201 Squadron, Royal Air Force
Fleming Newton was the second son of Isaac Newton MRCS, Senior Medical Officer at Tonbridge School and his wife Alice, who later lived at Broadlands, The Park, Cheltenham. He was educated at Tonbridge School between 1912 and 1917, where he was a member of the OTC and captain of school.
At the end of the summer term in 1917 he joined the Royal Naval Air Service at Crystal Palace and was gazetted Temporary Probationary Flight Officer on 5 August. He passed as First class pilot in January 1918, receiving two months’ seniority as a result of the tests and examinations passed and was gazetted Temporary SubLieutenant effective from 23 November 1917.
With the amalgamation of the Flying services in April 1918, he became a Second Lieutenant, Royal Air Force.
He went to France on 4 March 1918 and during the German Spring Offensive was posted missing when his machine was practically destroyed by anti-aircraft Wire. He survived and managed to regain the lines far from his base and rejoined his unit some time later.
On 9 May he went out on offensive patrol in his Sopwith Camel and was confronted by a large formation of enemy scout planes about six miles behind the lines. Three of the enemy planes were shot down before he himself was shot and killed, crashing to earth from a great height. At the time of his death he was serving with 201 Squadron, flying from Nouex-les-Auxi.
He was originally buried by the Germans in a small cemetery east of Warlencourt on the Albert to Bapaume Road. After the war his remains were transferred to Adanac Military Cemetery.
He is commemorated on the memorial at St Philip and St James Church, Cheltenham and also on the Tonbridge School Roll of Honour.
(Taken from Leaving All That Was Dear – Cheltenham and
the Great War by J Devereux and G Sacker)