Training Squadron; he made his first solo flight in March 1918. On 15 June he graduated as a Camel pilot and next day, with a total of 57 hours 40 minutes flying time, joined No. 4 Fighter Squadron as a second lieutenant.  Baker's operational career extended from 23 June, when he first crossed the lines, to his death in a fierce battle against odds over Ath on 4 November.  During this period he destroyed eight enemy aircraft and was credited with having forced down four more. Several of these victories were against the highly effective Fokker biplane fighter; often he closed to ten or twenty feet before destroying them.  He had been promoted lieutenant on 27 June.  Award of the Distinguished Flying Cross and promotion to captain were both posthumous; his D.F.C. citation referred to 'exceptional initiative and dash'.

Baker had a forceful yet pleasant personality, was a fine pilot and became a steady, respected flight-leader.  He often quoted Shakespeare in his letters. He was buried in the communal cemetery, Escanaffles, Belgium, and a stained-glass window is dedicated to his memory at St John's Church of England, Halifax Street, Adelaide.

THE ROLL OF HONOR

"Faithful unto Death"

AUSTRALIAN SOLDIERS DIED FOR HIS COUNTRYCAPTAIN RICHMOND BAKER, D.F.O., M.M, AND R.A.R.

Flight Commander Captain T C RICHMOND BAKER, D.F.C, M.M, and bar is now reported to have been killed in action on November 4 1918.  He was previously reported missing.  He was the eldest son of the late Mr Richmond Baker and Mrs.  A. M. Baker, of Park Terrace, North Unley.  He enlisted at the age of 18 and left for active service abroad in November, 1915.  In France he was transferred to the 18th Battery, 6th Field Artillery Brigade.  The officer command ing the 18th Battery wrote to his mother -"Mention of Lieutenant Baker's name brings to my mind one of the worst days of the war in my experience, when he was my telephonist on forward observation duty.  'It was on the Somme during that dreadful winter, December 1916. The temperature was well below zero, as we, wet to the skin, crawled into the position before dawn, and had to wait till dusk to crawl out again, for it was in full view of the Hun, who knew we used it for observation.  During that awful day the telephone wire was cut many times by the shells that fell in hundreds around our little home.  Baker crawled back several times to repair the wire, so that I could communicate with the battery, and each time I did not expect to see him again.  We dined off a Christmas cake I had received from Australia, and laughed down our many troubles.  That night I recommended him for the Military Medal, and was pleased when he received it, for he was a brave and willing lad."  He was awarded a bar to his Military Medal for extinguishing a fire in an ammunition dump in a gun pit. 

After two years in the Artillery he was transferred to the Australian Flying Corps.   On receiving his commission and wings, he proceeded to France, and was attached to the 4th Squadron, where he quickly rose in rank.  His commanding officer writes -"He was one of the bravest officers I have ever had in this squadron, and had only be promoted a few days before to the rank of captain, and flight commander.  His loss is very keenly felt by all the squadron, for he was, extremely popular, and looked up to by all other pilots, chiefly on account of his brilliant leadership". 

On one occasion Captain Baker had the honour of being presented to his Majesty, King George by General Sir W. Birdwood.  His Majesty warmly congratulated him on his successful career.  He was also the guest in August last year of the Earl of Kintore, formerly Governor of South Australia, and his daughter, Lady Ethel Baird at her home in Scotland.  While there he met many notable people, and spent a very happy fortnight.  He flew from France to Scotland in a 'Handley Page ' with 17 other airmen, and he reckoned that, it was "a Stunt".

No particulars have been received concerning the deed which won his latest decoration, the Distinguished Flying Cross.  It was probably earned during his last combat in the air, as his mother was told that "He did great work in the fight”.

The Advertiser Tuesday 8 April 1919