Sir Alexander Bannerman, 11th Baronet

Sir Alexander Bannerman
Born	16 December 1871 Brackley, Northamptonshire, England
Died	10 March 1934 (aged 62) George, Cape Province, South Africa
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Rank	Major
Commands held	School of Ballooning Air Battalion
Battles/wars	Second Boer War

Major Sir Alexander Bannerman, 11th Baronet (16 December 1871 – 10 March 1934)^[1] was a pioneer British military aviator.

Bannerman was born in Brackley in Northamptonshire and educated at Wellington College and subsequently at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. He succeeded to the title of 11th Baronet Bannerman, of Elsick in Kincardineshire, on the death of his father the 10th Baronet on 2 December 1901.^[2][3]

Bannerman served in the Royal Engineers, seeing active service in the Second Boer War, and was mentioned in Lord Roberts' despatches. He was promoted to captain on 26 October 1900.^[4]

After the war he returned to England only to depart again in 1903 on a special mission to Japan as British military attache at the Japanese headquarters during the Russo-Japanese War. While there, he observed the use by the Japanese of a tethered balloon at Port Arthur.^[3] At the start of 1908, Bannerman was sent to the War Office to work as a general staff officer (third class).^[5]

In October 1910, Bannerman left the War Office^[6] in order to replace Colonel John Capper as the officer commanding the British Army's School of Ballooning.^[7][8] In April 1911, when the School of Ballooning was reorganized and the Air Battalion was formed within the Royal Engineers, Bannerman served as its commandant. Just before the Air Battalion became the Royal Flying Corps, Bannerman took flying lessons in order to gain his Royal Aero Club certificate.^[9]

He had been a balloonist, so had little knowledge of aeroplanes and he is not reckoned as a successful commander of the Air Battalion.^[10]

He retired from Royal Engineers and Royal Flying Corps service on 28 August 1912.^[11][12]

Sir Alexander Bannerman died on 10 March 1934 at the age of 62 in George in the Cape Province, South Africa.^[13]

Awards and decorations

• Queen's South Africa Medal^[14]
• King's South Africa Medal^[14]
• 1914-1915 Star^[14]
• War medal 1915-1918^[14]
• Victory Medal^[14]
• King George V Coronation Medal^[14]
• Mentioned in despatches (Boer War)
• Order of the Rising Sun, 4th class (Japan)^[14]
• Order of the Sacred Treasure, 4th class (Japan)^[14]
• Russo-Japanese War Medal^[14]

References

1. http://www.leighrayment.com/baronetage/baronetsB1.htm
2. Surname B at www.angloboerwar.com
3. Driver, Hugh (1997). The Birth of Military Aviation: Britain, 1903-1914. Royal Historical Society. p. 260. ISBN 086193234X.
4. The London Gazette: no. 27467. p. 5465. 22 August 1902. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
5. The London Gazette: no. 28097. p. 139. 7 January 1908. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
6. The London Gazette: no. 28426. p. 7436. 21 October 1910. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
7. Turner, Charles Cyril (1972) [1927]. "XXII". The Old Flying Days. Ayer Publishing. p. 294. ISBN 0-405-03783-X.
8. http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1910/1910%20-%200826.html
9. Raleigh, Sir Walter Alexander; Jones, Henry Albert (1922). The war in the air; being the story of the part played in the Great War by the Royal Air Force. Oxford Clarendon Press. p. 188.
10. Gollin, Alfred M. No Longer an Island: Britain and the Wright Brothers, 1902-1909. Stanford University Press. p. 229.
11. http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1912/1912%20-%200822.html
12. The London Gazette: no. 28639. p. 6374. 27 August 1912. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
13. Air force | air ministry | air arm | 1934 | 0261 | Flight Archive at www.flightglobal.com
14. "Medals Lt Col Sir Alexander Bannerman". Retrieved 25 September 2015.