Memorials & Monuments
on the Isle of Wight
- Biography -
- William Hubert Stuart Garnett -

Lieutenant W H Stuart Garnett, who was killed at a Flying School on Thursday, was the second son of Dr William Garnett, late Educational Adviser to the L.C.C. [London County Council] Educated, like his elder brother Mr J C M Garnett, Principal of the Manchester School of Technology, at St Paul's School and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was a scholar, he appeared as eighth Wrangler in 1902 and in the first class of the Mechanical Sciences Tripos in 1903.
Although he has died at the age of 34, he had lived a full and varied life. For a time he worked as a practical engineer and brought out a remarkable text-book on the turbine, and, being called to the Bar by the Inner Temple in 1905, he practised for some time, travelling the Western Circuit. He became interested in the National Insurance Scheme, on which he wrote a book with Mr Arthur Comyns Carr. Afterwards he gave up practice on appointment as Assistant Legal Adviser to the National Insurance Committee. An enthusiastic Alpine climber, and an ardent yachtsman, with a practical knowledge of seamanship and of the navigation of the Channel and North Sea, such as is possessed of few amateurs, he took keen interest in the Boy Scout movement, and in particular in active sea-scouting, on which he wrote a book, which has had a wide circulation. In order the better to devote himself to work among boys he lived for many years - and down to the outbreak of war - at Limehouse. When war broke out he obtained from Mr Steane Price the loan of his yacht Zarefah, which he manned, both as to officers and men, mainly with Cambridge graduates and under-graduates. The Zarefah was engaged in the mine-sweeping service. In the summer of last year, Mr Garnett, who had attained the rank of Lieutenant Commander, gave up his naval duties in order to join the Royal Flying Corps. He was an observer for several months in France, where his inventive genius had effective play, with the result that he was recalled home and joined the staff of the Central Flying School. Early this year he qualified as pilot. Lieutenant Garnett married, in August of last year, the only daughter of Mr and Mrs Bradley, of Streetley, Warwickshire. The funeral will take place at noon today at Charlton, near Upavon. Dr and Mrs Garnett are at a base hospital with their youngest son, [Lt K G Garnett] who was dangerously wounded about three weeks ago.