I've been looking at a report of the Creditors' Meeting of Wells Aviation Co. Ltd. (The Aeroplane, 13 June 1917), as a result of which the company was put into Voluntary Liquidation, which mentions, when detailing its assets, that these included a 'deposit on account purchase Benoist boat £200'. Thus it appears that the company intended to acquire a Benoist flying boat (for which, according to the company publicity, it had acquired a production licence) but had not proceeded beyond paying a deposit on the purchase.
It's interesting, although probably entirely unconnected, that the careers of R.F.Wells and R.F.Mann (designer of the 1915 Mann & Grimmer M.1) evolved along similar lines in that a hobby of designing and flying model aeroplanes developed into a business of designing and constructing of military aeroplanes - and both appear to have been 'one hit wonders'! But maybe this was in the nature of things in those early days of aviation.
Last edited by fauteuil volant; 10th Jun 2020 at 16:52.