Editing Vernon and Irene Castle (section)

==World War I: Vernon's death==
In 1915, Vernon decided to fight in [[World War I]] and began flight school in the U.S., leaving the touring cast of ''Watch Your Step''. He received his pilot's certificate in early 1916. The Castles gave two farewell performances at the [[New York Hippodrome|Hippodrome Theatre]] in New York in January 1916, accompanied by [[John Philip Sousa]] and his band.<ref>Golden, chapter 24</ref> Vernon sailed for England to enlist as a pilot in the [[Royal Flying Corps]] during [[World War I]].<ref>Golden, chapter 25</ref> Flying over the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]], he completed 300 combat missions,<ref name=CrashSite>[http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/13035 "Vernon Castle Airplane Crash Site Memorial"], RoadsideAmerica.com, accessed 13 February 2014</ref> shot down two aircraft and was awarded the {{Lang|fr|[[Croix de guerre 1914-1918 (France)|Croix de Guerre]]|italic=no}} in 1917. Posted to Canada to train new pilots at [[Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory|Camp Mohawk]] in Ontario, he took part in concerts in the evenings.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Vee |first=Roger |title=Flying Minnows |publisher=[[John Hamilton Ltd, London]] |year=1935 |edition=Revised 1977 |pages=38}}</ref> He was promoted to captain, and then transferred with the rest of his unit to the U.S. for winter training at [[Camp Taliaferro]].

[[File:Vernon-Castle-Plane-1918-2.jpg|thumb|left|Captain Vernon Castle a few days before his death in 1918]]
Late in 1917, while he was away, Irene appeared in a star-studded revue, ''[[Miss 1917]]''. Although she was singled out for praise by reviewers, she was unhappy performing on stage alone: "I found myself hopelessly lost as a solo number. I had no training for dancing alone and I should never have tried it."<ref name=Eve>Golden, p. 191</ref> Though successful with critics, the revue failed to attract an audience; at least not enough of one to pay for the lavish production.<ref name=Eve/><ref>Jasen, David A. [https://books.google.com/books?id=9L2kjKQ8CvYC&pg=PA71 ''P.G. Wodehouse: A Portrait of a Master''], Music Sales Group (2002), pp. 71–72</ref> Castle's specialty song was challenged on copyright grounds, and management cut it. In addition, her act in the show was scheduled for late in the evening, which conflicted with her early morning film work. As the show failed, she and others were let go by the producers. She later sued successfully, but by then the production company was bankrupt.<ref name=Eve2>Golden, p. 192</ref> For the rest of 1917, she made well-received appearances on behalf of war charities.<ref name=Eve2/>

On 15 February 1918, over [[Benbrook Field]], a training field near [[Fort Worth, Texas]], Vernon took emergency action shortly after takeoff to avoid a collision with another aircraft. His plane stalled, and he was unable to recover control before the plane hit the ground. He died soon after the crash, aged 30.<ref>{{cite news |title=Vernon Castle Dies in Airplane Fall. Killed at Fort Worth Avoiding Collision That Threatened Lives of Three. Won Captaincy at Front. Numerous Deaths in Training Call Attention to the Need of Skilled Inspectors. Castle's Spectacular Feats. Skilled Inspectors Needed. Vernon Castle's Career. Starred on the Stage |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9F00E4DF113FE433A25755C1A9649C946996D6CF&legacy=true |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=16 February 1918 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Military Rites Held For Captain Castle. Army and Civilians Pay Tribute at Fort Worth. Body Sent to New York |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D00EEDF113FE433A25754C1A9649C946996D6CF&legacy=true |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=17 February 1918 }}</ref> Vernon was the only casualty. According to the monument at the crash site, "Neither the other pilot, his student cadet, nor Vernon's pet monkey, Jeffrey, were seriously injured."<ref name=CrashSite/> Irene paid tribute to Vernon in her memoir ''My Husband'', 1919. There is a street in [[Benbrook, Texas]], named in his honor, with a monument dedicated to him. Vernon was buried in [[Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx)|Woodlawn Cemetery]] in [[the Bronx]], New York.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bury Capt. Castle Today. Funeral Will Be Conducted with Military Honors |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9B04E1DE1F38E533A2575AC1A9649C946996D6CF&legacy=true |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=19 February 1918 }}</ref> The grieving memorial figure kneeling on the grave was created by Irene's friend, the American sculptor [[Sally James Farnham]].<ref>Bady, David and Elisabeth Lorin. [https://www.lehman.edu/vpadvance/artgallery/publicart/sites/woodlawn.html "Woodlawn Cemetery"], "Public Art in the Bronx", [[Lehman College]], accessed 1 January 2023</ref>