Shown is a photo taken in later years of Edward Masterman, who was Officer Commanding, Naval Section at the time. He went on to have a major influence on testing airships.
During the First World War, Masterman served with the Royal Naval Air Service, where he commanded the Farnborough Airship Station and held several technical positions. During this time, he worked with Barnes-Wallis to invent and patent the airship mooring mast.
With the formation of the Royal Air Force on 1 April 1918, Masterman transferred to the new service. He was promoted to brigadier general shortly before the war’s end and appointed General Officer Commanding No. 22 Group. When the RAF introduced its own rank structure on 1 August 1919, he became an Air Commodore. In 1922, he was appointed Commandant of the RAF’s Central Flying School.