As to pinpointing without doubt the man who fired the fatal shot, the controversy will never actually be resolved. C.B. AWM E01716 Group portrait of officers and NCOs of 24th Machine Gun Company date 8 March 1918 in France. I could no longer look him in the face. His plane crashed in Australian lines whilst flying very near to the ground. In 1964 he told the Brisbane Courier Mail, "I am fairly certain it was my fire which caused the Baron to crash, but it would be impossible to say definitely that I was responsible. "The fact that the bullet was found intact inside the clothing of Richthofen is another indicator that it was a long-range shot," Franks told NOVA, "and I would say that would be probably 600 yards plus. Edith, 15, and Marjory, 14, took over the caring of the younger children as Dan travelled with his work as an insurance agent. "If the bullet had struck von Richthofen at close range, I would have expected a more explosive type wound," Peter Franks, a ballistics expert, told NOVA . However, I am strongly of the opinion that he was first hit by Sergeant Popkins shooting as he was unsteady from the moment of the first burst of fire.. This message is updated dynamically through the template {{source check}} (last update: 18 January 2022). Cedric Bassett Popkin was born in Sydney in 1890 to William (Dan) Bassett and Lilian Martha Popkin (nee Gilbert)1. WebEat Healthy !!! Cedric received a severe gunshot wound to his right leg on 19 June and was moved to 4th Field Ambulance. Just before his 26th birthday, on 6 May 1916, Cedric Bassett Popkin travelled to Brisbane to enlist in the AIF. Edith, 15, and Marjory, 14, took over the caring of the younger children as Dan travelled with his work as an insurance agent. Cedric Popkins Service Record notes that he was issued with the British War Medal and the Victory Medal in 1919. The Planes came from an Easterly direction and when within range of my gun, were flying very low, just above the tree tops. Snowy Evans I handed my gun over to the No. About: Cedric Popkin Within a few years the family had moved to Grafton in the northern rivers district of NSW. WebCedric Bassett POPKIN 1890-1968 - Ancestry. The police report stated "he keeps company with bad companions and often sleeps out at night". Cheers.InternetArchiveBot (Report bug) 16:47, 1 August 2017 (UTC)Reply[reply]. As soon as this risk was over, I opened fire a second time and observed at once that my fire took effect. Whilst in training camp at Perham Downs on Salisbury Plains, Cedric was reprimanded for insulting language to a NCO, which turned out to be his one and only military offence. At about 10:45 am on the 21st April 1918 west of Vaux-Sur-Somme. A student at the same school, Cedric was reported as having a "bad" character who had been before the Bench of Magistrates previously. On 19 June 1918, Sergeant Popkin was wounded in action, suffering a severe shrapnel wound to his right leg. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. conclusions in this article. In 1956, Gunner R. Buie, a Lewis gunner of the 53rd Battery, wrote to Australian newspapers about how he and Gunner W. J. Evans had opened fire on a German plane chasing a British one toward their position. NARRATOR: Perched on the slope was the Australian gunnery sergeant, Cedric Popkin. The plane the Baron was pursuing was piloted by Canadian, Lieutenant Wilfrid May and the Baron was in turn being chased by another Canadian pilot, Captain Roy Brown. Researched and written by Christine Stratigos for Tweed Regional Museum. Cedric and Nellie had two sons, Roland and Michael, and the family moved to Palmwoods in Queensland before the outbreak of WW1. This article is in three parts, depicting the personal and military histories of Cedric Popkin, and the story of the shooting down of the Red Baron. Lieutenant Donald L. Fraser, Brigade Intelligence Officer, 11th Australian Infantry Brigade, A.I.F., witnessed the incident and was one of the first to reach Rittmeister von Richthofen. The police report stated "he keeps company with bad companions and often sleeps out at night". Template Design Joomla Templates GavickPro. The 24th Machine Gun Company War Diary for April 1918 includes a statement by Sgt Popkin: "I was the Sergeant in charge of a Machine Gun detachment at J 19 d. WebHis father was Major Albrecht Phillip Karl Julius Freiherr von Richthofen and his mother was Kunigunde von Schickfuss und Neudorff. WebTheir birth place was Manhattan, New York Next most famous people with last name Popkin #2 Zelda Popkin Given name: Zelda Initials: ZP Tuesday, July 5, 1898 Fame Meter (1/100) #3 Cedric Popkin Given name: Cedric Initials: CP Thursday, January 1, 1891 Fame Meter (0/100) #4 Barry Popkin Given name: Barry Initials: BP Saturday, January 1, 1944 Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980Name: Cedric Bassett PopkinGender: MaleElectoral Year: 1943Subdistrict: Tweed HeadsState: New South WalesDistrict: RichmondCountry: Australia, https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1959589/ accessed 6 Apr 2018FIRST WORLD WAR EMBARKATION ROLLCedric Bassett PopkinService number 424Rank PrivateRoll title 7 Machine Gun Company - 2 to 9 Reinforcements (May-December 1916)Conflict/Operation First World War, 1914-1918Date of Embarkation 20 October 1917Place of embarkation MelbourneShip Embarked On HMAT Port Lincoln A17age 26occupation: carpentermarriedof Palmwood, North Coast Line, Queenslandnext of kin wife Mrs. Nelly Popkin, Palmwood, North Coast Line, QueenslandChurch of Englanddate of joining 6 May 1916. Richthofen had allied plane kills to his credit and was only 25 when he died. In his Official History, war historian Charles Bean suggests that it was probably Cedric Popkin who killed the Red Baron. Cedric Popkin near Morlancourt, France. About 10.45am on the 21st April, 1918, one of our Aeroplanes was being engaged by a German Aeroplane and was being driven down. There was evidence of only one hit on the triplane, which would fit with the cone of fire from a Vickers at long range. Who Killed the red Baron? BeFOre WATchiNG - PBS Cedric Popkin died in 1968 at Tweed Heads NSW. Gathered from those who lived during the same time period, were born in the same place, or who have a family name in common. Because of the type of weapons that where involved, we can say that it was probably a Vickers MG that fired the shot. After the war Cedric and Nellie returned south to NSW and by 1930 Cedric had taken up the position of Postmaster at Tyalgum, near Murwillumbah. By Martin Bowman Pen and Sword, Jun 26, 2014, By Peter Kilduff F+W Media, Inc., Apr 1, 2012 ISBN-13: 9780715333815, The Song of the RoseBy Colin Brown May 28, 2014ISBN-13: 978-1783064359, Australia, WWI Service Records, 1914-1920Name: Cedric Bassett PopkinGender: MaleAge: 25Birth Year: abt 1889Birth Place: Sydney, New South WalesDossier Year Range: 1914-1920Enlistment Place: Brisbane, QueenslandService Number: 424Spouse: Nellie PopkinSource CitationNational Archives of Australia; Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia; B2455, First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920. Together they have two kids; Croix, born in 2000, and Lucky Rose, born in 2003. Research genealogy for Cedric Bassett POPKIN of St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia, as well as other members of the Despite this, the attending surgeons at Richthofen's autopsy were of the opinion that the angle and nature of the bullet wounds ruled out the possibility that he had been shot from the ground, and that the injuries were due to the efforts of a Canadian pilot Roy Brown. Deaths Search ResultsName Registration NumberFather's Given Name(s)Mother's Given Name(s)District POPKIN NELLIE ELLEN 22665/1965 MICHAEL MARY JANE MURWILLUMBAH POPKIN CEDRIC BASSETT 17996/1968 WILLIAM MARTHA TWEED HEADS POPKIN VEDA LUCY 108827/1986 HERBERT EDWARDKATEhttps://familyhistory.bdm.nsw.gov.au/lifelink/familyhistory/search;jsessionid=901E3F03C8A5501C6F0235B74E31FA81?0 accessed 6 Apr 2018, Births Search ResultsName Registration Number Father's Given Name(s)Mother's Given Name(s)DistrictPOPKIN CEDRIC B 32243/1890 DAN W B LILIAN M ST LEONARDS https://familyhistory.bdm.nsw.gov.au/lifelink/familyhistory/search/births?1, Categories: Genealogy Challenge | Australian World War I figures, Vickers machine gunner, Australian 24th Machine Gun Company, 4th Division, St Leonards, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License, https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1959589/, https://familyhistory.bdm.nsw.gov.au/lifelink/familyhistory/search;jsessionid=901E3F03C8A5501C6F0235B74E31FA81?0, https://familyhistory.bdm.nsw.gov.au/lifelink/familyhistory/search/births?1, https://www.werelate.org/wiki/Person:Cedric_Popkin_%281%29. Analysis by many specialists, including historians, doctors and ballistics experts, has concluded that the shot came from an Anti-Aircraft (AA) machine gunner firing from the ground. M.G.Coy for April 1918, AWM4 24/24/8. He said, 'There's your man'.". That man was Australian gunnery sergeant Cedric Popkin, who, according to NOVA, was firing a machine gun at the Baron's right side from the ground, about 600 yards away. These facts, and the angle at which the bullet passed through Richthofen's body, suggest that he was killed by a long-distance, low velocity shot from a ground-based weapon. Whilst in training camp at Perham Downs on Salisbury Plains, Cedric was reprimanded for insulting language to a NCO, which turned out to be his one and only military offence. Many experts believe that the shot came from Popkin. As soon as this risk was over, I opened fire a second time and observed at once that my fire took effect. "The only claimant at that range is Popkin. Cedric's sister Edith Sophia lived with them for a short time around 1958 and they remained at Fingal Head until at least 1963. Roy Brown Cedric was working as a builder in Mullumbimby in 1908 and later moved to Brisbane where he married Nellie Ellen Bull on 10 March 1913. These were made by two different Australian antiaircraft crews who were stationed on the Morlancourt Ridge. He personally engaged two Fokker triplanes, which he drove off; then seeing that one of our machines was being attacked and apparently hard pressed, he dived on the hostile scout, firing the while. We said 'yes.' On his return home Cedric and his family returned to the Tweed area and by 1930 he had taken up the position of Postmaster at Tyalgum, near Murwillumbah. Cedric received a severe gunshot wound to his right leg on 19 June and was moved to 4th Field Ambulance. Richtofen , was given a full military funeral the following inscription was engraved in plate for his coffin Cavalry Captain Baron Von Richthofen aged 25 Killed in Aerial combat Sailley-le-Sec Somme France 21-4-18.11. Cedric and his wife Nellie were then living with their two children at Palmwoods in Queensland and he was working as a carpenter. Leo C. Popkin (19142011) was a film director and producer in the United States. "In our view and final analysis, the best candidate for bringing down von Richthofen was Cedric Popkin, Australian Sergeant machine gunner," Norman Franks told NOVA. The couple moved to South Murwillumbah where Cedric found work as a tobacconist and had two sons, Roland and Michael. Manfred von Richthofen . 209 Squadron, Royal Air Force, when he was attacked by a second Sopwith Camel BR, number B 7270, piloted by Captain Arthur Roy Brown, D.S.C., Mays commanding officer. Youll get hints when we find information about your relatives . Cedric enlisted in the AIF on 6 May 1916 and did not see his family again for three long hard years. It came down a few hundred yards away." On 25 March 1916 Cedric's father Dan died at Lismore NSW and his younger brother Roland, then living in Wales, enlisted in the British Army. As soon as this risk was over, I opened fire a second time and observed at once that my fire took effect. Despite some rest and treatment, Cedric's wound was not healing so he was transported to England on 4 July on HSS Andrew. Autopsies revealed that the wound which killed the Baron was caused by a bullet moving in an upward motion. highway motor vehicle crashes occur approximately once every