Today in Wheeling History: August 24--Lieutenant Louis Bennett Jr., West Virginia's only World War I flying ace who founded an aircraft plant in Warwood and maintained an office in Wheeling's Schmulbach Building, was fatally wounded during a mission over France (1918).
Lieutenant Louis Bennett Jr. (1894-1918) was West Virginia's only World War I flying ace. Born in Weston, West Virginia, to a prominent family, he showed early mechanical aptitude, building a motorcycle and car at age 12. After graduating from Yale in 1917, Bennett founded the West Virginia Flying Corps to train pilots, establishing an aircraft plant in Warwood and flying from an airfield in Beech Bottom. He maintained an office in Wheeling's Schmulbach Building.
When the corps failed to achieve military status, Bennett joined the British Royal Flying Corps in 1917. Deployed to France in 1918, he became known for "balloon busting," downing nine German observation balloons. On August 24, 1918, Bennett was fatally wounded during a mission over France.
His mother, Sallie Maxwell Bennett, commissioned several memorials, including a stained-glass window in Westminster Abbey and a bronze statue titled "The Aviator" on the Linsly School campus in Wheeling. The Bennett Memorial Museum opened in 1920 on the second floor of the old Wheeling Public Library, featuring Bennett's war trophies and relics.
In 1927, Charles Lindbergh visited Wheeling and placed a wreath at "The Aviator" statue, drawing a large crowd. The statue became a focal point for Armistice Day ceremonies in Wheeling, where World War I pilots would gather to remember their fallen comrades. Bennett's legacy as a pioneering aviator and war hero continues to be celebrated in Wheeling and beyond.
To learn more: (http://alturl.com/fkr6d) (http://alturl.com/mkwtx) (http://alturl.com/ozgep)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV
Lieutenant Louis Bennett Jr. (1894-1918) was West Virginia's only World War I flying ace. Born in Weston, West Virginia, to a prominent family, he showed early mechanical aptitude, building a motorcycle and car at age 12. After graduating from Yale in 1917, Bennett founded the West Virginia Flying Corps to train pilots, establishing an aircraft plant in Warwood and flying from an airfield in Beech Bottom. He maintained an office in Wheeling's Schmulbach Building.
When the corps failed to achieve military status, Bennett joined the British Royal Flying Corps in 1917. Deployed to France in 1918, he became known for "balloon busting," downing nine German observation balloons. On August 24, 1918, Bennett was fatally wounded during a mission over France.
His mother, Sallie Maxwell Bennett, commissioned several memorials, including a stained-glass window in Westminster Abbey and a bronze statue titled "The Aviator" on the Linsly School campus in Wheeling. The Bennett Memorial Museum opened in 1920 on the second floor of the old Wheeling Public Library, featuring Bennett's war trophies and relics.
In 1927, Charles Lindbergh visited Wheeling and placed a wreath at "The Aviator" statue, drawing a large crowd. The statue became a focal point for Armistice Day ceremonies in Wheeling, where World War I pilots would gather to remember their fallen comrades. Bennett's legacy as a pioneering aviator and war hero continues to be celebrated in Wheeling and beyond.
To learn more: (http://alturl.com/fkr6d) (http://alturl.com/mkwtx) (http://alturl.com/ozgep)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV
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