Early Life
Louis Strange was born in Dorset and was educated at St Edward's School Oxford, joining the school's contingent of the Dorset Yeomanry. Strange spent his childhood at Tarrant Keynstone Mill on the River Stour. His family farmed 600 acres (2.4 km2) at Spettisbury in Dorset.
He had seen military aircraft and the airship Beta flying over Dorset during the summer manoeuvres of 1912 when serving with the Dorsetshire Yeomanry and determined in May 1913 to become a pilot. He joined the Ewen School of flying at Hendon Aerodrome in July and gained his Royal Aero Club certificate, No. 575, on 5 August, immediately applying for a commission in the Royal Flying Corps (RFC).
Just after obtaining his licence he won his first cross-country race and then won the Hendon March Meeting 17-mile (27 km) race, beating his old instructor into second place. In the latter part of 1913 and early 1914, Strange flew many hours from Hendon, instructing trainee pilots.
On 4 April 1914 he appeared in Flight magazine as one of five pilots who had recently joined the 'Upside Down Club' by performing a 'loop'.
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