Desmond Arthur

Lieutenant Desmond Arthur (1884–1913) was an Irish aviator in No. 2 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps. Following his death in Scotland's first fatal aircraft accident; a government inquiry was launched to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash. The first inquiry found him responsible, but a later investigation exonerated Arthur. Arthur's ghost is claimed to haunt the RAF Montrose airfield in Montrose, Angus, Scotland, and paranormal enthusiasts consider it to be one of the most well-known ghost stories of the First World War. Desmond Arthur was the first Irishman to be killed in an aircraft accident.

Early life Lieutenant Desmond Lucius Studdert P. P. Arthur was born on 31 March 1884 at O'Brien's Bridge in County Clare, Ireland. The son of Thomas F. Arthur and Helen Studdert, he came from a prominent Clare family and had a sister, and a brother: Captain Charles William Augustus Arthur. Arthur was educated at Portora Royal School, Enniskillen. He was an enthusiastic sportsman and won a number of prizes in motoring speed trials, before becoming Lieutenant in the Army Motor Reserve in 1908. Arthur attended the first Irish Aviation Meeting at Leopardstown Racecourse on 29 August 1910. It was there that he was introduced to Cecil Grace, which reinforced his desire to become a pilot. He was known for his adventurous nature, as well as his "unassuming manner and unfailing good spirit". The flying training school, like many others, experienced frequent crashes as it built up a force of skilled pilots through the First and Second World Wars. At around 7:30am on Tuesday 27 May 1913 Arthur's B.E.2 biplane No.205 collapsed without warning while flying over Montrose during a routine training flight from Upper Dysart to Lunan Bay. Arthur was thrown from the aircraft and died instantly. He was found away from his machine. He was buried in Sleepyhillock Cemetery, Montrose.

Contemporaries were surprised by the crash of an experienced pilot. In 1914 M.P. William Joynson-Hicks complained of a "whitewash" and that the Secretary of State for War Colonel Seely would not admit to the faulty repair. In the spring of 1916 Noel Pemberton Billing called for a judicial enquiry into the military and naval air service, as "certain officers had been murdered rather than killed by the carelessness, incompetence or ignorance of their senior officers or of the technical side of those two services". An official investigation by a government committee set up on 3 August 1916 concluded that the pilot was at fault, and the crash a result of dangerous flying. According to paranormal enthusiasts, there were further sightings by other officers and flight instructors, all occurring in what was the old mess of the No. 2 Flying Squadron, and the ghost became known as the 'Irish Apparition' or the 'Montrose Ghost'. Believers say fear of the ghost caused guards to desert their posts and pilots to request transfer from Montrose.

According to legend, in 1940, a Hurricane pilot was distracted by a "mysterious biplane" whilst searching for a Heinkel bomber.

It is claimed that Sir Peter Masefield saw what he believed was a 70-horsepower B.E.2 biplane with a pilot wearing a leather flying helmet, goggles and scarf while flying his Chipmunk close to Montrose while en route from Dalcross to Shoreham on 27 May 1963.