Southside in San Antonio in Bexar County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Sidney J. Brooks

May 21, 1895 - November 13, 1917

Photographed By James Hulse, October 9, 2022

1. Sidney J. Brooks Marker

Inscription. Dedicated to the memory of Sidney J. Brooks, the first San Antonian to lose his life in World War I activities. He was killed when his JN-4 biplane crashed on his final return training flight from Hondo to Kelly Field, Texas. Cadet Brooks was posthumously awarded his wings and commissioned at the request of the City Council. The Army named this airfield, then under construction southeast of San Antonio, in his honor.

2nd Lieutenant Sidney J. Brooks, Jr
Reinterred on This Site
11 November 1993

The original gravestone was transferred from
Alamo Masonic Cemetery located near
downtown San Antonio

Erected 1993.

Topics. This memorial is listed in this topic list: Air & Space.

Location. 29° 20.608′ N, 98° 26.676′ W. Marker is in San Antonio, Texas, in Bexar County. It is in Southside. Memorial is on Inner Circle Road, 0.1 miles south of South New Braunfels Avenue, on the right when traveling south. The marker is located south of Hanger 9 with other historical markers. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 8081 Inner Circle Road, San Antonio TX 78235, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Sidney J. Brooks Memorial (a few steps from this marker); Dropping By (a few steps from

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this marker); A Few Good Men (a few steps from this marker); The Jenny (a few steps from this marker); A Base Renamed (a few steps from this marker); F-100F (a few steps from this marker); Schriever Heritage Park (a few steps from this marker); A Century Turns (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Antonio.

More about this marker. Brooks Air Force Base was renamed in 2002 to Brooks City Base when it was repurposed through the Brooks Development Authority as a science, business, and technology location.

Also see . . . Brooks Air Force Base. Wikipedia

Brooks Air Force Base was named to honor San Antonio aviator Sidney Johnson Brooks Jr (not to be confused with Tuskegee Airmen Cadet Brooks) who died on November 13, 1917 when his Curtiss JN-4 nosed down as he prepared to land after his final training flight at Kelly Field, Texas, possibly because he had blacked out in reaction to the inoculations they had been given shortly before the flight. Brooks was one of the first to
Photographed By James Hulse, October 9, 2022

2. The Sidney J. Brooks Marker and a 2nd Plaque
volunteer at the call for men for the American Flying Corps; he was about to complete his training for a commission as a military aviator. He was awarded his wings and commission posthumously.

(Submitted on October 17, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

Sidney J. Brooks image. Click for full size.

Public Domain - US Air Force, circa 1917

3. Sidney J. Brooks

Sidney Johnson Brooks, Jr., the first flying cadet to lose his life in San Antonio in 1917 during training prior to participation in World War I.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 16, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 203 times since then and 65 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 17, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.