Arthur Norbury Solly was born in Cheshire on 16 February 1894, the son of Ernest and Mary Alice Solly. Ernest himself was descended from one of the wealthiest and well documented of our family trees, dating back to the 1400’s starting with Peter Soly. The line remains in Kent until the early 1700’s when Richard Solly moved to Walthamstow (now in Middlesex) to marry Ann Hollis. Their son Isaac Solly moved to London in 1765 to start a mercantile business in Baltic timber. Later generations lived in London, but Ernest was born in Congleton, Cheshire.
Ernest had attended Rugby School between 1878 and 1881 and his son Arthur followed in his footsteps, being admitted in Sep 1908 and leaving in 1913.
The records show that he was a Michell. Scholar VI. Exhibitioner 1913, R VIII, 1912,1913. Exhibitioner of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. Following this distinguished academic career he enlisted in the armed forces when the First World War started
On Saturday August 11th 1917 at 10:50 am a Bristol F.2B (serial number A.7108) of No. 20 Squadron, RFC took of from its airfield near St. Omer for a training flight. The pilot of the Bristol was Capt. Arthur Norbury Solly (age 23); the observer was Lt. Donald Yalden Hay (age 24). Shortly after take-off the right wing of the aircraft collapsed and the aircraft crashed, killing both pilot and observer. As can be read below both were experienced pilots.
The two men who flew together and died together were buried together at Longuenesse Souvenir Cemetery (France), sharing the same headstone. Although two epitaphs would have been permitted there is only one, and a very fitting one indeed:
"Brothers in Arms" - They truly are
http://www.sole.org.uk/ansolly.htm
