Notes
The school website (see References) provides the extra detail. The school's document 'The Lost Boys' (see Attachments) adds: ' John Belmont Jewell was born on 27th May 1899 and he attended our school from the summer term of 1905 to Easter 1906, when the school educated boys until the age of 8. He passed the Royal Aero Club Aviator’s Certificate on 23rd December 1917 at the Military School in Ruislip where he flew a
Maurice Farman Biplane. He became a 2nd Lieutenant of the Royal Flying Corps.
According to his birth certificate, John was the son of John Ernest Jewell, a master chemist, and Rosa
Belmont. Unusually, for the time, his birth was registered by his father who stated to the registrar that the mother’s name was ‘Rosa Jewell formerly Belmont’ which implied that they were married. There is no official record of this marriage and, indeed, John Ernest was already married with three children by his wife. The petition for divorce was not filed until 1908. Whether his legitimate children ever knew about their half‐brother is open to speculation.
Jewell signed up to fight shortly after his 18th birthday and was posted to Farnborough on 8th August 1917, and he passed as fit to be a pilot on 30th of that month. From August to December 1917, he was moved around several times but three days after gaining his flying license he was posted to 86 Squadron. John had experience flying the Maurice Farman, Avro, Sopwith Scouts and the Sopwith Camel. He died whilst flying the Camel near Northolt Junction when the aeroplane spun onto the ground which left no time for recovery. This was a frequent occurrence for inexperienced pilots flying the Camel which were notoriously difficult
to control. The term ‘killed in action’ is used, despite the fact that there was no enemy involvement. The jury inquiring into his death described him as being ‘accidentally killed’.
His funeral took place at St Martin’s Church in Ruislip, and he is buried in the churchyard. He was not yet nineteen years old.'