User:MinorProphet/Draft subpages/Ben Travers in WW1

Ben Travers was commissioned into the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) as a Flight Sub-Lieutenant with seniority from 9 November 1914. Gazette, 25 May 1915, p. 5006. Travers claimed to have joined the RNAS "because he disliked marching." (Castle 2018, p. ??? Note 18: Vale of Laughter, p. 80)

He gained his pilots licence No. 1170 on 12 April 1915. (1170 Flight Sub-Lieut. Benjamin Travers, R.N.A.S. (Bristol Biplane, Royal Naval Air Station, Hendon. April 12th, 1915.) Graces Guide Travers was born in Lee Crofts, Sunningfields Road, Hendon according to DNB, so just down the road then, literally about a mile as the crow flies.

His instructor at Hendon was F. Warren Merriam. Frederick Warren Merriam 1880-1956 and My grandad was an aviation pioneer

• Merriam, F. Warren (1954). First Through The Clouds (PDF). London: Batsford.

"He came to me as a probationary sub[-Lieutenant] to learn to fly and was, I regret to say, one of my most difficult pupils. He was big-hearted and fearless but had not, to start with, the slightest gift of "feel". We had a number of exciting experiences together. One occurred when I was making a test flight with him before handing over for a solo. We had reached a height of about 80 feet when I suddenly felt cables dangling round my legs and the control column. Looking over the side, I was amazed to see the ailerons flapping about in the most alarming manner. If we had started to turn, this mishap might well have spelt disaster. Luckily we were still in straight flight with plenty of room ahead to land. Needless to say, I lost no time in switching-off and putting the nose down to land, in the meantime keeping the plane level by vigorous "pedipulation" of the rudder. The gentle smoothness of our landing was in striking contrast to the fury of my feelings as I strode off to the sheds to find out who was responsible for not ensuring the cables were in airworthy condition before the test. Ben Travers later assisted me with elementary instruction and eventually became a steady and reliable pilot. He was most popular as an officer, and his entertaining abilities were always in demand." (Merriam, p. 90)

Merriam was the foremost flying instructor in Britain on the outbreak of WW1. He almost accompanied Whitten-Brown across the Atlantic in a Vickers Vimy in 1919, but lost to Alcock on the toss of a coin.

Zeppelin raid, 31 May / 1 June 1915 - Zeppelin LZ 38 - six? a number of planes took off, but only one briefly located the Zeppelin. Douglas M Barnes, with Travers as observer set off from Hendon in a Sopwith Gunbus from Hendon, the only remaining serviceable aircraft. Failing to find the airship, they missed the airfield and landed in Theobalds Park - bounced twice - at the first impact Travers, who had undone his seat belt, was shot out 'like a stone from a catapult' but the Sopwith turned over and Barnes died in the wreckage. This was the first casualty of the London Defence Force on a combat mission.

• { cite book

Title	Zeppelin Onslaught: The Forgotten Blitz, 1914–1915
Author	Ian Castle
Publisher	Casemate Publishers
2018
ISBN	1848324359, 9781848324350
Chapter 4 'Forcing England to her Knees'
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=e9hgDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT181}

And 31st May 1915 : London Ian Castle.Zeppelin Raids, Gothas and 'Giants' - Britain's First Blitz - 1914-1918.

On 7 June 1915, Reginald Warneford bombed a Zeppelin, awarded VC. Travers (who was still in training at Hendon in February 1915 when the talented but immature Warneford showed up) in his AutoBio thought he was "a brash character ... his cocksure and boastful nature annoyed us all". Warneford was transferred to RNAS Eastchurch where he was, according to Travers, "received with mixed feelings". (Cooksley & Batchelor p. 24)

Title	VCs of the First World War: The Air VCs
Series=VCs of the First World War
Authors	Peter G. Cooksley, Peter F. Batchelor
Publisher	The History Press, 2014
ISBN	0752493922, 9780752493923
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=HzFgAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT26 

65th Anniv Flt.Sub.Lt. R.A.J. Warnford's VC signed B Travers WW1 Pilot - First day cover w/ facsimile of Travers signature.

Having gained his licence, Travers was chosen by Merriam (along with with six other new pilots) to head up the new? RNAS flying School at RNAS Chingford next to the King George V Reservoir (now also under the William Girling Reservoir). The RNAS Chingford Airdrome by Bill Bayliss (Chingford 2013).

Travers was in charge of the Maurice Farman Longhorn flight.(Rochford p. 20)

Travers tested a Calthorp "Guardian Angel" parachute which failed to open - he landed at well considerably greater speed than usual, broke the undercart but was otherwise unharmed. (Rochford, p. 22) The RFC, RNAS and later the RAF decided not to use parachutes until the war was over.

Title	I Chose the Sky
Author	Leonard Rochford
|author-link=Leonard Rochford
Edition	illustrated
Publisher	Grub Street Publishing, 2015
ISBN	1909808326, 9781909808324
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=M5tICgAAQBAJ&pg=PA20

John Joseph Malone bypassed Travers' Longhorn Flight, being deemed capable of moving straight to the Avro 504 flight. Jack Malone...First Ace of Naval Three by Stewart K. Taylor.

Travers was in good company at Chingford: Ivor Novello and Lawrence Irving (grandson of Henry Irving) were also stationed there.

" Wing Commander Tom Browne of No. 216 Squadron RAF, ex No. 16 Squadron RNAS mentions in his The Skyline Is A Promise (Liverpool: Rondo Publications Ltd, 1971, isbn 0856190004.)

"Ivor Novello was at RNAS Chingford as a "RNVR two striper" in late 1917. Novello was not on the permanent staff but was attracted to the place for its location to the West End theatre land.
Stage personalities such as Lawrence Irving and Ben Travers who were on the staff also got involved in camp entertainment. Browne records a Christmas 1917 production entitled "Chingford a la Chu Chin Chow" with Novello playing the part "Second Do"; Travers playing the part "The Wazir O-Ben-Avro" and Irving playing the part "The Peti-O-Phizier". [ie Petty Officer]
In 1916 the same trio put on a production entitled "The Chingford Revue of 1916". Great War Forum

Ben Travers, Desert Island Discs, 12 May 1975

Gazette 30662 - 30 APRIL 1918 Admiralty: Honours for the Royal Naval Air Service.
The following Officers and Men have been mentioned in Despatches - for zeal and devotion to duty during the period from 1st July to 31st December, 1917: ...Flt. Cdr. Benjamin Travers, R.N.A.S. Mentions in Dispatches

Navy List, April 1918, p. 561 - Squadron Commander Benjamin Travers, Seniority 31 December 1917 p. 561 See also Royal Naval Air Service#Officer ranks

And the Sopwith Cuckoo - Travers claimed to have dropped the first torpedo from a land-based aircraft - probably with No. 185 Squadron RAF based at RAF East Fortune, East Lothian.

"In his autobiography Vale Of Laughter Ben Travers relates how his squadron used Belhaven sands near Dunbar, E. Lothian as an aerodrome when practising torpedo runs using the Cuckoo. On 4th July 1918 he deposited the first torpedo ever to be dropped from a land-based aircraft. (He released the torpedo in the Firth of Forth)." ie There were, I believe, torpedo carrying aircraft in use in 1915, but these were launched from seaplane carriers or took off from the sea.... Was the Sopwith Cuckoo used in anger? Dec. 2004