On the 30th January 1919 2nd Lt. Christopher Berkeley of the Coldstream Guards and attached to the RAF sadly lost his life in a flying accident near Northolt Aerodrome.
Christopher was born in 1896 to Rev. Stuart Berkeley and Edith at the Vicarage Abbots Bromley
The untimely death of his father Stuart in 1909 meant the family had to move away and settled in West London.
In 1915 Christopher joined The London Regt (Artists’ Rifles) at the age of 19 and by October 1915 was promoted to 2nd Lt. At that time he joined the Coldstream Guards and by April 1916 he was on the front in France. In December 1916 he was wounded by an exploding shell and was sent home to recover. By December 1917 he was declared fit for duty and returned to France only to be sent home again due to his first injuries. In May 1918 he decided to join the RAF (RFC) and by 11th November 1918 he became a Pilot Instructor at Northolt. Sadly on the 30th January 1919 when taking a pupil up for a lesson the plane collided with a plane above him. Christopher died on the way to hospital, the pupil was not seriously hurt. Christopher is buried in St Mary’s Churchyard, Hendon.