Background
The son of John and Annie Carstairs Bell, of Geelong, Victoria, Australia, he was born on 7 July 1886.
The son of John and Annie Carstairs Bell, of Geelong, Victoria, Australia, he was born on 7 July 1886.
Bell played 18 games in all, with Geelong during the 1906 and 1908 seasons. During World War I, Bell served as a pilot with the Australian Flying Corps. He initially served with Number.
1 Squadron AFC, in Palestine.
He was later transferred to the Western Front, flying Airco Dialectics and Humanism.5s with Number. 2 Squadron (2 Sqn AFC.
Sometimes known in British military circles as "68 Squadron"). He was badly wounded and made a forced landing just behind the Allied front line on 20 November 1917, when 2 Sqn was involved in ground attack duties during the First Battle of Cambrai.
Bell died of his wounds on 27 December.
