The life and times of Lt Walbanke Ashby Pritt, RFC, MC

[splais]

I stumbled across Lt Pritt while doing research for a 1/3 scale radio control Sopwith Pup I was going to restore. I wanted to model her after one of the rare Pups that had an added top wing gun. The plane I found (B2162) was flown by Lt Pritt. I was so intrigued by this WWI ace who looked like he was about 15 years old I started researching the young mans story. Initially, there was scant information on Lt Pritt; but it is amazing what you can find if you really want to. The information below comes from original RFC, family, school and town records, various books, and other sources of information. It would not be fair to continue without mentioning the great amount of help I received from John Grech, who did most of the legwork and provide much of the original data. He posts often here on the Aerodrome and maintains a web site dedicated to RFC 66 Squadron (66 Squadron).

A short, interesting story on the search for Lt. Pritt. While doing internet search on the family name “Pritt” I came up with about 50 pages of internet sources. Someplace about page 15 I found a reference to the name Pritt in an old English photo album in an antique bookstore in New York. I emailed the owner and was informed there were several pictures in this turn of the last century photo album of the Pritt family among others, including many pictures of their home and community. And, low and behold, actual pictures of Walbanke Pritt as a young boy. John and I purchased the album and it is eventually destined for a museum in the Shropshire area. Many of the buildings pictured from 1901-1904 are still standing and look much as they did 100 years ago.

Lt Pritt’s Biography (unofficial & unauthorized – that means I take no responsibility for it’s contents .

Lt Walbanke Ashby Pritt flew with the Royal Flying Corps in 1917/1918; becoming an ace and earning the Military Cross while flying Sopwith Pups. All that is generally known about Lt Pritt. The rest of his story is quit interesting, and a tale of beating adversity, accomplishment, failure and an untimely death.

Lt Pritt was born 31 January 1897 and grew up in the Leamington Spa, Warwick, England area. Records on his parents are sketchy; but his mother was Marguerite Bianca Selina Pritt and his father was Charles Pritt, a Cotton Factor (commission merchant). I have not been able to determine the state of the parent’s relationship or how long they lived; his next of kin is listed as an Aunt in his RFC records. There is information in the 1901 census concerning several relatives of the family, one born in India. Also information about cooks and housemaids so the entire family was probably well off. Town records indicate several members of the family lived in close proximity around the Leamington Spa area. School records from his youth contain little information on him; but they do indicate he was Chairman of the Natural History Society. His RFC flight records indicate as a civilian he attended ST Peter School in York from September 1909 to February 1916 and then attended the Civilian School of Flight from March-September 1916. Walbanke passed his entrance exams for Sandhurst in February 1916 but was rejected as being too small. That is the first interesting thing about the young man. He was very small, looking more like a ten or twelve year old in his training class pictures. In pictures dating from 1917 he still looks like he is about 15. I have no direct statistics, but in pictures he appears to be only about 5 feet tall. Pictures as a youth show he was very small and dressed in a Naval style popular at the time among upper class families. He was raised in a very well to do area.

At some point Lt Pritt must have joined the Army because records show he was a Private (s/n 39015) in the West Yorkshire Regt. After being rejected by Sandhurst he opted to try flying. On 16 September 1916 student Pritt passed his Royal Aero Club flying test (RAeC Cert #3564) in a Caudron of the Wallisdown School in Bournemouth and was accepted by the RFC for flying training. He underwent training at the Cadet School at Denham, the 2 School of Military Aeronautics at Oxford, 41 Reserve Squadron, and 15 Reserve Squadron were he gained his RFC wings and was appointed a Flying Officer on 2 June 1917. He was then posted to 40 Reserve Squadron and on to France on 4 July 1917 where he joined 66 Squadron. His flying career lasted from 1916-1920 as a civilian, RFC and finally a RAF pilot after the war.

Lt Pritt gained his fame during a five month period, 4 July to 14 November 1917, while flying Sopwith Pups with No. 66 Squadron. During this period he became and ace and earned the Military Cross. The citation is dated 24 August 1917 and is printed under his biography here in the Aerodrome Aces section. He is officially credited with five kills; but there is evidence of a possible sixth victory. During his career he flew with several squadrons (44, 153, 76, 141 and 25) in addition to 66 Squadron. His flight records also show he flew several different aircraft (Maurice Farman Short Horn MFSH, Aircos, Be2a, c7e, Be12, Sopwith Pups & Camels, D.H.6’s, and Caudrons).

On 15 Feb 1918 Lt Pritt was injured while flying a 44 Squadron Sopwith Camel (B7332); he had an engine failure at 500 feet over Hainault Farm, UK, flying downwind he stalled and spun in.

His post war flying career is sketchy and appears to be without merit. On 19 April 1920 he was granted a Short Service Commission by the RAF at the rank of Lieutenant During August 1920, he failed the RAF Flight Instructor Course at the Central Flying School. Accompanying note states “did not take exams, absent sick, CFS cat B, graded unsuitable as instructor at present”. He resigned his commission on 12 August 1920 and was denied permission to retain his rank because of “unsatisfactory dealings with cheques”.

Lt Pritt was married in 1925. There is no record of any children and his wife was still referred to as Mrs. Pritt until her death in 1965. To date, I have found very little about him both before and after the war; however, records indicate Lt Pritt was a commercial artist and poultry farmer until his untimely death on January 27th 1928 at the age of 31 in an automobile accident near Bagby in North Yorkshire. What a great fantasy to image that Mrs. Pritt was so heartbroken over the Lt’s death that she never remarried. It is kind of sad when you think about how he survived that terrible war only to be killed in a car accident. Life is full of these strange twists of fate.…Rest in Peace Walbanke.

Pic#1 Age 6
Pic#2 1916 at Cadet School, age 19
Pic#3 1917-1918, age 20
Pic#4 1920 RAF flight instructor school, age 23, back row right.
Pic#5 The Pritt home at 12 Milverton Terrace.

[splais]

This is a picture of Lt Pritt's Sopwith Pup with the "top gun", I'm restoring.

Some additional information/correction to above information, from John:

"The civilian School of Flight you allude to was the Wallisdown School, in those days you paid to obtain your RAeC and when you got that you were taken on by the RFC and you had a refund of some of the cost, strange I know but that is how it was."

[ronnoco]

I had often wondered about Pritt and what became of him. Now I know. What a sad end. I'm not a medal collector but I know his MC was floating around in recent years.