The Great War trio to Billy Bisop’s fellow Scout Pilot and personal friend, Lieutenant D. R. C. ‘Black’ Lloyd, No. 60 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps, late Essex Yeomanry and Loyal North Lancashire Regiment
1914-15 Star (1186 Pte., Essex Yeo.); British War and Victory Medals (Lieut.) together with an inscribed pocket Prayer Book containing two news cuttings announcing his death, extremely fine (3)

David Rhys Cadwgan Lloyd was born at Tendring, Essex, in 1897, and was 22nd in direct male descent from Belddyn ap Cynfyn, Prince of Powys and North Wales. He joined the Essex Yeomanry in 1914 and was commissioned Temp. 2nd Lieutenant in the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment, 10th Bn., 29 December, 1914. He served in France and Belgium 1914-16 and was wounded during the battle of the Somme in Autumn 1916. He transferred to the Royal Flying Corps later that year and Billy Bishop’s biographer states ‘...the newcomer was a wiry dark haired youth D. R. C. ‘Black’ Lloyd. “Good man in a scrap”, Fry assured Bishop. And Lloyd proved it the first time Bishop led his flight on a patrol, by bringing down an enemy plane...Lloyd’s single burst took the enemy machine’s engine and it burst into flames.’
The Squadron Combat Claims 1916-18 give three ‘victories’ to Lloyd: on the afternoon of 11 May, 1917, flying Nieuport B1610 DD he destroyed an Albatros at Ecourt-St. Quentin. On 15 June flying the same Nieuport he destroyed an Albatros D00C at 21.00 hours. That same evening Bishop led a formation of fifteen Nieuports on their own ‘circus’ after dinner in an attempt to bring the Germans to combat. Bishop’s biographer tells the story: ‘They roamed the Switch at will and no German plane challenged them. What 60 Squadron did next was possibly one of the most blatant displays of arrogance of the air war of the period. The fifteen planes put on a display of aerial stunting directly over the German aerodrome at Epinay, peeling off formation into stall turns, loops and rolls. The Germans at Epinay preferred to watch the exhibition from the ground. “We must have looked like a bunch of beserk eagles,” said ‘Black’ Lloyd. “We should have charged the damned Huns admission.’
‘Next day Lloyd was killed in a fight with two Albatros scouts east of Monchy-le-Preux. Bishop was deeply affected. It was the first fatality in ‘C’ flight since Bloody April. Bishop’s state of mind changed abruptly from impatience at the enemy’s inactivity to hatred for the Germans who had killed his friend. That night he wrote to Margaret: “I am thoroughly downcast tonight. The Huns got Lloyd today, such a fine fellow too, and one of our best pilots.” With Lloyd’s death some of the zest for the chase went out of Bishop.’
Lieutenant Lloyd was last seen following an enemy aircraft down to 2,000 ft and his Nieuport collided with an Albatros flown by Vfw Robert Riessinger of Jasta 12. Both pilots were killed. Lloyd was buried in the H.A.C. Cemetery at Ecoust-St. Mein.