John Letts (aviator)
| John Herbert Towne Letts | |
|---|---|
| Born |
10 June 1897 Lincoln, England |
| Died | 11 October 1918 (aged 21) Belle Vue Aerodrome, France |
| Buried at | Bac-du-Sud British Cemetery, Bailleulval, France (50°13′30″N 2°36′11″E / 50.22500°N 2.60306°ECoordinates: 50°13′30″N 2°36′11″E / 50.22500°N 2.60306°E) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | British Army Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1915–1918 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit |
Lincolnshire Regiment No. 27 Squadron RFC No. 48 Squadron RFC No. 87 Squadron RAF |
| Battles/wars | World War I • Western Front |
| Awards | Military Cross |
Captain John Herbert Towne Letts MC was a British First World War flying ace credited with thirteen confirmed victories.
Letts was the only child of Walter John Letts, a railway superintendent, and Charlotte Helen (née Robertson) of Steep Hill House, Lincoln. He was educated at Aldeburgh Lodge, Suffolk, Roydon Hall, Norfolk, and at Lancing College, Sussex, where he excelled in sport, representing the school in swimming, football and cricket, and was a sergeant in the Officers' Training Corps.
In mid-1915 he left school to attend the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Lincolnshire Regiment on 26 January 1916. He was immediately seconded to the Royal Flying Corps, and posted to No. 1 Reserve Squadron at RAF Gosport to begin his flying training. On 19 March he made his first solo flight, in a Maurice Farman Longhorn, after only four hours of dual instruction. His second solo flight, later the same day, ended when he crashed into the side of a shed. Letts' first attempt to gain his Royal Aero Club's Aviator's Certificate was abandoned after his engine failed, but he passed on his second attempt the next day, 24 March, flying a Maurice Farman biplane at the Military School in Farnborough. Letts was appointed a flying officer on 4 May 1916.
Following advanced flying training at the Central Flying School at Upavon, on 15 June Letts was posted to No. 27 Squadron in France, to fly the Martinsyde G.100 fighter-bomber. He was invalided back to England on 11 August with an injured knee, and on 19 October was posted to No. 47 Reserve Squadron at RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire, to serve as an instructor. He was reassigned to No. 48 Squadron, flying the new two-seater Bristol F2b fighter, on 12 February 1917, and in March the squadron was sent to France. On 5 April Letts was appointed a flight commander with the rank of temporary captain, replacing William Leefe-Robinson, who had been shot down and captured.
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