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I’ve been doing some research on local military history. Besides Camp Bowie (the namesake of Camp Bowie Blvd. on the West Side), three army airfields existed in World War I to train pilots.
Fort Worth businessmen loved aviation and entertained the five fliers who, with their five airplanes, represented the entire U.S. air corps in 1915 when they stopped over in the city. Chamber of Commerce president Ben E. Keith (yes, of the food distributing company) hosted Captain Benjamin Foulois and his men with a dinner at the Metropolitan Hotel.
Two years later, when Fort Worth wanted to attract the military for training fields during World War I, Keith traveled to Washington and hosted Captain Foulois – by then a general – to a dinner again. He knew that a Lt. Col. Cuthbert G. Hoare of the Imperial Royal Flying Corps in Canada was in Washington looking for places in the southern U.S. to train Canadian pilots during the winter months. Bad weather shortened flying time in Canada. Colonel Hoare and General George O. Squier of the U.S. had worked out an agreement by which Canadians would train 10 squadrons for the U.S. This would consist of 300 pilots, 144 other flying officers, 20 administrative and equipment officers and about 2,000 mechanics. The Americans would begin their training in Canada and complete it in the U.S. The Canadians would send two military wings of their own down South to train. The RFC would supply all equipment for the Canadian part of the training, and the U.S. would supply equipment for training in its country. Each country would provide pay, clothing and transportation for its own soldiers. The U.S. agreed to build three airfields in the southern part of the U.S.
Col. Hoare was delighted with the advantages of the agreement for Canada. They already had buildings in place for the ground classes for the Americans. The agreement saved Canada the expense of building more airfields for which they had little money. Canadian pilot training could continue over the always-harsh Canadian winter in a more favorable climate. Best of all, this was practically all at America’s expense. Canadian officials were so happy with Col. Hoare’s negotiating abilities that they promoted him straight to brigadier general, skipping full colonel. The Americans apparently were just as happy with the agreement. Since April 6 they had been in the war and would need to construct training fields anyway. The Canadians already were geared up to train pilots and support personnel, so they could train Americans along with their own. The agreement called for the Canadians to go home in the spring. This would leave the Americans with three fully operating military fields, ready to continue with their own training. General Foulois wrote a note for Fort Worth’s Keith to hand to General Hoare, who had not yet selected the sites for the airfields. Canadians visited sites in Florida and Texas. General Hoare particularly liked San Antonio. Keith or someone persuaded him that San Antonio’s labor and food supply would not match Fort Worth’s, where the stockyards and numerous rail lines existed. Gen. Hoare sent his aide Major Dermott Allen to Fort Worth to select three sites. By the end of July, American soldiers were headed to Canada and the U.S. got busy building three airfields – one in present Saginaw, one in Everman and the third in Benbrook. The Canadians began arriving by rail in mid-November 1917. One officer commented that he was the first British officer to command British troops on American soil since the War of 1812! The Canadians were expecting balmy weather, but a “norther” welcomed them with rain and mud that broke 40 airplane propellers in one day. Even with “stock show” weather in January and February, however, they got in much more flying time than would have been possible near Toronto where their camp was located. All in all, both sides were satisfied with the reciprocal agreement. The Canadians called the fields Taliaferro #1, #2, and #3. When the Americans took over in April 1918, they kept the Saginaw (Hicks) field as Taliaferro, but changed #2 to Barron Field in Everman and #3 to Carruthers Field in Benbrook. Each was named after an American pilot who had been killed. Next spring I am presenting a paper at a history convention about the three airfields. I’m calling it “Danger in the Sky” because in 100,000 hours of flying time over Fort Worth, 106 fliers died of air-related accidents. Of these, 38 were Canadian or British. Retired history professor J’Nell Pate of Azle has authored several books, many of which are on sale in the lobby of the Azle News. |
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