cecil arthur lewis

Cecil Arthur Lewis (29 March 1898 – 27 January 1997) was a British fighter ace who flew with No. 56 Squadron RAF in the First World War, and was credited with destroying eight enemy aircraft. He went on to be a founding executive of the British Broadcasting Company and to enjoy a long career as a writer, notably of the aviation classic ''Sagittarius Rising'', some scenes from which were represented in the film '' Aces High''.

Biography

Early life

Lewis was born on 29 March 1898 at 11, Radnor Place, Birkenhead, then in Cheshire, the only child of Edward Williams Lewis, a Congregational minister, by his marriage to Alice Rigby.James Owen, "Lewis, Cecil Arthur (1898–1997), airman and radio and television broadcaster", in ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (2004) His parents had been married at Runcorn in 1896. After a short time at Dulwich College, the young Lewis was educated at University College School and Oundle,"Lewis, Cecil Arthur", in '' Who Was Who 1996–2000'' (London: A. & C. Black, 2001, ), p. 347T. H. Bridgewater
Obituary: Cecil Lewis
in ''The Independent'' dated 29 January 1997, accessed 6 March 2019 leaving school at the age of seventeen.

First World War

Lewis joined the Royal Flying Corps in 1915 after lying about his age, and learned to fly at Brooklands in Surrey. In 1916, he flew the Morane Parasol on operations with No. 3 Squadron and was awarded the Military Cross for his actions during the Battle of the Somme. Flying over the battlefield on the First day on the Somme (1 July 1916) to report on British troop movements, Lewis witnessed the blowing of the mines at La Boiselle. He later described the early morning scene in his book ''Sagittarius Rising''.

It had been arranged that continuous overlapping patrols would fly throughout the day. Lewis's patrol was ordered "to keep clear of La Boiselle" because of the mines that were to be blown. As he watched from above the village of Thiepval, almost two miles from where the mines exploded, Lewis saw a remarkable sight,

Lewis's aircraft was hit by lumps of mud thrown out by the explosion.

During May and June 1917, when he was flying the S.E.5a with the elite 56 Squadron, Lewis was credited with eight victories. Back in England, Lewis served with 44 and 61 Squadrons on Home Defence before returning to France in late 1918 with 152 (Night-Fighter) Squadron, flying the Sopwith Camel, as a flight commander with the rank of captain.

A forty-minute interview with Lewis, describing his experiences as a First World War pilot, was recorded by the BBC in 1963–64 and later made available online as part of the centenary commemorations of the war. In it, Lewis describes how on his first flight he had the most unusual experience of seeing 9-inch howitzer shells turning over in flight at 8,000 feet before descending to the target. He also described his most frightening experience of the war: a reconnaissance flight at 1,000 feet during the initial bombardment before the battle of the Somme. This entailed flying along the line of fire of shells. Close passing shells caused severe turbulence to his aircraft and a number of his friends were killed.

Flight instructor, journalist, broadcaster

After the war, Lewis was hired by the Vickers company to teach Chinese pilots to fly and to establish a Peking–Shanghai air service using Vickers Commercials, the civilian version of the Vickers Vimy bomber. In Peking in 1921 Lewis married Evdekia Dmitrievna Horvath, known as Doushka (1902–2005), the daughter of a Russian general. He returned to England when the air service project was abandoned by Vickers after a couple of years. With his first wife, he had one son and one daughter.

Through a friend, the Russian singer Vladimir Rosing, Lewis met the artist Charles Ricketts, who became his artistic mentor and sponsor. After Ricketts's death in 1931, Lewis edited his letters and journals for publication. Some of Ricketts' ashes were buried in the park of Lewis's villa at on Lake Maggiore, which Ricketts had given him £300 to buy.

In 1922 Lewis was one of the five young founding executives of the British Broadcasting Company, precursor of the British Broadcasting Corporation
...