OTHER RESOURCES

THANK YOU!

YOUR PURCHASE OF THESE BOOKS SUPPORTS THE WEB SITES THAT BRING TO YOU THE HISTORY BEHIND OLD AIRFIELD REGISTERS

Your copy of the Davis-Monthan Airfield Register (available in paperback) with all the pilots' signatures and helpful cross-references to pilots and their aircraft is available at the link. 375 pages with black & white photographs and extensive tables

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The Congress of Ghosts (available as Kindle Edition eBook) is an anniversary celebration for 2010.  It is an historical biography, that celebrates the 5th year online of www.dmairfield.org and the 10th year of effort on the project dedicated to analyze and exhibit the history embodied in the Register of the Davis-Monthan Airfield, Tucson, AZ. This book includes over thirty people, aircraft and events that swirled through Tucson between 1925 and 1936. It includes across 277 pages previously unpublished photographs and texts, and facsimiles of personal letters, diaries and military orders. Order your copy at the link.

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Military Aircraft of the Davis Monthan Register, 1925-1936 (available in paperback) at the link. This book describes and illustrates with black & white photographs the majority of military aircraft that landed at the Davis-Monthan Airfield between 1925 and 1936. The book includes biographies of some of the pilots who flew the aircraft to Tucson as well as extensive listings of all the pilots and airplanes. Use this FORM to order a copy signed by the author, while supplies last.

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Art Goebel's Own Story (available as free PDF download) by Art Goebel (edited by G.W. Hyatt) is written in language that expands for us his life as a Golden Age aviation entrepreneur, who used his aviation exploits to build a business around his passion.  Available as a free download at the link.

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Winners' Viewpoints: The Great 1927 Trans-Pacific Dole Race (available as Kindle Edition eBook) is available at the link. This book describes and illustrates with black & white photographs the majority of military aircraft that landed at the Davis-Monthan Airfield between 1925 and 1936. The book includes biographies of some of the pilots who flew the aircraft to Tucson as well as extensive listings of all the pilots and airplanes. Use this FORM to order a copy signed by the author, while supplies last.

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Clover Field: The first Century of Aviation in the Golden State (available in paperback & Kindle Edition) With the 100th anniversary in 2017 of the use of Clover Field as a place to land aircraft in Santa Monica, this book celebrates that use by exploring some of the people and aircraft that made the airport great. 281 pages, black & white photographs.

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A very readable volume about the Grand Central Air Terminal is this book:

Underwood, John. 1984. Madcaps, Millionaires and 'Mose'. Heritage Press, Glendale, CA. 144pp.

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Thanks to Guest Editor Bob Woodling for help researching this page.

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I'm looking for information and photographs of Batson and his airplane to include on this page. If you have some you'd like to share, please click this FORM to contact me.

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HENRY BRIGHAM BATSON

Henry Batson was born April 22, 1894 in Cunningham, TN. His birth certificate is exhibited below. Note that it was a duplicate issued in February, 1940. This was a two-sided card that I spliced together in PhotoShop.

Henry Brigham Batson, April 22, 1894, Duplicate Birth Certificate (Source: ancestry.com)
Henry Brigham Batson, April 22, 1894, Duplicate Birth Certificate (Source: ancestry.com)

The 1900 U.S. Census placed him still living in Montgomery County with his father, Samuel (1860–1933) and mother Nannie (Nonnie?) Chattie Jones (1869–1938), two older brothers and a younger sister. His father was a farmer. Two other Batson families appeared on the same Census form, suggesting a group of Batson family farms in proximity. In 1910, the Census lists Batson on the family farm in Montgomery at age 15 and working as a "Farm Laborer." His family had expanded to five brothers and his sister for a total of seven children.

The news article at the bottom of this page states that Batson joined the military in 1916 and served in the Aviation Section of the U.S. Army Signal Corps. He spent 14 months in Europe during WWI.

I found no Census information for Batson for 1920, however a 1921 city directory for San Diego, CA places Batson at 136 Avenue I in San Diego, living with his wife, Therese. Batson's age at marriage was cited in the 1930 Census, described below, as 25, making the year of his marriage approximately 1920. He must have married and moved to the west coast simultaneously. His occupation was listed as "Mechanic" in the city directory.

That he was flying as an instructor was shown in a 1929 accident report, below, in which Batson was recorded as flying with an unidentified student when their airplane struck another at Glendale on January 22nd. Look for his listing about 2/3 of the way down the table. The airplane was a Kinner, probably not the Airster NC1092, see below.

Accident Table, 1929 (Source: Woodling)

Although the table suggests an undetermined cause, this was a serious accident, occurring on takeoff with another airplane that was departing in the opposite direction. The collision occurred about ten feet off the ground. The aftermath is shown below, courtesy of the Underwood reference in the left sidebar, page 33. Airplane owner Shilling was not a Register pilot. I can see no part of a registration numbr on the airplane.

Batson Accident, January 23, 1929 (Source: Underwood)

 

Van Nuys News (CA), May 16, 1930 (Source: Woodling)

 

Interestingly, this table reads like a who's who of Register signers. Notable were Floyd Muncie, Albert Slye, Robert LeRoy, John Fornasero, Vernon Dorrell and Robert Crooks.

 

The 1930 U.S. Census cites him at age 35 living at 306 29th Street, Hermosa Beach, Los Angeles, CA. He is with his wife Therese McCray (33) and son Samuel Keith (7; 1922-1944, see below), named after his grandfather. Their home was rented for $43 per month. His occupation was listed as "Airplane Mechanic" at an "Air Service School." Therese was not employed outside her home. A contemporary news article from the Van Nuys News of Friday, May 16, 1930, right, announced a big aviation day at GCAT for Sunday May 18th. Compare this article with some of the flying done at GCAT by fellow Register pilot Harold Sweet.

 

Whereas this weekend's activity focused on parachute jumping, there were probably many demonstration flights given to attendees. This article, besides Batson, identifies other Register pilots. Note that Clarence "Ace" Bragunier was doing the flying for the young parachute jumper. Batson was identified as the official parachute packer for the jumper. And a balloon busting demonstration was put on by Register pilot Roy Harding.

 

It is now that Batson appeared in the Grand Central Air Terminal (GCAT) Register. He landed nine times between April and June, 1931. Each time he flew NC1092, a Kinner Airster, S/N 32 (if it was the accident aircraft, as pictured above, it was repaired). Tower Operator A.J. Lygum recorded that Batson carried one or two unidentified passengers to each landing except one. The pattern of his landings, most on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, suggest he was giving recreational rides. The airplane was owned by W. H. Hellman. Hellman also landed NC1092 ten times at GCAT between December 14, 1930 and May 30, 1931. I have no information about Hellman. If you can help identify him and provide information or photographs, please let me KNOW.

 

Below, from the Underwood reference in the left sidebar, is a photograph of Batson standing with a group of Curtiss-Wright Technical Institute students. The Great Lakes airplane is NC539K, which was signed in the GCAT Register a total of nine times during 1930-31, flown a few times by Register Pilot Ted Willis.

 

Henry Batson, Standing With Students, Ca. 1931 (Source: Underwood)
Henry Batson, Standing With Students, Ca. 1931 (Source: Underwood)

 

By 1940, the Batson family had moved to 3763 Glen Feliz in Los Angeles, according to the Census that year. They rented their home for $38 per month. Batson was now identified as a "Foreman" at an "Airplane Repair" facility and he was earning $3,000 per year. Young Keith, at age 17, was listed as a "Junior Inspector" at a "News Publication." Therese was not in the work force.

As for many men of Batson's demographic cohort, he was subject to the draft during WWII. His 1942 draft card, below, courtesy of ancestry.com, shows that he was working for the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) Regional Headquarters in Santa Monica at the time.

Henry B. Batson, Draft Card, 1942 (Source: ancestry.com)
Henry B. Batson, Draft Card, 1942 (Source: ancestry.com)

Batson had joined the DOC in 1940 (see news article, below, left). He continued working with the DOC through the war and appeared listed in the U.S. Official Register for 1948, below, page 196. This is a partial listing of DOC personnel. Each job description is followed by state of jurisdiction, Congressional District and salary in dollars.

U.S. Official Register, 1948, Page 196 (Source: Woodling)

 

Long Beach Press-Telegram (CA), August 12, 1957 (Source: Woodling)
Long Beach Press-Telegram (CA), August 12, 1957 (Source: Woodling)

 

 

 

 

 

About a decade later, Batson appeared, with a photograph, in the Long Beach (CA) Press-Telegram, left. He continued working for the DOC and was cited as the Acting Supervisory Agent for the Civil Aeronautics Administration office.

Henry Batson has no Web presence that I could find. A few years after he appeared in the news, left, he died January 10, 1960 in Los Angeles. He was 66 years old. I could find no cause for his passing, and no Census data for Therese.

Wife Therese was born Therese Udell McCray and married Henry Batson in 1920. Apparently she remarried after Batson's death because the California Death Index lists her name as Therese Batson James. She died on August 4, 1991 in Orange County, CA.

Son Keith did serve during WWII. He was killed December 30, 1944 in England flying a P-47 Thunderbolt for the U.S. Army Air Forces, 63rd Fighter Sq, 56th Fighter Group. He was the recipient of the Air Medal with oak leaf cluster and is buried in the Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial, Cambridgeshire, England. A bitter loss to the Batson family.

A history sign, below, courtesy of site visitor Chris Stanfield, is attached to a tree close to where the incident occurred.

Memorial Plaque, S.K Batson, 1944 (Source: Stanfield)
Memorial Plaque, S.K Batson, 1944 (Source: Site Guest)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In September 2018, Keith was mentioned on a new plaque, below. The small P-47 which I circled commemorates the crash with words similar to above.

Memorial Plaque, S.K Batson, 1944 (Source: Stanfield)

Below, an enlargement of the circled area.

Memorial Plaque, S.K Batson, 1944 (Source: Stanfield)
Memorial Plaque, S.K Batson, 1944 (Source: Stanfield)

 

 

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THIS PAGE UPLOADED: 02/07/16 REVISED: 10/18/18