 |
B-36 PEACEMAKER MUSEUMA 501(c)(3) Non-profit Corporation |
|
|
B-36 PEACEMAKER MUSEUMA 501(c)(3) Non-profit Corporation |
|
Wing Commander Dermott Lang Allen, AFC RAF
12 July 1890 - 10 September 1971
The United States entered W.W.I on 6 April 1917 with practically no air combat capability. The British government at that time was also in need of large numbers of aircraft and pilots and a joint plan was developed between the U. S. and Britain to rapidly train British, Canadian and American pilots and ground crews.
The plan called for Britain's Royal Flying Corps to contribute all its know-how to train from scratch aviation personnel for ten air squadrons. In return, the Americans would provide, during the coming winter, aerodromes in Texas, fully equipped with aircraft, engines, spares and all ancillaries needed to train American, Canadian and RFC personnel. The Americans would purchase Curtiss JN-4C training aircraft from Canadian Airplanes Ltd. The entire operation would be under British guidance, with the U.S. Army paying the bills. For the British, no more favorable plan could be imagined.
In June of 1917, Britain sent a 27 year old RAF Colonel to Texas to scout for suitable airfield sites. He selected three excellent locations close to a cattle and meat processing town and by September the three aerodromes, constructed to accommodate some 150 aircraft and 2,000 personnel, were ready to receive an RFC advance party. The name of the station was quite obscure: a place no-one had ever heard of. It was Fort Worth. In October, RFC Advanced HQ Fort Worth came into being, under the command of Lt Col Dermott Lang Allen at a temporary location at Camp Bowie.
During the time of the operation of these bases, the skies around Fort Worth were always filled with W.W. I era biplanes.
Photo and narrative supplied by Gp Capt H. NEUBROCH.
