Sir Alexander Bannerman, 11th Baronet

Who was Sir Alexander Bannerman, 11th Baronet?

Major Sir Alexander Bannerman, 11th Baronet was a pioneer British military aviator.

Bannerman was born in Brackley in Northamptonshire and educated at Wellington College. He succeeded to the title of 11th Baronet Bannerman, of Elsick in Kincardineshire on the death of his father the 10th Baronet on 2 December 1901.

Bannerman served in the Royal Engineers, seeing active service in the Second Boer War, and was mentioned in Lord Roberts' despatches. He was promoted to captain on 26 October 1900.

After the war he returned to England only to depart again in 1903 on a special mission to Japan on behalf of the War Office. At the start of 1908 Bannerman was sent to the War Office to work as a general staff officer.

In October 1910, Bannerman left the War Office in order to replace Colonel J E Capper as the officer commanding the British Army's School of Ballooning. In April 1911, when the School of Ballooning was reorganized to become the Air Battalion, Bannerman served as its commandant. Just before the Air Battalion became the Royal Flying Corps, Bannerman took flying lessons in order to gain his Royal Aero Club certificate. He retired from Royal Engineers and Royal Flying Corps service on 28 August 1912.