Preston Albert Watson

[chrisharley9]

Please can any one help me with any further details on this chap

Name: WATSON, PRESTON ALBERT

Initials: P A

Nationality: United Kingdom

Rank: Flight Sub-Lieutenant

Regiment/Service: Royal Naval Air Service

Age: 34

Date of Death: 30/06/1915

Additional information: Son of Thomas and Jane Yeaman Watson, of Dundee; husband of Beatrice Philip Watson, of 1, Osborne Place, Dundee.

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference: 8. 75.

Cemetery: DUNDEE WESTERN CEMETERY

From East Sussex Records Office

Reference: COR/1/3/149

Creation dates: 1 Jul 1915

WATSON

Scope and Content

Preston Albert of Dundee, Flight Sub-Lieutenant, Royal Naval Air Service, stationed at Eastchurch, 34; fall with his aeroplane while flying between Eastchurch and Eastbourne, crashing in Dunlye Field, Cross-in-Hand; accidental death

The Dundee Roll Of Honour

Retreat, Perth Road, Dundee

Chris

[Guest]

Hi Chris,

Just another small snippet

Watson,P.A.

Born 17th May 1980 at Dundee

Royal Aero Cert No 1117 at London & Provincial School, Hendon on 16th March 1915

Appointed FSL 29th April 1915

Hope this helps

Regards Duncan

[chrisharley9]

Duncan

my thanks for your help

Chris

[Dolphin]

Chris

Flt Sub Lt P A Weston, of Eastbourne Naval Air Station, was accidentally killed while flying in Caudron G.III No 3266 on 30 June 1915.

I hope that this helps

Gareth

[chrisharley9]

Gareth

Thanks very much

Chris

[Ian Robertson]

Hello,

I've just uncovered this thread and although it has been a considerable time since the last post I thought you may be interested in seeing a photograph of Preson Watson. The photo comes from a book called "Victorian and Edwardian Dundee and Broughty Ferry" by Peter Adamson and R.Lamont-Brown and was published on behalf of the Dundee Museum and Art Gallery by Alvie publications of St Andrews.

The caption for the photo reads

"Preston A Watson, the Edwardian avaitor taken in 1914.Watson began building a bi-plane in 1903 at Belmont near Dundee.It was a wire and wood construction with a 10hp Santos Daumont 2-cylinder engine.The undercarriage of the plane resembled a large pair of skis and were greased with lard.In the summer of 1903, 6 months BEFORE the Wright Brothers made the first recorded flight, Watson's plane made a test flight. Hoisted by means of ropes and pulleys into trees, it was catapulted, engines running, some 100-150 yards before landing.In 1908 a second plane was built, powered by a 30hp Humber engine with a four wheeled undercarriage. It has a successful flight at Errol. Watson's third and last plane, was built in 1913 and competed in open competition in Paris where its design was awarded a safety diploma.Preston Watson joined the Royal Flying Corps at the outbreak of WW1, and was killed in a training accident at Eastbourne. He was buried July 5th 1915 in Dundee's Western Cemetery"

regards

Ian

[Tom A McCluskey]

Ian,

Many thanks for posting the bit about Preston Watson. I'd like to say that it was perusing something academic when I chanced upon the story of him...but I wasn't , I was flicking through my nephew's copy of Time Tram Dundee (quite a good, wee, animated book about the history of Dundee - primarily aimed at children...I quite enjoyed it though):

http://www.dundeecity.gov.uk/timetram/main.htm

and there was a small article on Preston Watson. I noticed his death was annotated as 1915 and so I looked up his details on the CWGC. I was principally looking into his military credentials, and could not find out much more about him, so it was good news to see the small article posted about him. I found it both fascinating and interesting that Dundee had its own pioneering aviator in Preston Watson, and a quick search of his name brings up a fair bit about his alleged 'first flight', and the aircraft that he designed/built.

Aye

Tom McC

[chrisharley9]

Excellent to see aphoto of the chap - thanks very much

Chris