(William) Usher Banks, Cranwell Lodge (now RAF Cranwell) c1910.

An original photograph. The signwriting on the wagon says W. U. Banks, Cranwell Lodge, Lincolnshire. The wagon was made by Bishop of Spalding. Cranwell Lodge Farm and farmhouse was commandeered from Usher Banks for the Admiralty in November 1915. RNAS Cranwell was fully operational by late 1916 and RAF Cranwell was up and running in 1920. The famous College was first used by cadets in 1933. It’s likely that William Usher Banks (1883-1931) is related, in some way, to Sir Joseph Banks (1743-1820), the famous naturalist, of Revesby Abbey.