Lobo Benbow

Citation for the Military Cross, Wednesday 14th February 1917:
“He has on several occasions displayed great courage and skill and has destroyed four enemy machines under difficult conditions.”

Lobo was born at Abbotsbury, Dorset, on Tuesday 10th December 1895, second son of Joseph and Jane Caroline Benbow, of La Mortola, Ventimigila, Italy. He had and elder brother, Edwin William. Lobo was educated privately, followed by Menton College in France and at Castle House School, Weymouth, Dorset. His interests included all sports including football, cricket, swimming, boxing and riding. He was a good linguist speaking four languages.
Lobo was at home in Italy when the war broke out he volunteered. He was gazetted on Wednesday 7th October 1914, promoted Lieutenant on Sunday 1st July 1917 and Captain on Saturday 31st March 1917.
He went out to France on Tuesday 2nd February 1915 and joined the Battery in the line at Houplines on Saturday 13th when he was appointed to he 42nd Battery. Lobo was accompanied by his brother William who was posted to the 53rd Battery (he later transferred to the 6th Battalion King’s African Rifles based in Dar el Salaam and survived the war). A German battery was being particularly difficult — it was Lobo’s duty to search for it and silence the guns. By co-incidence William’s first task was to search for the same battery, it is not known which brother’s battery had the greatest success. The enemy caused more problems on Tuesday 16th when Lobo’s observation station came under heavy shellfire until some good firing by 58th Battery silenced the gun. Each day Lobo’s guns fired a number of rounds at selected targets including gun positions, machine gun emplacements, strong points, enemy raiding parties and troop movements. Much of the work allocated to 42nd was also given to the 53rd so the brothers worked together constantly.
At the end of May Lobo and the Brigade ended their work in the grim battlefields of northern France and were transferred the Bellewaarde section of the Ypres Salient. It was a much livelier sector where there were constant exchanges and artillery duels.
Lobo transferred to the Royal Flying Corps in December 1915 obtaining his wings in early 1916.
Colonel Arnold Butler wrote to Lobo when he left the Royal Field Artillery to join the Royal Flying Corps: “I am very sorry you are gone, but I am glad you were not selected until you had time to worry the communications into a working concern. The result does you great credit, and I am glad you have the satisfaction of feeling you have got that from a collection of a few will signallers to a unit for communication purposes; for that and all the other hard work you did thank you very much.” (Lieutenant Colonel Bernard Arnold Barrington Butler, DSO and Bar, was killed on Wednesday 23rd October 1918 and is buried in Forest Communal Cemetery.)
He received his Royal Aero Club Aviator’s Certificate 3109, flying a Maurice Freeman biplane, at Ruislip, Middlesex, on Wednesday 21st June 1916.
Lobo was involved in a dogfight on Tuesday 23rd January 1917 when the machine gun jammed. Lobo was attempting to clear it when he had to evade ‘The Red Baron’ whom he engaged once more on Wednesday 14th February. Lobo was wounded in action on Wednesday 21st March 1917 that was reported in ‘The Times’ on Thursday 29th March 1917, but was able to keep flying working as an instructor then joined ‘Billy’ Bishop’s 85th Squadron in May 1918.
Lobo was flying an SE5a (C1861) when he was shot down by Hans-Eberhardt Gandert of Jasta 51 (he later rose to the rank of Major General on Friday 1st December 1939). Both Lobo and his observer Lieutenant George Teal were killed (see Lieutenant Leal below).
Captain Bevereley Macdonald wrote: “He did not suffer any pain, being killed instantaneously on crashing — the last seen of him, his wings had come off, so there was no hope of saving himself. The whole squadron feels the deepest sympathy for his family, but there is some consolation to us in the fact that we can avenge his death. His loss to us cannot be measured in words; he was liked and respected by all, and ‘B’ Flight had the utmost confidence in him as a leader. Personally I had a deep regards for him, a ‘stouter’ heart or a finer nature I have never known.”
Lieutenant Colonel William ‘Billy’ Bishop, VC, CB, DSO & Bar, MC, DFC, ED, wrote: “I cannot tell you how great a loss he is to me personally, and to the squadron. His keenness and level-headedness would have carried him very far, and I had the highest expectations of him and his flight. There was no one keener than he in the squadron, more ‘alert’ both in his work and in the mess. Thoroughly popular throughout the squadron, there is no one that was not most deeply popular throughout the squadron, there is no one that does not most deeply deplore his loss, and wish me to join with mine their most sincere sympathies with you.”
Lobo was credited with eight victories:
October 1916
20th at 12.05pm, an Albatros DI near Lens.
22nd at 10.50am, a C over Vimy.
November 1916
16th at 11.35am, an Albatros C over Annœullin.
December 1916
4th at 12.50pm, an Albatros DI over Arras.
20th at 12.05pm, an Albatros C over Lens.
February 1917
14th at 3.15pm, an Albatros DII over Arras.
15th at 11.20am, an Albatros DII over Douai.
March 1917
6th at 10.50am, an Albatros DII over Givenchy.
Lobo’s death plaque was offered for sale in April 2020.
His gravestone inscription reads: “A Chevalier Sans Reproche”.
Lobo was commemorated in Abbotsbury Church with a brass plaque with the inscription: “In proud and loving memory of Edwin Louis Benbow, M.C., Capt. R.A.F. who was killed in action near Ypres while gallantly fighting against the enemy, on May 30th 1918. Born at Abbotsbury, Dorsetshire, Dec. 10th 1895. Son of Joseph and Jane Benbow, La Mortola. Buried in the British Cemetery, Duhallow. Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.” His name is recorded on the Abbotsbury War Memorial.