Cecil Arthur Lewis

Cecil Arthur Lewis MC (29 March 1898 – 27 January 1997) was a British fighter pilot who flew in World War I. He went on to co-found the British Broadcasting Company and enjoy a long career as a writer, notably of the aviation classic Sagittarius Rising (inspiration for the film Aces High).

Biography

Service in World War I

Educated at Oundle School, Lewis joined the Royal Flying Corps in 1915 after lying about his age and learned to fly at Brooklands. In 1916, he flew the Morane Parasol in combat with No. 3 Squadron and was awarded the Military Cross for his actions during the Battle of the Somme. Flying over the battlefield on the First day on the Somme (1 July 1916) to report back on British troop movements, Lewis witnessed the blowing of the mines at La Boiselle. He later described the early morning scene in his book "Sagittarius Rising": "We were to watch the opening of the attack, coordinate the infantry flare (the job we have been rehearsing for months) and stay over the lines for two and a half hours". It had been arranged that continuous overlapping patrols would fly throughout the day. Lewis' patrol was ordered "to keep clear of La Boiselle" because of the mines that were to be blown. As he watched from above the village of Thiepval, almost two miles from where the mines exploded, Lewis saw a remarkable sight: "At Boiselle the earth heaved and flashed", he wrote, "a tremendous and magnificent column rose up into the sky. There was an ear-spitting roar, drowning all the guns flinging the machine sideways in the repercussing air. The earthly column rose, higher and higher to almost four thousand feet." Lewis' aircraft was hit by lumps of mud thrown out by the explosion.

Arthur Lewis

Arthur Lewis may refer to:

See also

Arthur Lewis (Australian cricketer)

Arthur Lewis (1830 – 1 June 1907) was an Australian cricketer. He played one first-class cricket match for Victoria in 1856.

See also

References

Arthur Lewis (rugby player)

Arthur John Llewellyn Lewis (born 26 September 1941) is a former Wales international rugby union player. In 1971 he toured New Zealand with the British and Irish Lions and at the time played club rugby for Ebbw Vale.

Notes

Lewis (lifting appliance)

A lewis (sometimes called a lewisson) is one of a category of lifting devices used by stonemasons to lift large stones into place with a crane, chain block, or winch. It is inserted into a specially prepared hole, or seating, in the top of a stone, directly above its centre of mass. It works by applying principles of the lever and utilises the weight of the stone to act on the long lever-arms which in turn results in a very high reaction force and friction where the short lever-arms make contact with the stone inside the hole and thereby prevents slipping.

Etymology

The name lewis may come from the Latin levo -avi, -atum meaning to levitate or lift, but the Oxford English Dictionary Online states, "the formation and the phonology are not easily explained on this hypothesis", preferring "origin obscure", and speculating that the term may derive from a personal name. The Romans used the lewis. The specially shaped hole that is shaped to fit the device is known as a lewis hole. Lewis holes in the uppermost masonry coursings are neatly repaired with matching indented plugs after the stone has been set in place.

Lewis (Middlesex cricketer)

Lewis (first name and dates unknown) was an English cricketer who was associated with Middlesex and made his first-class debut in 1830.

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Bibliography

Lewis (crater)

Lewis is a crater on the far side of the Moon. It lies along the western edge of the Montes Cordillera mountains that surround the Mare Orientale impact basin. This crater has been heavily disrupted by the formation of the basin, and it is covered by ejecta from the impact leaving only an uneven depression in the surface. The outer rim is roughly circular, and the interior is uneven.

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