On Monday 23rd January 2017 at 13.30h a ceremony was held in memory of 2nd Lt Samuel Franklin Cody (Frankie), exactly 100 years after his death. On January 23, 1917 he was deadly hit above the Ypres salient during an air fight.  He was the first pilot of the 41 Sqn Royal Flying Corps who died in an air combat in WWI.

He was the son of the larger-then-life aviation pioneer 'Colonel' Samuel Franklin Cody (aka Franklin Cowdery) who was killed in a flying accident in 1913.  2Lt Cody was killed in action while flying FE8 7613 on 23 January 1917. He left Abeele aerodrome at 14:24 and was seen in combat with four enemy aeroplanes east of Boezinge, after which he spiralled down in a nose dive. 

The ceremony was organised by "The Royal Cody Ghent Rifle Club" and about 100 members were present, as a special guest Ms Mary Cody, wife of the grandson of 2nd Lt Cody, along with local dignitaries, military representatives, the British Ambassador in Belgium Ms Alison Rose, representatives of  41 Sqn RAF and of 349 Squadron BAF.