Louis Marcus Basil Weil (WEI5178)

Basic Information

Unique reference:

WEI5178

Gender:

Male

Birth

Date of birth:

27 Tishri 5659 (13 October 1898)

Place of birth:

Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Death

Date of death:

14 Nisan 5677 (06 April 1917)

Died in combat?:

Yes

Place of death:

France

Cause of death:

Killed in action

Burial place:

Sauchy-lestree Communal Cemetery

1 of 2
Headstone
2 of 2
Portrait

Synagogues

Name:

Bayswater Synagogue

Military History

He received his commission to the rank of Probationary Flight Sub-Lieut and was later confirmed in the rank of FSL on 11th October 1915. He began his flying at Chingford on 14th October 1915 before posting to Redcar to train on 2nd December 1915. He later was posted to Eastchurch on 26th March 1916 and to Dover the following month but was listed as "sick" by June 1916.

On 19th June 1916 he was posted back to Redcar as an Assistant Instructor. His service record states he was still in this role when a mishap at Scarborough occurred in August 1916 to Avro 504 8600 and he was still serving at RNAS Redcar Flying School on 21st November 1916 when he was involved in the taxiing accident to Longhorn N5037 there. On 17th January 1917 he was posted to Dover and it seems likely that he crossed the Channel and went into France shortly after. He was later promoted to F/Lt also on 17th January 1917 and served in France with No.1 Naval Squadron.

He was killed on 6th April 1917 following combat over Northern France, he was flying Sopwith Triplane N5448 which was attacked by Hauptmann Paul Von Osterroht. Weil's aircraft crashed near Malakow / Malakoff Station and this is reported as being the first Sopwith Triplane to have been brought down by a German pilot. He was probably involved in the Battle of Hargicourt at the time. F/Lt Louis Weil is buried in Sauchy-Lestree Communal Cemetery, France and was only eighteen years old.

(Yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk)

Father's Military Career

His father Benjamin Weil became famous for being "The Man Who Fed Mafeking" during the Defence of Mafeking. Louis and his parents were in Mafeking just before the Boer's attacked, he and his mother escaped on the last train leaving his father and the remaining townsfolk to defend the town from the Boer's attack. For his actions in the attack Benjamin Weil was awarded the Queen's South Africa Medal with the Defence of Mafeking Clasp.

(Yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk)

Military Record

Military service:

Royal Navy Air Service

Date discharged/death:

06 April 1917

Rank at discharge/death:

Sub-Lieutenant

Assignments

Regiment:

14th Wing

Campaigns:

Battle of Hargicourt

1 of 2
Flight Certificate
2 of 2
Military details

Roll of Honour

L. B. WEIL, 08 April 1917

Commonwealth Graves Commission

Rank:

Flight Lieutenant

Date of Death:

06 April 1917

Age:

18 years old

Regiment / service:

Royal Naval Air Service

Cemetery:

Sauchy-lestree Communal Cemetery, France

Grave reference:

South side of cemetery. 4.

Additional information:

Personal inscription:

AND THE DUST RETURNETH TO THE EARTH BUT THE SPIRIT RETURNETH UNTO GOD

Contact the Author

Any messages sent via this facility are not the responsibility of the WWTT site and are simply passed onto the account holder’s contact and not stored here. Should the author choose to reply to you, all further contact made will not be transmitted through the site but independently through your own email or the details you leave here.

SEND MESSAGE

Contact the Author

Please note that the recipient will be provided with the email address linked to your account, and any response will not be transmitted through the site but independently through your own email.