North Side in Fort Worth in Tarrant County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Royal Flying Corps

Photographed by James Hulse, January 1, 2025

1. Royal Flying Corps Marker

Inscription. In 1917, during World War I, the U.S., British, and Canadian governments entered into a reciprocal agreement to train military pilots for combat duty. Foreign troops trained in Texas during the winter and in Canada in the summer. Camp Taliaferro in Tarrant County, consisting of three air fields, provided training facilities for members of the Royal Flying Corps and U.S. Forces from October 1917 to November 1918. Each field accommodated an average of 2,000 men. Royal Flying Corps expertise and skilled instructors enabled large numbers of Americans to receive excellent flight training in a short time.

During the months British and Canadian troops were stationed in Fort Worth, 39 officers and cadets were killed during flight training. Eleven of the men were buried at the three air fields; in 1924 the Imperial War Graves Commission purchased a plot at Greenwood Cemetery for reinterment. A monument was later erected at the site, which now has twelve graves since a veteran who died in 1975 requested burial here with his friends.

The Royal Flying Corps, although in Texas for only a short time, had a beneficial and lasting influence on aviation in this country.

Erected 1992 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 4377.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • War, World II. A significant historical month for this entry is October 1917.

Location. 32° 45.79′ N, 97° 21.83′ W. Marker is in Fort Worth, Texas, in Tarrant County. It is in the North Side. It is on White Settlement Road west of N University Drive. The marker is located in Greenwood Memorial Park, Section 5-H. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3400 White Settlement Rd, Fort Worth TX 76114, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this

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marker is in the Prairies & Lakes Region.

It is also in the American South.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the Republic of Texas,

and one of the Confederate States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Royal Flying Corps Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); William John Marsh (about 800 feet away, measured in a direct line); Ahavath Sholom Hebrew Cemetery (approx. 0.2 miles away); Ormer Leslie Locklear (approx. 0.2 miles away); Billy Muth (approx. 0.2 miles away); Lawrence Clifton Elliott (approx. 0.3 miles away); Fort Worth's First Flight (approx. 0.8 miles away); Oakwood Cemetery (approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fort Worth.

Also see . . .
1. Royal Flying Corps. Wikipedia

The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British Army before and during the First World War until it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the
Photographed by James Hulse, January 1, 2025

2. Royal Flying Corps Marker
The Royal Flying Corps Memorial can be seen in the background on the right side.
Royal Air Force. During the early part of the war, the RFC supported the British Army by artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance. This work gradually led RFC pilots into aerial battles with German pilots and later in the war included the strafing of enemy infantry and emplacements, the bombing of German military airfields and later the strategic bombing of German industrial and transport facilities.

(Submitted on January 5, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

2. Camp Taliaferro. Wikipedia

After the United States' entry into World War I in April 1917, General John J. "Blackjack" Pershing invited the British Royal Flying Corps (RFC) to establish training fields in the southern United States where the warmer weather would be more conducive for flying year-round. In June, the War Department inspected six sites around Fort Worth which had been offered by the Chamber of Commerce and by July, RFC representatives from Canada inspected five potential sites in Texas and Louisiana for use during the winter.

(Submitted on January 5, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

Royal Flying Corps Insignia from the memorial image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, January 1, 2025

3. Royal Flying Corps Insignia from the memorial

The phase “Per ardua ad astra” translate to “Through adversity to the stars”.

The view of the marker from the street image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, January 1, 2025

4. The view of the marker from the street

Credits. This page was last revised on January 5, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 4, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 347 times since then and 49 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on January 5, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.