Basil George Watson

The son of James Isaac Watson (1865-1944),[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article206007102 Deaths: Watson, The Age, (Tuesday, 22 August 1944), p.5.][http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article206007176 Obituary: Mr. J.I. Watson, The Age, (Tuesday, 22 August 1944) p.3.]On 23 October 1908, the J. I. Watson Challenge Cup, a perpetual trophy, was contested for the first time at the Haileybury College annual school sports day ([http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10178632 School Sports, The Argus, (Wednesday, 28 October 1908), p.4.]) and Isabel Ada Watson (1867-1952), née Knight[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8590718 Marriages: Watson—Knight, The Argus, (Saturday, 22 February 1890), p.1.][http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article23161024 Deaths: Watson, The Argus, (Monday, 4 February 1952), p.14.] {{em-dash}} and the grandson of the mining magnate, John Boyd Watson, and nephew of the Australian cricketer Billy Murdoch {{em-dash}} Basil George Watson was born in Bendigo on 12 October 1893.

Watson and his two brothers {{em-dash}} Eric James Watson (1892-1964) and James Rudyard Watson (1900-1959) {{em-dash}} attended Haileybury College at Brighton Beach, Victoria.[https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/articles/15473 Museums Victoria website, Basil George Watson, Pioneering Aviator (1894-1917)]

Watson's family had an early interest in Aviation. On Monday morning, 21 March 1910, some 30 spectators witnessed Harry Houdini make an extended flight at Diggers Rest of 7min. 37secs., covering at least 6 miles, at altitudes ranging from 20ft. to 100ft. Basil Watson's father, mother, and younger sister, Venora, then aged 14, were among the spectators;{{efn|In order to be present at Houdini's 6:45AM first flight, the Watsons would have had to have left Brighton Beach somewhere near 4AM.}} and their names were included in the list of 16 spectator signatures on the certificate that verified Houdini's achievement.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10843511 Australian Flights: Houdini's Latest Record: Six Miles in 7min. 37sec., The Argus, (Tuesday, 22 March 1910), p.6.][http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12071022 When Australia first saw Planes fly: Houdini's 1910 Voisin Biplane was Closely Followed by an Australian-built Machine, The Argus Week-end Magazine, (Saturday, 3 December 1938), p.3]: obviously, the mistaken signature of "James. L. Watson" should have been read as "James. I. Watson".

Watson travelled to England in 1914 on the S.S. Mooltan{{efn|N.B. not the RMS Mooltan built in 1923; see [http://www.pandosnco.co.uk/mooltan_1905.html The S.S. Mooltan of 1905, The Old Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company (c1835-1972).]}} {{em-dash}} in the company of two other Australian aviators, Harry Hawker and Harry KauperParsons & Battams (2019), p.31.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article242137400 Aviation Pupil, The (Melbourne) Herald, (Monday, 6 April 1914), p.12.] {{em-dash}} and, upon the recommendation of Hawker, he joined the Sopwith Aviation Company as an engineer (where he was able to learn about the latest trends in aviation and aviation technology) and, at the same time, he undertook flying lessons.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article90782136 Personal, The Bendigonian, (Thursday, 23 September 1915), p.13]{{Cite web |date=2017-06-30 |title=Bendigo's magnificent man takes off again |url=https://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/story/4761372/bendigos-magnificent-man-takes-off-again/ |access-date=2022-10-04 |website=Bendigo Advertiser |language=en-AU}} Watson received his official aviator’s certificate following his training with the Hall School of Flying at the London Aerodrome, at Hendon, in October 1915.Certificate no.1910, dated 18 October 1915 (see: [https://archive.org/details/sim_flight-international_1915-10-29_7_44/page/n26/mode/1up?view=theater "The Royal Aero Club of the United Kingdom; Official Notices to Members: Aviators' Certificates", Flight, Vol.7, No.44, (29 October 1915), p.829]).[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article138703437 Successful Australian Aviator — B.G. Watson, The (Melbourne) Punch, (Thursday, 9 December 1915), p.21.]

Soon he was employed as a military test pilot. However, following the injuries he sustained in a crash on 22 June 1915, he was declared medically unfit for service; and he returned to Australia.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2101933 Two Years in Air Service: Australian's Experiences, The Argus, (Friday, 2 June 1916), p.8.]

::Watson . . . was seconded as a test pilot to the Imperial Army being based at Brooklands airfield, where he undertook trial flights of new aircraft.
On a fateful test flight on 22 June 1915, Watson took off from Brooklands piloting a new Sopwith aircraft powered by a 150 h.p., Sunbeam V-8 engine.
He had barely cleared the airfield climbing to just 150 ft when four cylinders suddenly failed, causing the engine to seize and the plane began rapidly descending.
With no time to turn the plane around and return to the airfield, Watson narrowly avoided a house and steered for gap in the heavy tree cover, but collided with a tree trunk at 90 miles per hour.
He was fortunate to escape with a nasty gash on his head, a few cuts and bruises and a severe case of concussion.
Although he would fully recover after several month convalescence, Watson was ruled medically unfit for further service, bringing to a premature end his hopes of an extended military aviation career.Churchward, 2017.

Upon his return to Australia, he began constructing his own biplane, using a Gnome rotary engine he had purchased from Horrie Miller,See: [https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/393639 Gnome Rotary 50 HP Aero Engine, 1916], Item ST 11945, Museums Victoria Collections. and "modelled on the Sopwith Scout",Aitken (2004), p.121.Meggs (2009), pp.123-124) notes that the aeroplane cost AU£1,700, with the finance provided by his father (with AU£1,700 in 1916 = approx AU$250,000, in 2022). at Follacleugh, in St Kilda Street, Elsternwick, the family residence;[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article242247932 Real Estate Market: Important City Sales, The (Melbourne Herald, (Wednesday, 27 October 1920), p.3.][http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article242454348 In his Homebuilt Biplane, Aviator Loops and Dives, The (Melbourne) Herald, Thursday, 2 November 1916), p.1.] and, at the end of 1916, he received permission to test his plane {{em-dash}} which he flew between Point Cook, Bendigo, and Melbourne.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article20136595 An Australian Aviator: 100 miles in 80 minutes, The Brisbane Courier, (Thursday, 30 November 1916), p.6.][http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article91375908 Aviation Display: Flight by Mr. Basil Watson: Accident on Landing: Aeroplane Damaged, The Bendigonian, (Thursday, 14 December 1918), p.33.][http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1630442 Flight from Bendigo: Young Aviator's Feat: Lost in Haze, The Argus, (Saturday, 16 December 1916), p.20.]

In 1917 he set up an air mail experiment, where he delivered 1,300 postcards to Melbourne from Mount Gambier. Discussions begun to expand the service to other towns.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1598126 Aviation at Casterton, The Argus, (Monday, 19 February 1917), p.8.]

::"1917. 28th. March.—Sensational aviation tragedy near Point Cook. The Victorian aviator, Basil Watson, killed by a fall of 2,000 feet caused by the collapse of his bi-plane." — Victorian Year Book 1917-18.[https://archive.org/details/13012-vic-yr-book-1917-18/page/5/mode/1up?view=theater Chronological Table, p.5 in Laughton, A.M. (1919), Victorian Year Book (no.38), 1917-18, Melbourne: Albert J. Mullett, Government Printer.]

Watson, promoted as "The Wizard of the Void", "The Athlete of the Sky", and "The Magician of the Air", was scheduled to demonstrate his flying prowess and aerobatic skills at a special fund-raising carnival for the Red Cross to be held at Caulfield Racecourse on Thursday 29 March 1917.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article242679295 Basil Watson (Advertisement), The (Melbourne) Herald, (Wednesday, 28 March 1917), p.6.] He died on Wednesday, 28 March 1917, the day before the event, at the age of 23,[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article155200778 Deaths: Watson, The Age, (Friday, 30 March 1917), p.1.] when his aeroplane crashed in Port Phillip Bay.

::On 28 March, Watson arranged to make a test flight from Albert Park to Point Cook, where he could leave the plane in one of the hangars overnight.
Arriving over Point Cook around 3:40 pm, Watson proceeded to entertain soldiers stationed at an adjoining A.I.F. camp with a display of his typical aerobatic feats.
Having successfully completed a "loop the loop", he banked the plane to enter a steep dive at 2000 ft (600 m), when suddenly a small clip securing part of the aircraft gave way and the wings appeared to fold back on themselves, causing the aircraft to plummet headlong towards the ground.
Watson could be seen desperately trying to regain control, before realising that all hope was lost, and instead steering the plane away from the crowd of thousands of spectators.
The aircraft plunged into the sea almost nose first, crumpling on impact in less than a metre of water close to the shoreline.
Basil Watson was severely injured and died moments later as the first witnesses arrived on the scene wading out to the wreckage.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article90851900 Mr. Basil Watson Killed: Well-Known Bendigo Aviator Falls on Seashore at Laverton: Death Instantaneous, The Bendigonian, (Thursday, 29 March 1917), p23.][http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article154977867 Basil Watson's Death: The Cause of the Accident: Centre Plane Clip Relaxes, The Age, (Friday, 20 April 1917), p.9.][http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1611909 Basil Watson's Death: Cause of Accident: Clip in Biplane Breaks, The Argus, (Friday, 20 April 1917), p.5.]"Basil Watson built a biplane resembling a Sopwith Pup at his home in Brighton, Vic. during 1916. Fitted with a 50 HP Gnome rotary engine, the aircraft proved quite successful and made numerous flights. On 28 March 1917, while performing loops over the army camp at Laverton, the port wing collapsed and the aircraft crashed into the sea killing Watson. The cause of the structural failure was never established, or even investigated, by the Australian Army. Immediately before its last flight, the covering of Egyptian cotton had been replaced by Assam silk, but whether this was a contributing factor will forever remain a mystery." (Kepert, 1993, p.2)

He was buried at Boroondara General Cemetery, Kew, two days later.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1608097 Funeral of Basil Watson, The Argus, (Monday, 2 April 1917), p.2.]

::"At the same time as the funeral in Melbourne, the bells of St Paul's Cathedral in Bendigo played the hymn Rock of Ages; the fire bell, which had previously rung to alert Bendigonians to the arrival of Watson and his plane also rang to mourn his passing." (Terri-Anne Kingsley, 2016){{Cite news |last=Kingsley |first=Terri-Anne |date=2016-07-11 |title=Bendigo's barnstorming pioneer: Meet Basil Watson |language=en-AU |work=ABC News |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-11/dashing-test-pilot-to-flying-mailman-and-barnstormer/7581400 |access-date=2022-10-03}}

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| image1 = [https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/1396617 Official Souvenir Australian Aerial Mail postcard: Watson's Flight Mt Gambier to Melbourne, February 1917.]Item HT 21121, Museums Victoria Collections.

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{{Gallery

|File:Partially-constructed-wing-fuselage-engine-cowling-of-basil-watsons-biplane-in-the-family-home-elsternwick-victoria-1916-975850-large.jpg|Partially Constructed Wing, Fuselage, and Engine Cowling of Watson's Biplane, Follacleugh, Elsternwick 1916.

|File:Fuselage-of-basil-watsons-partially-constructed-biplane-in-the-family-home-elsternwick-victoria-1916-975830-large.jpg|Fuselage of Watson's Partially Constructed Biplane, Follacleugh, Elsternwick, 1916.

|File:Basil-watson-seated-in-cockpit-of-partially-constructed-biplane-fuselage-in-the-family-home-elsternwick-victoria-1916-975852-large.jpg|Watson Seated in the Cockpit of his Partially Constructed Biplane Fuselage, Follacleugh, Elsternwick, 1916.

|File:Basil-watson-fitting-the-engine-mounting-frame-to-his-partially-constructed-biplane-in-the-family-home-elsternwick-victoria-1916-975832-large.jpg|Watson Fitting the Engine Mounting Frame to his Partially Constructed Biplane, Follacleugh, Elsternwick, 1916.

|File:Oblique-front-view-of-basil-watsons-biplane-on-the-lawn-outside-the-family-home-elsternwick-victoria-1916-975838-large.jpg|Oblique Front View of Basil Watson's Biplane, rear lawn, Follacleugh, Elsternwick, 1916.

|File:Front-view-of-basil-watsons-biplane-on-the-lawn-outside-the-family-home-elsternwick-victoria-1916-975836-large.jpg|Front View of Basil Watson's Biplane, rear lawn, Follacleugh, Elsternwick, 1916.

|File:Rear-view-of-basil-watsons-biplane-on-the-lawn-outside-the-family-home-elsternwick-victoria-1916-975842-large.jpg|Rear View of Basil Watson's Biplane, rear lawn, Follacleugh, Elsternwick, 1916.

|File:Oblique-left-rear-view-of-basil-watsons-biplane-on-the-lawn-outside-the-family-home-elsternwick-victoria-1916-975840-large.jpg|Oblique Rear View of Basil Watson's Biplane, rear lawn, Follacleugh, Elsternwick, 1916.

|File:Basil-watson-seated-in-his-completed-biplane-outside-the-family-home-elsternwick-victoria-1916-975834-large.jpg|Watson seated in his completed Biplane outside Follacleugh, Elsternwick, 1916.

|File:Scene-of-basil-watsons-fatal-aircraft-accident-off-point-cook-victoria-28-mar-1917-975844-large.jpg|Bathers wading out to the wreckage of Watson's Biplane, off Point Cook, March 1917.

|File:Inspecting-the-wreckage-from-basil-watsons-fatal-aircraft-accident-point-cook-victoria-28-mar-1917-975846-large.jpg|The wreckage from Watson’s Fatal Accident brought ashore, Point Cook, March 1917.

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• Harry Houdini: The Aviator — Houdini's flight at Diggers Rest, Friday, 18 March 1910.

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==

• Aitken, Richard (2004), Gardenesque: A Celebration of Australian Gardening, Carlton, Victoria: Miegunyah Press. {{ISBN|978-0-52-285127-4}}
• [https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/articles/15473 Churchward, Matthew (2017), "Basil George Watson, Pioneering Aviator (1894-1917)", Museums Victoria Collections.]
• Eustis, Nelson (1967), Basil G. Watson, Pioneer Airmail: The Mount Gambier to Melbourne, 1917 Experimental Air Mail, Adelaide: Nelson Eustis.
• Eustis, Nelson (2003), "Basil G. Watson", Stamp News Australasia, Vol.50, No.4, (May 2003), p.56-57.
• [https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA267086.pdf Kepert, J.L. (1993), "Aircraft Accident Investigation at ARL: The First 50 Years", (General Document 37), Fishermans Bend, Victoria: Department of Defence: Defence Science and Technology Organisation: Aeronautical Research Laboratory.]
• Lockley, Tom (2017), Australia's Second Air Mail: The Aviation Career of Basil Watson, 1893-1917, Pyrmont, NSW: Tom Lockley. {{ISBN|978-0-98-036932-8}}
• Meggs, Keith Raymond (2009), Australian-built Aircraft and the Industry, Volume 1: 1884 to 1939: Book 1, Seymour, Victoria: Four Finger Publishing. {{ISBN|978-1-92-089277-7}}
• Parsons, Les & Battams, Samantha (2019), The Red Devil: The Story of South Australian Aviation Pioneer, Captain Harry Butler, AFC, Mile End: Wakefield Press. {{ISBN|978-1-74-305672-1}}
• Winter, Carol (2015), Basil Watson: Pioneer Aviator, Blackburn: Penfolk Publishing. {{ISBN|978-1-87-589495-6}}
• [https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/7CD0DC76-F1C3-11E9-AE98-83FEC5807AD4?image=1 Victorian Coroner's Report (VPRS 24/P0000: 1917/328) on the Death of Basil George Watson: date of hearing 19 April 1917, collection of the Public Record Office Victoria.]

{{Commons category|Basil George Watson}}

• [https://find.slv.vic.gov.au/permalink/61SLV_INST/s6pvau/alma991532803607636 Exhibition of aviation by Basil Watson : Australia's brilliant aviator], 1917. State Library Victoria.
• [https://victoriancollections.net.au/collections?q=basil%20watson,%20pioneer%20aviator Basil G Watson at Victorian Collections]
• [http://trove.nla.gov.au/list?id=44366 TROVE List: Basil George Watson].

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Basil George}}

Category:1893 births

Category:1917 deaths

Category:People from Bendigo

Category:People educated at Haileybury (Melbourne)

Category:Australian aviators

Category:Aerobatic pilots

Category:Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in Australia

Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1917