James Fitzmaurice

James FitzMaurice (January 6, 1898 - September 26, 1965) was an aviator pioneer. He was a member of the crew of the Bremen. The Bremen made the first successful Trans-Atlantic flight from East to West on April 12, 1928 - April 13, 1928.

After the war

James married Violet "Bill" Clarke on his 21st birthday. James continued in the Royal Air Force, flying the mails with 110th Squadron. He served in "Army of Occupation" until 1919. He joined the Army Air Corps in 1919 and was appointed to the rank of Lieutenant. In May 1919, James was selected to undertake the first night mail flight (Folkestone to Bologne). In 1919, James was selected for Cape to Cairo flight (which did not materialize). From Sep-Nov 1919, James commanded the 6th Wing Working Party of the RAF. He was assigned the task of removing useful material from six aerodromes which had been deactivated. In December of James was demobilized and spent most of the following 18 months selling insurance for the North British and Mercantile Insurance Company.

Related Topics:
Folkestone - Bologne

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Circa May 1921, Patricia Fitzmaurice was born. She was the only child of Violet and James. James was recalled in May of 1921 after 18 months and was attached to No. 25 Fighter Squadron. He accepted a Short Service Commission for four to six years. August of 1921 James resigned his RAF commission.

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Sometime during his service in the RAF, James adopted the accent used by English officers. He apparently retained this distinctively non-Irish accent for the remainder of his life. While his new accent may have helped his career in the RAF, it was probably a net disadvantage when he was promoting any of his business schemes in Ireland.

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In Feb 1922 James joined the Irish Army Corps following the formation of the Irish Free State. Early 1923 James was promoted to Captain. On October 25, 1925 James was promoted to Acting Commandant and was appointed second-in-command of the Irish Air Corps, with headquarters in Baldonnel. Promoted to Commandant on September 1, 1927.

Related Topics:
Irish Army Corps - Irish Free State - October 25 - 1925 - Irish Air Corps - September 1 - 1927

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September 16, 1927 The Princess Xenia (a Fokker Vila airplane) took off from Baldonnel headed for New York with a planned landing at Newfoundland. The pilot was Captain Robert Henry MacIntosh. Co-pilots were Maurice W. Piercey and James Fitzmaurice. Because of bad weather, the flight was aborted when the Xenia was about 300 miles out over the Atlantic. The flight lasted five and one-half hours.

Related Topics:
September 16 - 1927 - Fokker Vila - Baldonnel

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