William Wedgwood Benn joined Ben-my-Chree in 1916 and later became a prominent Labour politician, Secretary of State for India, and Secretary of State for Air. The sequence of his early wartime assignments is unclear, especially claims that place him at Gallipoli before his documented Royal Naval Air Service secondment. His later aviation record is firmer. A September 1918 DFC citation credits him with leading unsupported bombers against an enemy aerodrome, helping drive off enemy scouts on the return flight, and organizing a difficult night operation. It records a substantial operational aviation career before his later ministerial posts.
Notable Point · 46:24-49:49
William Wedgwood Benn's aviation service precedes politics
Before his ministerial career, William Wedgwood Benn served aboard Ben-my-Chree and earned a DFC for bombing and night-flying operations later in the war.