escadrille

Edgar Tobin (1896-1954)

He was an ace from San Antonio. Won the Distinguished Service Cross and French Croix de Guerre. He started Tobin Aerial Surveys after the war.

Edgar G. Tobin was the first Texan to become an "Ace" and very likely the youngest Major in France at twenty-two. He flew with the 103rd Aero Squadron, which formed including veterans of the Lafayette Escadrille. He is credited with shooting down six confirmed and two unconfirmed enemy aircraft. For his action he received the nation's second highest award for valor, The Distinguished Service Cross and the French Croix de Guerre.

After the war, he founded "TOBIN INTERNATIONAL," which for over 75 years was a leader in map services and had the largest map collection in the world, second only to National Geographic. His company employed 275 in Texas, Denver and Russia and generated $30 million in revenue. Today, geologists and landsmen use the word "Tobin" as a generic term for maps. Edgar Tobin began map work and largely left flying after a 1928 plane crash. He died in 1954.

For another image of Tobin, see this link: www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/8559757833/in/set-721...

Edgar Tobin was actually a Captain in France with the 103rd Aero Squadron. He was confirmed as still being a Captain in a memo (2 SA 111 MR GOVT NITE) from Washington, D.C. to Kelly Field, San Antonio on 27 March 1919, but was then given a temporary field promotion to Major, by Major George E. Stratemeyer on 28 March 1919, via Special Orders No. 87. This temporary promotion only lasted until 10 May 1919, while in service with the Victory Loan Flying Circus, Middle-West Flight. Although the Flying Circus tour returned to Houston on 10 May 1919, Tobin returned early to Kelly Field from Shreveport on 6 May 1919 on the advice of their flight surgeon. After returning to Kelly Field, he reverted back to his permanent rank of Captain. He was not able to regain his rank of Major until the Spring of 1922, but by then he was an Air Service Reserve Officer, assigned to the Organized Reserves in the San Antonio area. According to "OVER THE FRONT", Franks & Bailey, Tobin died in a flying accident in a Grumman Mallard on 10 January 1954, on Lake Wallace near Shreveport, Louisiana. It is not true that geologists and landsmen use the word "Tobin" as a generic term for maps. However, there are specific map collections associated with the name “Tobin.” For example, the Tobin International Geological Map Collection at the Walter Geology Library provides map materials for teaching and research in geosciences. It covers various aspects, including geology, tectonics, stratigraphy, and more. These maps are used in fields such as hydrocarbon exploration, mineral exploration, and environmental studies. In addition, the Edgar Tobin Aerial Survey Collection depicts the East Texas landscape during the 1930s. It includes information on oil and gas wells, cities, towns, railroad lines, canals, rivers, and more.

Left to right at Kelly Field: 2nd Lieut. Alvin St. John (can't see tall officer behind him due to photo damage), 1st Lieut. L. R. Hewett, Maj. Edgar G. Tobin (sitting), 2nd Lieut. Grafton Wiggins, 1st Lieut. George H. Belser, 1st Lieut. Paul A. Smith, and 1st Lieut. Edward H. Hill. George Puryear was then assigned to Rockwell Field after returning from France in WWI and does not appear in this photo album.