Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

James Lethbridge Brooke Templer (27 May 1846 – 2 January 1924) was an early British military pioneer of balloons. He was an officer in the

King's Royal Rifle Corps The King's Royal Rifle Corps was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army that was originally raised in British North America as the Royal American Regiment during the phase of the Seven Years' War in North America known in the United Sta ...

and

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...

. Templer set out a scientific foundation for British military ballooning. In particular, he worked out routines for balloon handling, how to use hydrogen in cylinders and methods for training observers.

Biography

James Templer was the son of John Templer. He was educated at

Harrow Harrow may refer to: Places * Harrow, Victoria, Australia * Harrow, Ontario, Canada * The Harrow, County Wexford, a village in Ireland * London Borough of Harrow, England * Harrow, London, a town in London * Harrow (UK Parliament constituency) * ...

and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

. Whilst serving in the King's Royal Rifle Corps Templer became interested in military ballooning. In 1878 Captain Templer and Captain

Charles Moore Watson Sir Charles Moore Watson (1844–1916) was a British Army officer, engineer and administrator. In later life he was known for his association with the Palestine Exploration Fund. Early life He was the second son of William Watson, J.P., of Dublin ...

started the first regular British Army balloon school at Woolwich. The school was started with Templer's own balloon, the ''Crusader''. At the same time, Templer was appointed Instructor in Ballooning to the Royal Engineers. The following year Captain Templer took command of the newly established military balloon department at Chatham. On 10 December 1881 Captain Templer was accompanied by Walter Powell the MP for

Malmesbury Malmesbury () is a town and civil parish in north Wiltshire, England, which lies approximately west of Swindon, northeast of Bristol, and north of Chippenham. The older part of the town is on a hilltop which is almost surrounded by the upp ...

and Mr. A. Agg-Gardner, brother of James Agg-Gardner – then between terms as MP for

Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...

– in the balloon ''Saladin''. The group departed

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

and headed towards Dorset. In time they found themselves within half a mile of the sea near Eypesmouth which is to the west of

Bridport Bridport is a market town and civil parish in Dorset, England, inland from the English Channel near the confluence of the River Brit and its tributary the River Asker, Asker. Its origins are Anglo-Saxons, Saxon and it has a long history as a ...

. As the balloon was rapidly drifting seaward, they attempted to descend. The balloon touched the ground a mere 150 yards from the cliff edge. The balloon dragged along and ground and Templer exited the basket holding the valve line in his hand. As the balloon had just been lightened, it rose about eight feet and Agg-Gardner jumped out breaking his leg. Powell was now the only occupant of the balloon. Templer, who had still hold of the line, shouted to Powell to climb down the line. Powell made a move for the rope but the balloon rose, tearing the line out of Templer's hands. The balloon climbed rapidly and Powell was taken out to sea. He was never seen again. In February 1885, Templer was promoted to the rank of

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

. During the British Army's expedition to the Sudan in 1885, Templer took three balloons. He was mentioned in despatches for his actions during the Hasheen engagement. In 1888 Templer was accused, arrested and charged with providing the Italian Government with British secrets about military ballooning. The case was found to be without foundation and Templer was honourably acquitted. At the start of the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

(1899–1902), Templer served in the Scientific and Departmental Corps as a lieutenant colonel. He was promoted to full colonel in the

Reserve of Officers The Army Reserve is the active-duty volunteer reserve force of the British Army. It is separate from the Regular Reserve whose members are ex-Regular personnel who retain a statutory liability for service. Descended from the Territorial Force ( ...

on 6 December 1899, and was able to put his interest in steam traction to use when he served as Director of Steam Road Transport during the war. He was

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

(29 November 1900) by Lord Roberts, Commander-in-Chief during the early part of the War. After the end of the war, Templer retired from his commission in the 7th (Militia) Battalion of the King's Royal Rifle Corps in November 1902. In 1902, Templer decided that it was time to construct a British military airship. Under Templer's direction, in 1905 the Balloon Factory relocated to Farnborough. where work could be started on an airship shed. This, and a shortage of money, delayed the project. Work on the British Army Dirigible No 1, named ''Nulli Secundus'' ("Second to none") was not complete until 1907 by which time Templer was no longer the superintendent of the Balloon Factory, Colonel Capper having taken over in 1906. Templer continued as the superintendent of the Balloon Factory until retiring from service in 1908. He died at Laughton Grange in the

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

town of

Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. The town is the administrative centre of the wider Lewes (district), district of the same name. It lies on the River Ouse, Sussex, River Ouse at the point where the river cuts through the Sou ...

on 2 January 1924.

Family

Templer married Florence Henrietta Gilliat at Chorley Wood in

Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...

on 12 January 1889. Their daughter Ursula Florence Templer was born in London the following year on 29 August 1890.
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References

External links

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Templer, James Lethbridge Brooke 1846 births 1924 deaths King's Royal Rifle Corps officers Royal Engineers officers British balloonists People educated at Harrow School Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge British Army colonels 19th-century British Army personnel 20th-century British Army personnel