World War I United States Flying Ace. A native of Weston, West Virginia, he was the son of Louis and Sallie Maxwell Bennett. He enrolled at Yale University before heading to Canada in order to join the Royal Flying Corps in October 1917. Flying an SE5a aircraft, he flew 25 sorties against the Germans, shooting down nine enemy balloons and 3 other aircraft. On August 24, 1918, after destroying his last two balloons, his aircraft was hit by ground fire and burst into flames. Bennett crashed and died from his injuries shortly after he was pulled from his plane. He received no medals for his actions in combat. As a memorial to her son, Sallie Maxwell Bennett donated the Bennett mansion to be used as a public library in 1922. The Louis Bennett Public Library is on Court Avenue in Weston, West Virginia. She also commissioned "The Aviator," a bronze statue by Augustus Lukeman, which stands on the grounds of Linsly School in Wheeling, West Virginia.
World War I United States Flying Ace. A native of Weston, West Virginia, he was the son of Louis and Sallie Maxwell Bennett. He enrolled at Yale University before heading to Canada in order to join the Royal Flying Corps in October 1917. Flying an SE5a aircraft, he flew 25 sorties against the Germans, shooting down nine enemy balloons and 3 other aircraft. On August 24, 1918, after destroying his last two balloons, his aircraft was hit by ground fire and burst into flames. Bennett crashed and died from his injuries shortly after he was pulled from his plane. He received no medals for his actions in combat. As a memorial to her son, Sallie Maxwell Bennett donated the Bennett mansion to be used as a public library in 1922. The Louis Bennett Public Library is on Court Avenue in Weston, West Virginia. She also commissioned "The Aviator," a bronze statue by Augustus Lukeman, which stands on the grounds of Linsly School in Wheeling, West Virginia.
Bio by: Warrick L. Barrett
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