1880-1956 AKA Capt. Merriam, F. Warren Merriam, Frederick Warren |
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F. Warren Merriam Collection of Wayne Hillelson, 10-7-08 |
F. Warren Merriam Photo taken by F/S/L A.H. Lofft, RNAS, at Manston War Flight, summer 1917. (c) 2011 Christopher Lofft, used with permission. |
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F. Warren Merriam Collection of Wayne Hillelson, 10-7-08 |
F. Warren Merriam Photo taken by F/S/L A.H. Lofft, RNAS, at Manston War Flight, summer 1917. (c) 2011 Christopher Lofft, used with permission. |
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Hello Ralph, My grandfather was an RNAS pilot stationed at Manston from June-December 1917. Amongst his many photographs is the attached, with his hand written note in the border, "Merriam". Can you tell me if this is F.W. in the photo. Hope it is. Thanks, Chris Lofft, 7-4-11 Editor's Note: Yes Chris, I think they are one and the same. As you can see, by chance I was able to extract some nice portraits from each photograph. They sure look to be the same person to me. Thank you for sharing with us. |
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via email from Cheryl Merriam, 5-2-08 I am married to FW Merriam's youngest son (Antony Merriam). You may be interested to know that he was born Frederick Warren but changed his name by deed poll in 1901 to Merriam after being befriended and sponsored in his flying aspirations by an American, Olin Merriam, (of Webster-Merriam Dictionaries descent)- hence we are all Merriams now. We are all very proud of our family history and we do have a small number of photographs in our possession as well as the first laminated propeller built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. When we have a moment I will try and scan some photos in and send to you. With best wishes. Cheryl Merriam |
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Knoxville Journal and Tribune, Knoxville, Tennessee: January 27, 1914, Transcribed by Bob Davis - 2-26-07 |
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The Daily Mail £10,000 Prize 22 July - 7 August 1911 "G.L. Gipps was killed when he crashed in a Bristol Prier monoplane, with F. Warren Merriam as his instructor in January 1914." You can access the page by clicking on the title above. You may want to use the FIND function on "Gipps" to locate the item on the page. |
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The Boxkite "was also the first aeroplane to land upside down in Brooklands Sewerage farm - Flight Lieutenant Frederick Warren Merriam was the first to enact the scene from the film Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines." You can access the page by clicking on the title above. |
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VIDEO CLIP
Hi there:Contributed by Phil Hawkey, 4-14-11 I saw your web page in which you ask for any details of Capt Merriam. I wonder if you have seen this Youtube video in which Capt Merriam is seen attempting to launch in his Glider (at position 3:13 in the time line): Unfortunately he seems to attempt to launch downwind and crashes – ‘a lucky escape’ as the film editor puts it. Best wishes Phil Hawkey Cornwall UK |
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FIRST THROUGH THE CLOUDS. The Autobiography of a Box-Kite Pioneer F. Warren Merriam Product Details Cloth: 176 pages; illus. with frontis. & 30 full page plates Publisher: Batsford London 1954 Used Prices: $47.00 - $100.00 |
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Availability of Used Copies: Gregory Powers has alerted me to the fact that F. Warren Merriam not only survived the crash which killed Gipps, he wrote this book which was published in 1954. As of February 28, 2007, you will find several copies of the book are offered for sale from the following book dealers, as well as some others: |
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He was the first pilot in this country to fly through cloud (in a Bristol Box-kite, early in 1912); later, as manager and chief instructor of the Bristol Flying School at Brooklands, he had many pupils who subsequently became famous, including Air Chief Marshal Sir Philip Joubert de la Ferte, A. Cdre. P. F. M. Fellowes (who led the aerial Houston Everest Expedition), |
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and Sub-Lt. R. A. J. .Warneford,
V.C., the first pilot to shoot
a Zeppelin down; and it was
only the toss of a coin at the
Royal Aero Club which decided
that Alcock, rather than
Merriam, should accompany
Whitten-Brown on the first
direct transatlantic flight.
At the outbreak of the 1914-18 war Merriam was the senior
flying instructor in Britain, with an outstanding reputation for
skill and patience, and he became chief instructor to the R.N.A.S.
at Hendon and later at Chingford. Subsequently he flew on antisubmarine
operations from Cattewater and Padstow, and after
the war did some pleasure-flying and tested the Saunders Kittiwake
flying-boat. In 1922 he founded Britain's first gliding
school, near Shanklin, Isle of Wight. from Flightglobal/Archive |
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If you have any more information on this pioneer aviator, please contact me. E-mail to Ralph Cooper Back 
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