BASIL DEACON HOBBS 1894-1963

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES via email from Basil R. Hobbs, 3-25-06      In the course of preparing a speech about my grandfather, Basil Deacon Hobbs, to be given at the comemoration of the anniversary of the founding of the Royal Canadian Airforce (April 1, 1924) next week to the RACF Veterans Assoication in Vancouver, British Columbia, I came across your web site, which I have enjoyed reading and congratulate you on the obvious time and effort is must have taken to prepare and maintain.      I have included a link which you might wish to add regarding those pioneer flyers who trained at Wright Bros. Field. My grandfather's number in the RCAF was 0006.       This past year in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the Government of Canada built a new headquarters building for the Canadian Air Force and named it after my grandfather. I think he would have been both pleased and embarrased because he was an immensely private person who did not seek accolades for what really were remarkable accomplishments both in war and in peace.       What seems most remarkable to me is the he even survived in WW1 considering that in his first year as a pilot for the then Royal Naval Air Serivce in Felixtowe, England, he shot down a Zeppelin which would have destroyed the town of Felixtowe, and sank two German submarines, all before he reached the age of 23.       After the war, in 1924, he conducted the very first air survey of Canada, the accuracy of which is still marvelled at today. Kind regards Basil R. Hobbs

 

ONLINE RESOURCES      If you search for "Basil Deacon Hobbs", using the Google search engine, (3-25-06), you will find about 55 links.

 

Basil Deacon Hobbs      This page, on the Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame website, offers his basic biography, including a very nice portrait, and serves as an introduction to his life and career. You can access the site by clicking on the title above.      If time permits, I suggest that you scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the link which will take you to the homepage. From that point, you can sample some of the many members of the Hall of Fame, each of whom deserves our attention and appreciation.

 

New Wing Headquarters Officially Opens Doors By Angela Johnston "17 WING WINNIPEG--After years of planning and an at times uncertain future, 17 Wing Winnipeg opened its new Wing headquarters with much fanfare. The new $7.5 million building, dedicated to Group Captain Basil Deacon Hobbs, opened both on time and on budget."      You can read the rest of this article by clicking on the title above.

 

Basil Deacon Hobbs, Pioneering Aviator & Mason      It was Basil Deacon Hobb's grandson, Basil R. Hobbs, who reminded me that his grandfather was among the group of 119 Pioneer Flyers who trained at the Wright Brothers Field. On the Wright Memorial, which is located on the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, is found a plaque which lists all of their names, including that of Basil Deacon Hobbs. You can visit that page by clicking on: Wright Memorial      You will find a brief, but detailed biography of this pioneer on page 3 of "The Keystone," the publication of the Royal Arch Masons of British Comumbia and Yukon for Volume 3, Issue 3 December 2003. You can access the pdf file by clicking on the title above. You will want to scroll down to page 3 to view the article.

 

Group Captain Basil Deacon Hobbs died in 1963.   If you have any more information on this pioneer aviator please contact me. E-mail to Ralph Cooper

 

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