Background
Vernon Castle was born on May 2, 1887 in Norwich, England. He was the son of William and Jane Blythe. When a small boy he surprised his parents by wiring the entire house with electric bells.
Vernon Castle was born on May 2, 1887 in Norwich, England. He was the son of William and Jane Blythe. When a small boy he surprised his parents by wiring the entire house with electric bells.
The family immediately planned for him a career as an electrical engineer, and he later received training as a civil engineer in London.
In 1906 he came to the United States with his father and his sister, Coralie Blythe, who was to take part in a play in New York. Through association with his sister's friends Vernon was given a small unimportant part in Lew Field's The Girl Behind the Counter, in 1907. It was at this time that he assumed the name Castle. The short freakish dance which he did in the show was singled out by the public as unusual and eccentric. Castle soon found himself creating dances for various occasions. His wife proved to be a competent dancing partner and appeared with him a few times in small dance acts. About a year later they went to Paris, and because of lack of funds started dancing in a Paris cafe. They proved a sensation to the Parisians, and when news of their success reached New York, cafe owners and theatrical producers besieged them with offers. They returned to America in a few months, and at times, during the next two years, were drawing as much as $6, 000 a week for their performances. In 1914 they published a book of instruction in dancing, called Modern Dancing. In February 1916 he enlisted in the Royal Flying Corps. He received the commission of lieutenant and served in the French army under Gen. Foch. He held the respect of officers for his daring and spectacular movements in the air. In 1918 he was sent to Fort Worth, Texas, to teach aviation and was as highly praised as an instructor of aviation as he had been as an instructor of dancing. He was killed in a collision with another airplane, flown by a cadet. His courage in maneuvering to save the cadet's life was highly praised by officers who witnessed the accident. He did well the only two things which he attempted during his short lifetime.
He was a tall, slender, rather frail-looking man, extremely sympathetic, and above all else a lover of animals.
On May 28, 1911 he married Irene Foote, the daughter of a New Rochelle physician.