I believe that the Germans were first. Like in so much else. Earlier flight.
And even the French beat the Brits as well(not like in so much else) as the first patent for using a gas turbine to power an aircraft was filed in 1921 by Frenchman Maxime Guillaume.
Maxime Guillaume, "Propulseur par réaction sur l'air," French patent no. 534,801 (filed: 3 May 1921; issued: 13 January 1922). Available on-line (in French) at:
http://v3.espacenet.com/origdoc?DB=E...0&QPN=FR534801