WWI REMEMBERED Wales had its fair share of daring air aces during Great War

AMILITARY historian has shared the little-known stories of Welsh airmen and airwomen during the Great War. Wales and the First Air War 19141918 by Jonathan Hicks is an account of Welsh involvement in the Royal Flying Corps (RFC), Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) and Royal Air Force during World War I.

When the conflict began in 1914, aviation was in its infancy. Airmen took to the skies in wood and linen aircraft that were ill-equipped for the demands of mechanised warfare. By 1917, the average lifespan of a newlyposted pilot was just three weeks.

Welshmen volunteered for the new service arm in large numbers and Wales contributed pilots, observers and ground crew to the RFC, RNAS and RAF. In the new book, the stories of these men are told for the first time.

Their deeds, gallantry and ultimate fates are recounted, as are those of the Welsh “aces” who pitted their skills against those of their famous German counterparts.

Dr Hicks said: “Flying itself was very much a new pursuit. The first powered flight, made by the Wright Brothers, had taken place in 1903.

“Louis Bleriot’s much-feted crossing of the English Channel had occurred just five years before the war began and Welshmen had also taken a leading role in the development of aviation.”

Wales provided a pioneer in airship design. Ernest Willows from Cardiff was the first man in Britain to be granted a pilot’s licence and, on December 28, 1910, he made the first cross-channel airship flight from England to France.

Born in July 1886 and educated at Clifton College in Bristol, he trained as a dentist.

He built his first airship when he was just 19 and, after flying across the channel, moved to Birmingham to build his next airship, which was sold to the Admiralty.

During the First World War he built kite balloons in Cardiff and was a temporary honorary lieutenant in the RFC.

After the war ended he continued his pioneering work until he was killed in a balloon accident in August 1926.

Willows has left his mark on Cardiff – Willows Avenue is named after him, as is Willows High School, Splott, and the illuminated clock with a plaque in Mermaid Quay, Cardiff Bay.

There is also the Ernest Willows pub on City Road.

Dr Hicks, who has also written First World War books The Welsh at Mametz Wood, the Somme 1916 and The Welsh at Passchendaele 1917, also recounts the story of Charles Horace Watkins told in the book. Watkins was born in Cardiff in 1884. Remarkably, in his 20s – between 1907 and 1909 – he designed and built a monoplane in his garage.

He flew the machine over short distances in 1910 and then gradually increased the length of the flights.

His aircraft, known as the Robin Goch (Robin Redbreast), is now preserved in the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea. Watkins also designed the motor that powered the fuselage, which was made from wood, canvas and piano wire. The seat was a dining chair.

Speaking about why he decided to write Wales and the First Air War, Dr Hicks said: “While writing my book on the Battle of Passchendaele, I started to come across references to Welsh airmen and discovered that very little has hitherto been written about them.

“For example, there are dozens of Welsh ‘aces’ who were required to down five or more enemy aircraft to qualify for this prestigious title.

“One of them was the fourth highest scoring Allied ace of the war and yet he