Category: Collections Division

On 28 June 1939 King George VI approved the formation of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) for duty with the Royal Air Force (RAF) in a time of war. It was not the first time that women had served alongside the air force during a major conflict.

The Women’s Royal Air Force (WRAF) had been established at the same time as the RAF on 1 April 1918. Its members had demonstrated the important contribution women could make to the air war. They had, however, fallen foul of post-war defence cuts and been abolished in 1920.

With the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, 100 years ago today, the potential of a future war was still a possibility. The idea of forming a reserve of women who could be employed should this take place continued to be considered. Various voluntary groups formed during the 1930s. Several of these received official recognition by the Air Council on the understanding that members would place their services at the disposal of the authorities if the occasion arose.
Dame Helen Gwynne-Vaughan, former Commandant of the WRAF was instrumental in the formation of the Emergency Service. She had approached the War Office and the Air Ministry for support with drill and lectures to train officers. On one occasion it is reported that a sergeant found among his audience the wife of a Marshal of the RAF, the wife of the Chief of the Air Staff and the wife of the Air Member for Personnel.

With war clouds gathering it was decided to form a new combined uniformed women’s organisation. It was to be called the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS). The Air Council gave its support on 23 August 1938 but asked that women enrolled for duty in the RAF should serve in separate companies and wear a distinctive badge on the collar incorporating wings. Formed on 9 September recruitment got underway. It was agreed that any new ATS Company formed in London should be attached to RAF Hendon, (site of the RAF Museum, London). 601 Squadron, Auxiliary Air Force based there, welcomed the recruits having already trained Emergency Service volunteers.

During the autumn, this idea was extended to the whole country. RAF Companies of the ATS, which had been working with the Territorial Army would be attached to units of the Auxiliary Air Force and from January 1939 these Companies, 48 in total, became the responsibility of the Air Council. The emphasis continued to be on the training of leaders and not on substitution in RAF trades, this would come later. In March, separate RAF courses were started at the ATS School of Instruction for officers at the Duke of York’s HQ in Chelsea and alternated with Army courses until the outbreak of war. Blue cloth was also ordered for the RAF Companies with Lady Trenchard and Dame Helen Gwynne Vaughan advising on uniform details. The Director of Personal Services recommended that the RAF badge and badges of rank should be worn.In April 1939, the Air Member for Personnel later MRAF Viscount Portal, proposed breaking from the Army completely and forming a new service. The Air Council agreed choosing the title the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force. Jane Katherine Trefusis Forbes was appointed its first Director.

The National Defence Rally of All Women’s Services took place on 2 July 1939. This was the first public display for the new force just a few days after it had formed. The King took the salute of the airwomen as they marched past.

When war was declared on 3 September 1939 the WAAF had 1,734 members. Just four years later its strength would peak at 182,000. The type of work undertaken by the women would also expand from the initial traditional clerical and domestic roles to a broad range of jobs which included specialist work and technical trades. The WAAF would go on to provide vital service with the RAF during the Second World War.

The formation of the WAAF together with the contributions and sacrifices made by its members represent major steps taken towards the fully integrated RAF of today.
To learn more about women of the air force please see the Museum’s online exhibition of Women in the Air Force.

This week it is 100 years since Sir John Alcock and Sir Arthur Whitten Brown made the first non-stop aeroplane flight across the Atlantic Ocean. In this blog, Archive, Library and Research Manager Nina Hadaway highlights some of the RAF and RAF Museum connections to this pioneering transatlantic tale.

Today flying across the Atlantic is a commonplace event. During the early years of powered flight however there were many ‘firsts’ to be undertaken. The owner of the Daily Mail newspaper, Lord Northcliffe was a strong advocate of aviation. His newspaper regularly offered prize money for pioneering flight competitions. The Transatlantic Prize of £10,000 to the aviator who was first to cross the Atlantic from America to the UK within 72 consecutive hours, was an example of one of these. Originally offered in 1913, the contest was suspended during the First World War but was resumed afterwards.

Several teams entered the race but it was Captain John Alcock and Lieutenant Arthur Whitten Brown who on 14-15 June 1919 succeeded in accomplishing what nobody else had done before. Representing the aviation firm Vickers, in their specially constructed and modified Vickers Vimy, they completed the crossing from Newfoundland to Ireland in 15 hours and 57 minutes, flying into the history books.

The flight itself was not without incident. The aircraft famously crash landed in a bog near Clifden, County Galway in Ireland. Brown’s navigation logs and chart, held by the RAF Museum record the mechanical failure, fog and bad weather endured by the crew but they also capture the spirit of the venture.

Visit the Museum’s RAF Stories site to find out more.

Comfort was provided by warm drinks, food and lucky mascots. The RAF Museum holds the vacuum flask which can be seen being loaded onto the Vimy in the photograph below.

Mascots and superstitions have always been important to civilian aviators and military personnel. View the RAF Museum’s online exhibition about lucky charms to find out more.

Alcock and Brown each took a cat mascot on their flight. Alcock’s ‘Lucky Jim’ is on display with the Science Museum in Manchester.

Brown’s ‘Twinkletoes’ is on display at the RAF Museum’s Cosford site.

It was not the first time that John Alcock had piloted an aircraft in an air race. He had been a regular competitor at the pre-war Hendon displays organised by Claude Grahame White, himself a contestant in the Daily Mail sponsored London to Manchester race of 1910. The RAF Museum’s London site occupies land which formed a part of the original Hendon airfield.

During the First World War Alcock and Brown served in the air services and both men were held as Prisoners of War. Brown, served with 2 Squadron Royal Flying Corps as an Observer in France. Shot down twice he was captured after a reconnaissance flight on 10 November 1915. Repatriated back to England in 1917 he went on to work in the Ministry of Munitions with his future father-in-law.

Alcock flew with the Royal Naval Air Service in the Eastern Mediterranean area conducting long range bombing operations against the Ottomans. He was captured in September 1917. The RAF Museum’s Archive collection contains a menu card for a supper held in August 1918 to mark the inauguration of the Royal Air Force (RAF). It took place at the Officers POW Camp, Kedos, Anatolia, Turkey. The card is signed by many officers including John Alcock.

A celebrity following the pioneering flight in June 1919 unfortunately Sir John Alcock was killed only a few months later on 18 December 1919. He crashed in France while flying the new Vickers Viking amphibian to the Paris airshow.

During the Second World War Brown re-joined the RAF for a short time working with RAF Training Command but had to resign due to his health. He was also badly affected by the death of his only son, Flight Lieutenant Arthur (Buster) Brown who was killed on operations on 5/6 June 1944 whilst serving with 605 Squadron. Sir Arthur Whitten Brown passed away on 4 October 1948.

The first non-stop aeroplane flight across the Atlantic Ocean pushed the boundaries and demonstrated what was possible. It has been commemorated in many different ways over the years including the issue of stamps, the building of memorials, and the production of books.

For the 60th anniversary of the crossing in 1979, two RAF McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR2s made the trip from Goose Bay Newfoundland to Ireland. Sir John Alcock’s nephew, Squadron Leader A.J.N. (Tony) Alcock flew with navigator Flight Lieutenant W.N. (Norman) Browne in one of the of the aircraft – XV424. They were accompanied by ‘Twinkletoes’, Sir Arthur Whitten Brown’s toy cat mascot. The aircraft, sprayed in commemorative paint schemes completed the flight in 5 hours and 40 minutes setting a new record. XV424 is now on display at the RAF Museum London’s site in the colours of 56 Squadron.

In 2019 to mark the centenary of Alcock and Brown’s flight there are many different activities taking place:

Follow Lucky Jim on the Museum of Science and Industry’s twitter account to find out more about his experience of the flight: https://twitter.com/sim_manchester/status/1138077861057835008

The Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester is also holding an event this weekend: https://www.scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk/whats-on/flying-fun-celebrating-alcock-and-brown

In Ireland, an Alcock and Brown 100 Centenary Festival is being held at Clifden 11-16 June: https://alcockandbrown100.com/

In Canada the Admiralty House Museum has a temporary exhibition: http://admiraltymuseum.ca/temporaryexhibits/

Brooklands Museum in Surrey has also opened a very good exhibition about this significant flight: https://www.brooklandsmuseum.com/about/latest-news/new-aviation-exhibition-first-to-the-fastest-opens-at-brooklands-museum

75 years ago Operation Overlord, the first stage of the liberation of Europe, was in full swing. The combined might of the RAF and USAAF undertook over 8,000 sorties during the night of the 5th/6th June and all through the following day. With such an impressive effort in the air, it’s easy to overlook some of the RAFs other contributions towards the assault on Hitler’s Fortress Europe.

Long before the Allied fleet even sighted the Normandy beaches, the RAF component of Operation Neptune was in action in the form of three Fighter Direction Tenders (or FDTs). The FDTs were former Landing Ships Tank refurbished and fitted with Ground Controlled Interception (GCI) equipment, turning them into floating radar stations.

The Chain Home series of radar stations around the coast of Britain had proved their worth during the Battle of Britain, however, those stations did not have the range to provide adequate warning to the vulnerable armada crossing the channel. Instead the FDTs sailed with the fleet providing round the clock cover, able to call on any of the twelve RAF and USAAF fighter squadrons flying cover over the channel on the 6th June. With one FDT off the American beaches, one off the British beaches and one further out in the channel, to cover the constant stream of vessels taking part in the invasion, the Luftwaffe would not have had an easy time attacking the shipping. In fact, the official report on the performance of the FDTs stated:

“There was no hostile activity until 18:57 hours on the first day when six single engine fighters approached “SWORD” beach from the south but turned away before they could be intercepted”

However, despite several obstacles to their effectiveness, the information supplied by the FDTs was responsible for the destruction of at least 42 enemy aircraft between the 6th and 13th June 1944. Furthermore, a number of large formations were broken up by aircraft directed by the FDTS, reducing the effectiveness of their attacks. As well as their more aggressive role, each FDT also had two High Speed Launches assigned. The HSLs would be sent to rescue downed aircrew, with the FDT able to coordinate the rescue efforts.

Once the forces of liberation disembarked from their vessels, the need to extend radar coverage to ensure the safety of the beachhead was paramount. RAF GCI units went ashore in both the British and American sectors, tasked with getting their equipment up and running before nightfall when the Luftwaffe could try and attack the large concentration of troops preparing to break out. 15083 GCI was the unit responsible for the British sector; planned to land at midday, they actually came ashore on the King Red section of Gold Beach around 3:45pm on the 6th. After fighting through a convoy of ambulances returning wounded men to the beach, the unit was able to reach the field they were supposed to set up their equipment in. However there still a few obstacles to overcome before they could be ready for that night’s duties, as the Commanding Officer, Sqn Ldr R H McCall relates:

“Our site was easy to find and proved perfect in every way except two. First there were tanks in it facing two directions ready to deal with an expected German counter attack. They said the enemy was “just over there” pointing to a nearby wood and that they might have to fire across the site. I said my order was clear, to get set up at once which I was going to do. But the second difficulty was that the grass was waiting for hay, long in places and the cable around our site, providing power from the diesels to the radar and signals vehicles, were hidden in the grass. It was imperative the tanks should not drive over our cables. I had to summon up my poor old pre-war French, find the farmer and persuade him or her to brave the tanks and cut the grass immediately, or at least those parts near the cables. I succeeded, much to my surprise, and my three or four “voulez vous coupez ces…grass…ces?” were met with “Ces herbes Capitaine?”.”

However, by nightfall the first of three frequencies was online, with the second following by midnight, and the unit was able to assume its task of directing night fighters.

Air support was a very important element of any offensive by 1944, and the liberation of Europe would be no different. The types of aircraft used in the role, though, often had a rather limited range when you consider they were based in the UK and had to cross the channel before they could begin their patrols. This drawback had already been considered long before the plans for Operation Overlord were drawn up and the need for any offensive force to be able to establish airstrips close to front line to service aircraft flying close support was recognised. This led to the RAF posting notices to all units asking for skilled tradesmen willing to volunteer for “arduous and dangerous duties”. Each of these airmen were expected to be well versed in their particular trade, and to be of high physical fitness. They would form the RAF Servicing Commando units, trained at the Combined Operations Training Centre in Scotland to prepare them for amphibious landings as well as receiving a full range of combat training; it was a life far removed their previous duties on relatively sedate airfields.

The Servicing Commandos were expected to be amongst the first waves of any landing, tasked with securing pre-designated fields for use as landing strips. They would then set up the most basic airfield facilities, a radio for flying control, a tented kitchen to serve meals to pilots, and of course everything needed to refuel, rearm and repair the aircraft. Since it could not be predicted what types of aircraft would be visiting the airfield the airmen were expected to be able to ply their trade on any type that arrived, which in one instance even included a Handley Page Halifax returning from a raid low on fuel! In the event, none of the Servicing Commando units were able to land on D-Day and instead were held offshore overnight. However, each of the Servicing Commando units did valuable work in the following days ensuring the maximum amount of air cover was made available to the liberation forces.

Of course, many other RAF units arrived on the Normandy beaches on and just after D-Day, all of them a small part in a big operation, and it’s easy to see how and why they can be overlooked when compared to the pilots and aircrew of the Second Tactical Air Force. But like any piece of machinery, each component was a vital part of the whole, all working together to make Operation Overlord a success.

In my last blog, I explored the type history of the Sepecat Jaguar, one of two new aircraft to enter the Museum’s collection as part of the RAF Centenary Redevelopment Programme at the Museum’s London site last year.

In this blog, I will explore the type history of the second new aircraft to arrive at ‘Hendon’ last year, this being the Westland Sea King and the individual aircraft history of XZ585.

The Sea King has been a tremendously successful and adaptable design with a career spanning nearly 60 years, it has served in the air forces of over 20 nations and been built under licence by Britain, Canada, Italy and Japan.

It was developed by Sikorsky for the United States Navy in the late 1950s in response to a requirement for a helicopter that would combine both the hunter and killer roles of anti-submarine warfare in one airframe. At the time, the United States Navy were operating pairs of Sikorsky SH-34 Seabats on anti-submarine operations. The for this new development was that the Seabat was not powerful enough to carry both the radar (hunter) and the torpedoes (killer).

The new design designated the Sikorsky S.61 first flew in March 1959, and after thorough testing it entered United States Navy service in 1961. The Sea King had some notable design features:

• The engines were located on top of the fuselage as opposed to in the nose as had been the case with the earlier Sikorsky designs such as the Seabat and Chickasaw, making the interior of the aircraft more spacious to accommodate the anti-submarine equipment and weaponry.

• The cockpit and rear cabin were all on one level making communication between the pilots and the cabin crew much easier.

• A watertight hull with stabilising floats, which also housed the retractable undercarriage, gave it a limited capability of operating on calm waters, although the design was predominantly to allow for safe evacuation and to keep the aircraft afloat in order to facilitate recovery if forced to land on water.

British interest in the Sea King first came from the Royal Navy who like their American counterparts required a more powerful anti-submarine helicopter with greater endurance in response to the development of faster nuclear-powered submarines by the Warsaw Pact, and so it sought to procure the Sea King.

Sikorsky helicopters such as the Seabat and Chicksaw had been built under licence in the UK by Westland and known respectively as the Whirlwind and the Wessex. Westland had previously manufactured fixed wing aircraft but the company took a bold decision at the end of the Second World War to abandon manufacturing fixed wing aircraft in favour of producing licence built Sikorsky helicopter designs. Sikorsky were keen to bid for the contract to supply the Royal Navy with its Sea Kings. Due to political considerations, they agreed to the aircraft being built under licence by Westland.

Westland’s license was for the airframe and rotorhead design, thus allowing them to make modifications to nearly every other aspect of the aircraft, using alternative engines, avionics, electric, pneumatic and hydraulic systems. An order for 60 aircraft was placed with Westland in 1966. In order to speed up production four American built aircraft were purchased by the company for design and development work.

The prototype took its first flight in 1967, initially entering service with 700 Squadron for intensive trials in 1969. As well as the anti-submarine role, the Royal Navy also employed Transport, Airborne Early Warning and Search and Rescue variants. In all more than 140 Sea kings were built for the Royal Navy.

As with the Navy, the RAF were dissatisfied with the range of their Search and Rescue (SAR) helicopters, the Whirlwind and Wessex. The RAF’s requirement for an all-weather, long range Search and Rescue helicopter prompted their interest in the Sea King which was already a proven performer with the Royal Navy and an initial order for 15 aircraft was placed in 1975, with a further four airframes ordered later.

The RAF Variant, Sea King HAR.3, had uprated gnome engines, a Tactical Air Navigation System (TANS) for improved all weather and night operations, a full range of radio navigation aids and increased fuel tank capacity which almost tripled the radius of operations to around 270 miles as opposed to the 95 miles radius of the Wessex.

The Sea King’s winch was four time longer than that of its predecessors’ and the rear bulkhead was moved nearly two metres to give a longer cabin allowing it to carry significantly more survivors, up to 17 or six stretchers.

The Museum’s example, XZ585 was the first of the RAF’s Sea Kings to fly, making its maiden flight on 6th September 1977. The Sea King entered Squadron service the following year with 202 Squadron, however, XZ585 was retained by Westland for development work.

The RAF’s second SAR squadron re-equipped with the Sea King in 1997. Both these squadrons had detached flights around the country along with the Royal Navy’s SAR helicopters they provided continuous search and rescue capability all over Britain.

In addition, a single RAF Sea King was despatched to Ascension Island during the Falklands conflict where it largely flew aerial replenishment sorties to ships supporting the task force. Following the end of the conflict a permanent detachment of RAF Sea Kings was established on the Falklands to provide search and rescue and general transport duties. Initially, the aircraft operated as part of a detached flight of No. 202 Squadron before being re-designated 1564 Flight.

As with all aircraft there were continual improvements with new radar and navigation equipment being fitted, six airframes were updated to Mk.3a standard in the mid-1990s, this provided the aircraft with an improved auto-pilot, navigation system, flightpath computer and radar altimeter. Not all of these modifications were well received by the pilots who found a dead area in the auto pilot between pilot and autopilot inputs, leading to the aircraft to wander in the hover. However, with practice pilots got used to this characteristic and appreciated the positive aspects of the other upgrades to the aircraft’s performance.

With such a small number of airframes and a long period of service the Museum has been fortunate in being able to interview a number aircrew who had flown in XZ585. Last year while visiting the Museum to be interviewed, Master Aircrew Paul Challice donated a detailed written account of his RAF service to the Archive. In his memoirs are details of all the SAR operations he undertook, many in XZ585, these have been added to the aircraft’s history which can be viewed on line here.

The aircraft’s history and Paul’s memoirs show the varied nature of search and rescue operations, ranging from many uneventful call outs where no action was required to more dramatic rescues at sea and off mountains and cliffs to the sad recovery of bodies.

Below is sample an excerpt of operations flown by Paul on XZ585 in early 1987 whilst serving with D flight of No. 202 Squadron at RAF Lossiemouth.

12 Feb 87, 2.00 hours flight Lossiemouth to Raigmore to pick up incubator + doctor + midwife – to Wick. Return to Raigmore with two incubators with babies – high speed run due to failing incubator battery!

13 Feb 87 3.20 hours flight, Medevac suspected appendicitis from fishing vessel Polar Fisk, off Barra, to Oban.

14 Feb 87 1.35 hours flight, fishing vessel Guide Onward on fire 70nm NE Lossiemouth – local boat – 8 crew in two life rafts returned to Lossiemouth.

1/2 Mar 87 8.20 hours flight, search for Danish fishing vessel Fabien 80nm E Shetland disabled by big wave smashing wheelhouse, all night search in poor weather but nothing found – found safe 50nm downwind.

Paul’s last flight as a crewman of a Sea King was on XZ585 in January 1989. The aircraft was undertaking a training sortie with the Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team, having made several approaches to land in high wind conditions, an engine failed as the pilot attempted to go around again, the aircraft then hit the ground at about 60 knots, the rotors dug into the snow and the aircraft slewed round onto its starboard side. Remarkably no one was seriously hurt. Paul recalls the events of that day ….

Although still a capable aircraft after over 30 years of service the Sea King was beginning to showing its age as Sqdn Ldr Nicky Smith recalls

In 2011 the government announced its intention to retire its fleet of Sea Kings in both the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy and to privatise search and rescue provision in the UK. Bristow Helicopters won the tender and after more than 75 years of Search and Rescue operations in the UK the RAF and Navy retired their Sea Kings and the RAF’s Search and Rescue Force was stood down in 2016. The Royal Navy retired the last of their Sea Kings in September 2018 after nearly 50 years of service.

The RAF haven’t quite relinquished their Search and Rescue role, No. 84 Squadron still operates a Search and Rescue service in Cyprus with the Griffin HAR.2. Statistics for Sea King call outs have not been recorded in isolation, but at the time of disbandment of the final six SAR bases since 1983, over 34,000 call outs had been received and nearly 27,000 people had received SAR assistance.

And what of XZ585? The damaged airframe was airlifted out of the crash site by an RAF Chinook, she was then sent to Gosport for repair by the Royal Navy, after which she returned to service, making her last flight on 23 April 2015, from RAF Valley, Anglesey to HMS Sultan, Gosport, having flown 14,472 hours and conducted a total of 533 winch lifts – a truly worthy addition to the Museum’s collection.

Today is World Thinking or Founders Day. On 22 February each year, millions of Girl Guides and Scouts worldwide gather in the spirit of international friendship. It’s an opportunity to reflect on the movement’s history, celebrating its impact and enduring values. Girl Guides and Boy Scouts served with distinction in the Royal Air Force and in wartime civilian duties; showing resourcefulness, courage and self-sacrifice.

What does it mean to be a Scout or a Girl Guide? It was British Army officer Robert Baden-Powell (known as ‘B.P’) who organised the Scouting Movement in 1908. He introduced the motto ‘Be Prepared’, the Scout laws and a patrol structure. Badges and activities outdoors were designed to develop teamwork, leadership, honour and an attitude towards public service. After girls proudly announced their presence at the 1909 Crystal Palace Rally, Girl Guides were officially established along the same lines in 1910.

Scouting and aviation have been closely linked since its early days. With the aid of brother Baden, B.P. developed the first Scout Airman’s Badge less than 10 years after the Wright Brothers made the first powered flight in 1903.

In 1893 Baden began early experiments with kites. Kites capable of flying at higher altitudes and carrying a man could be used for aerial reconnaissance without the limitations of balloons. In 1894, his kite was the first to lift a man to the height of 10ft; and the following year he patented his six-sided ‘Levitor’ design. The work no doubt influenced Samuel F. Cody’s design adopted by the Royal Flying Corps. As Scouting H.Q. Commissioner for Aviation, Baden advised on the creation of the Air Scout branch in the 1930s.

B.P.’s sister Agnes became the first President of the Girl Guide Association in 1912. She helped construct Baden’s aircraft and flew in some of his experimental flights. In 1909 Agnes was a founding member of the short-lived Women’s Aerial League, formed under the auspices of the Aerial League of the British Empire. Its members incorporated the Young Aerial League branch with the aim of increasing ‘airmindedness’ in boys and girls. Courses in aircraft identification and observation took place at Hendon Aerodrome supported by Claude Grahame-White’s Flying School. Boy Scouts and Girl Guides attended flying displays at Hendon.

During the First World War, many former Scouts served bravely with the flying services. Among them was Observer Ace Sgt William James Middleton, an Assistant Scoutmaster with the 2nd Epping Forest Troop. He achieved nine aerial victories with No. 205 Squadron. From August 1918, the squadron was flying dangerous low-level bombing operations on the Somme. In one attack Middleton achieved six direct hits despite intense anti-aircraft fire. For this and an attack on Brie Bridge, Sgt. Middleton was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM). The DFM citation commended his ‘conspicuous gallantry and skill in bombing enemy lines of communications, dumps and aerodromes.’ He died on 4 October 1918 from wounds received in aerial combat. It was said that he had ‘died like a Scout, fighting and smiling’.

In 1920 Dame Helen Gwynne-Vaughan, Commandant of the Women’s Royal Air Force in 1918-1919, joined the Girl Guide Executive Committee. She wrote in her memoir:

“I was greatly impressed by the splendid system of training and voluntary discipline which the Guides provided and by the courage and resource displayed in emergency, sometimes by quite small children by whom it had been assimilated…I recognised that the qualities inculcated would also be of value in war”.

When Director of the Auxiliary Territorial Service from 1938-1941, she observed qualities of ‘cooperation’ and ‘forbearance’ in former Girl Guides which made them excellent candidates for officers.

A former Girl Guide Acting Corporal Avis Joan Hearn, joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service in 1939. She was selected for the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force as a Radio Operator based at RAF Poling. On 18 August 1940, she received news of an imminent attack. Hearn remained at her post to receive vital messages. As the Receiver Block neared collapse, 87 bombs fell around her. For her brave actions and devotion to duty, she received the Military Medal. Avis Joan Hearn’s medal bar and uniform jacket are on display at RAF Museum Midlands.

During the Blitz, Scouts and Girl Guides volunteered to help those in need. They performed First Aid, delivered messages and rescued people in Air Raids. Civil defence duties were performed at great risk to their lives: some died and many received awards for acts of gallantry. Scout Jack Olden, a Patrol Leader in the 8th Holborn (Lady Peats’ Own) Group received the Scout Silver Cross in May 1941 for duties performed with “great gallantry and resource and a total disregard for his own safety”. With Patrol Second Dennis Edwards, he put out fires caused by incendiary bombs during severe air raids on London. Olden began service with the RAF the following year, serving on Sunderland flying boats with No. 201 Squadron.

Girl Guides displayed their resourcefulness and cooperation in a secret project. In 1941, they were asked by the Air Ministry to collect empty cotton reels. The 15,000 reels containing rolled up silk maps of Europe, German currency and details of contacts were hidden in parcels sent to prisoner-of-war camps as aids to escape.

In 1940 Girl Guides from across the British Empire contributed to the Girl Guide Gift Fund. They raised over £46,000 in just a few months. A third of this money enabled the purchase of two Airspeed Oxford Mk 2 air ambulances: P8832 ‘Florence Nightingale’ and P8833 ‘Edith Cavell’. They were presented to the Royal Air Force on 21 July 1940 and were based with No. 24 Squadron at RAF Hendon.

Despite the turmoil of war, many young men in the services joined the movement as adult Rover Scouts. Perhaps the most well-known former Rover Scout is Wg Cdr Guy Gibson.

In Operation Chastise Gibson led the ‘Dambusters’ on a risky bombing mission targeting dams of crucial importance to the German war effort. His heroic status was affirmed by his Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy. Less than a month later the former boy scout decided to ‘re-muster’ as a Rover Scout in the 1st Tovil Scout Troop in Kent. Addressing the troop, he said:

“I was a Scout a long time ago and I’m afraid the only thing I passed was my cooking test. But it did teach me, in the few weeks that I was a Scout, the decent things in life…You’re taught resourcefulness, courage, devotion to duty; in other words, you’re just being taught the things which will stand you in a good stead in the service”

He was killed on 19 September 1944 while flying a De Havilland Mosquito over Holland. By the time of his death, he had flown 177 operational sorties. Gibson’s troop recalled his cheerful character, leadership qualities and plans to continue Scouting after the war. Wg Cdr Guy Gibson’s medals are on display at RAF Museum London.

The RAF Museum Archive contains the fascinating log book of the 3rd Ceylon (Services) Rover Crew based at RAF Kankesanturai from 1945-1946. The pages include a list of members, photographs and meeting summaries. Further sections record district camps at Jaffna with Sri Lankan scouts. Some of the activities mentioned such as knot tying, badge work and Kim’s game will resonate with Guides and Scouts today.

Another notable former boy scout was RAF test pilot Robert Kronfeld. Kronfeld earned celebrity status for his flying displays, distance and altitude records. He brought his glider ‘Wien’ (Vienna) to Britain in 1930 and flew it 50 miles from Itford to Portsmouth. In 1931, he became the first man to fly a glider across the English Channel.

He fled Nazi Germany for his Austrian homeland in 1933 and later took up British citizenship. In 1942 Kronfeld joined the Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment at RAF Sherburn-in-Elmet. There he tested aircraft designed to drop heavy equipment into battle and was a specialist in flying tailless gliders. He was awarded the Air Force Cross for his work in military glider development.

As the war came to an end, Kronfeld began testing aircraft for General Aircraft Ltd. His last test flight was a stalling trial of the GAL.56 TS507A at Lasham on 12 February 1948. Shortly after the aircraft was released from its tug, it went into a spin and crashed. The observer, Barry McGowan successfully baled out but Kronfeld was killed. The obituary in Flight read “we have lost not only one of the world’s outstanding glider pilots but a generous warm-hearted friend”.

Former Girl Guide Gp Capt Anne-Marie Houghton is a trailblazer in today’s Royal Air Force. After an initial commission as a Flight Controller she retrained in the Supply Branch and graduated in 1991 as the Royal Air Force’s first female Navigator. She has flown in operations all over the world – in Afghanistan, Libya, the Balkans, the Middle East and Far East. She made Group Captain in October 2017.

The Scout Association launched its Air Activities Badge in 2011, 100 years since the very first Airman’s Badge was produced. Last year Girlguiding UK introduced the Brownie Aviation Badge. Who knows what heights the next generation of Girl Guides and Scouts will reach? As Major Tim Peake said, “Scouting was the first step on a journey that led me to becoming an astronaut”.

If you would like your troop to take their first steps into the world of aviation

• Download London’s Air Activity Badge Trails

Download Cosford’s Air Activity Badge Trails – Scouts

Download Cosford’s Fun n Flight Badge for Girl Guide Groups

The RAF Museum is more than an aircraft museum, it aims to tell the whole story of the RAF its people, aircraft and operations, however the arrival of new aircraft into the collection still elicits excitement. The Centenary redevelopment saw two new additions to the Museum’s collection, these being the Sea King in ‘RAF Stories’ and the Sepecat Jaguar into the ‘RAF in an Age of Uncertainty’ exhibition, for which I was the lead curator.

While writing captions for exhibitions we aim to keep them short and snappy as there is so much for visitors to see, read and do, but sometimes 75 words don’t seem enough. So I thought I would take this opportunity to expand upon the history of the Jaguar and put it into the context of the period in which the Museum’s example, XX824, served.

The Jaguar retired from service just over a decade ago, without the media attention that surrounded the Harrier’s retirement in 2010. It rather slipped unnoticed into the pages of RAF history, indeed, even when in service it had a reputation of being under-powered and having the turning ability of a ‘brick’. However, for ten years from the mid-1970s it was the lead strike/attack aircraft of the RAF, it was also the first aircraft in RAF service to be produced by an international partnership, a model which is now common in military aircraft design and production.

The Jaguar story started in 1964 when both Britain and France were looking for an advanced jet trainer. In what was at the time an innovative international partnership, the two governments recognised the financial benefits of collaborating on a design that would provide a single aircraft which would meet both the training role and the additional French requirement for a light strike aircraft. A memorandum of understanding was signed in May 1965 and work began on developing an existing design from the French Breguet company, the BR.121 into a production aircraft. Breguet and the British manufacturer BAC formed a joint company, the Société Européenne de Production de l’Avion d’École de Combat et d’Appui Tactique (SEPECAT), to design and build, what was to become the Jaguar.

The manufacture of components was split equally between the two nations, the nose, fuselage centre section and undercarriage were manufactured by Breguet while BAC produced the wings, tail unit, rear fuselage and air intakes with a final assembly line in both countries. Engine production was also a collaborative project between Rolls-Royce and Turbomeca, which continued the Rolls-Royce convention of naming its engines after rivers, in this case the Adour, a river in the South-West of France.

As work on the yet unnamed advanced jet trainer progressed, the RAF were in the process of procuring replacements for Canberra and Hunter aircraft operating in the strike/attack role. However, the mid-1960s witnessed a turbulent period in military aircraft procurement. In 1964 the RAF abandoned the development of the Hawker P1154 in order to save the TSR2 which itself was cancelled the following year due to escalating costs. With no new aircraft in the pipeline, the RAF committed to purchase the F-111 from America, but cost over runs and a weak pound lead to the cancellation of the order in 1968, meanwhile the French had pulled out of the AFVG (Anglo-French Variable Geometry) project. This left the RAF facing a capability gap in strike/attack aircraft.

To plug the gap the RAF reluctantly accepted the Buccaneer into service, which they had resisted in preference for the TSR2. F-4 Phantoms were also purchased from America. These setbacks in aircraft procurement lead the RAF to re-evaluate their order for the Jaguar. The original order for 150 advanced trainers was changed in 1967 to include 90 strike variants and 110 trainers. This was amended again in 1970 to 165 strike aircraft and 35 twin seat trainers for operational conversion only.

The Jaguar that entered RAF service was a much more advanced aircraft than had been envisaged less than ten years before, it was equipped with some of the most advanced digital technology of the time with a central computer, head-up display, navigation attack system, laser range and targeting system and a projected moving map display. In the following film from the Museum’s collection, Group Captain Bill Pixton and former Chief of the Air Staff, ACM Sir Glen Torpy recall their experiences and opinions of flying the Jaguar in the mid-1970s.

Deliveries of Jaguars to the RAF began in 1973 where it would eventually equip eight squadrons. Three squadrons were stationed at RAF Coltishall in the UK, where they formed part of the Allied Commander Europe’s mobile force for rapid deployment overseas in time of crisis. During the Cold War, it was envisaged that Jaguars would deploy to help defend NATO’s vulnerable northern flank, two squadrons in a ground attack role, would deploy to Denmark, the third Squadron No. 41, operating in the tactical reconnaissance role would deploy to Bardufoss inside the arctic circle in Norway.

The biggest user of the Jaguar was RAF Germany where it was operated by five squadrons. Four squadrons were based at RAF Brüggen, the first of which, No. 14 Squadron stood up in April 1975, where Jaguars began replacing Phantoms in the strike/attack/reconnaissance role thereby releasing Phantoms to replace Lightnings in the Air Defence role; and it was to No. 14 Squadron that the Museum’s XX824 was delivered in late 1975. The fifth Squadron, No. 2 Squadron, stationed at Laarbruch operated Jaguar in the Tactical Reconnaissance role.

The Brüggen Jaguars were RAF Germany’s frontline aircraft, ready to respond to any aggression from countries of the Warsaw Pact in central Europe, flying mostly at low level in order to penetrate Warsaw Pact air defences the Jaguars fulfilled two roles. One or two aircraft from each squadron maintained a 24 hour a day nuclear Quick Reaction Alert (QRA), which could be launched at 15 minutes notice in response to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe’s (SACEUR) request for strikes. Such strikes might be conducted individually or as a part of a much larger response to acts of aggression. The other role was conventional attack against a variety of predetermined targets, such as Warsaw Pact airfields and bridges, Jaguars would also have been expected to attack formations of tanks and to interdict the movement of reinforcements to the frontline in order to prevent allied ground forces being overwhelmed.

Group Captain Bill Pixton, a pilot on No. 14 Squadron, recalls what it was like to stand nuclear QRA, the theory of dropping a nuclear weapon and the strike/attack roles of Jaguar in RAF Germany during this period.

To many serving in Germany, there was a different atmosphere compared with service in the UK. A sign at the entrance to RAF Brüggen read, ‘The task of this station in peace is to prepare for War. Don’t you forget it.’ Units stationed in Germany remained at a constant high level of alert with a number of aircraft on permanent QRA, also to ensure maximum preparedness exercises would continually test RAF units and stations with MINEVALS (monthly station level evaluation exercise), MAXEVALS (higher level evaluation exercise with external evaluators) and the dreaded annual tactical evaluations (TACEVALs) that could be sprung at a moment’s notice and last for up to five days. This is where a whole station would act as though it was at war, flying near operational sorties while all ground personnel wore NBC (Nuclear, Biological & Chemical) clothing to simulate wartime conditions.

The Museum’s Jaguar XX824 served throughout this period with No. 14 & No. 17 Squadron being upgraded to GR1A standard in 1983 with improvements to the chaff/flare, navigation and electronic counter measures systems and the introduction of Sidewinder Air-to-Air missile. However, in a twist to the tale, the AFVG project that the French had abandoned in the late 1960s had been resurrected and thanks to a very successful international collaboration, came to fruition as the Panavia Tornado which began replacing Jaguars on the Cold War frontline in 1984.

XX824’s frontline service ended in 1985 as the final Jaguar squadron stationed a Brüggen reequipped with Tornado. It was one of 35 airframes sent to RAF Shawbury for storage. Allotted maintenance serial 9019M in January 1990 it was delivered to No. 1 School of Technical Training at RAF Halton for use as a ground instructional airframe for training aircraft fitters, later moving to RAF Cosford in 1993.

Although XX824 never flew operationally again, with the end of the Cold War, the RAF entered a period of almost continuous operational deployments in which Jaguar played an important part. A Jaguar force of 12 aircraft deployed to the Gulf following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990. Commanded by Gp Capt Bill Pixton, Jaguars flew over 600 sorties without loss against tactical targets such as missile and artillery sites as well as flying anti-shipping and reconnaissance missions.

Jaguars later flew in support of United Nations operations over the former Yugoslavia and from Turkey on air policing operations over Iraq, observing Iraqi compliance with United Nations resolutions. In the late 1990s Jaguar received an extensive upgrade with the fitting of the TIALD laser targeting pod, GPS and a new digital reconnaissance pod-the JRP (Jaguar Reconnaissance pod). This new GR.3 variant also had an improved Head-up Display (HUD), helmet sighting, cockpit display, datalink, hand controllers and uprated engines.

Jaguars were due to be used during the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, but the Turkish government forbade coalition aircraft based in Turkey from participating in the invasion and despite the recent upgrades, a Defence White Paper in 2004 brought forward the retirement of the type by two years with an out of service date of October 2007. With only five days notice this date was brought forward to 30th April 2007.

Apart from operating with the RAF and the French Armee de l’Air, Jaguars served with the Nigerian, Ecuadorian and Omani air forces and the Indian Air Force where the type is still in use, recently announced an upgrade that will potentially see it remain in service in India until about 2038, nearly 70 years after its first flight.

This concludes my canter through the Jaguar’s service with the RAF, however, the Museum has very little knowledge of the history of XX824 other than dates and units with which it belonged. Did you fly or service XX824, have you any photographs or footage of XX824 in Germany? If so I would be delighted to hear from you.

Today is St Andrew’s Day, Scotland’s national day of celebration. The image of kilted Scotsmen charging into battle against greater odds appeals to many romantic imaginations. While Scottish military tradition is most strongly associated with Scottish clans and Scottish regiments; Scotland’s impact on the Royal Air Force is often overlooked. Scotland’s Royal Air Force bases have a historically significant role as key locations for home defence and secret listening operations.

The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier, is one of many proud Scots to have served in the Royal Air Force. The overall number of Scots involved in the Royal Air Force is difficult to quantify. What makes a Scot? Is ‘Scottishness’ defined by place of birth or ancestral heritage? What national characteristics can we attribute to those Scots who feature in the RAF story? This invisible minority have certainly earned their place – embodying bravery, ingenuity, leadership, devotion to duty and self-sacrifice.

In a 1933 article in ‘Aeroplane’ the author records his impressions of the Scots he meets near RAF Leuchars during Air Defence exercises: “The inhabitants are the most friendly and kindly and certainly about the most intelligent and best educated people in the British Isles…”. Here I must admit a personal bias, having grown up on the north-east coast of Scotland myself! My hometown of Montrose is the site of the UK’s first operational military airfield, established in 1913. Chosen for its ideal flying conditions, its chief role during both world wars was in pilot training. Some of the many men who died in flying accidents are buried in the town and aircraft wrecks are dotted around the Grampian mountains nearby. The first British pilots to arrive in France after war was declared on 4 August 1914, flew from Montrose.

One of the first airmen to be awarded the new Distinguished Flying Cross after the Royal Air Force was established on 1 April 1918, was Captain John Todd. Falkirk-born Todd was studying Medicine at the University of Edinburgh when he interrupted his studies to join the Royal Flying Corps, serving in 70 Squadron. Flying Sopwith Camel fighters he became an ace, downing 18 enemy aircraft. He was promoted to Flight Commander before he reached the age of 20. Due to the physical strain of flying he later returned to Montrose as a flying instructor. With the end of the war, Todd returned to Edinburgh to finish his degree and later became a medical missionary in Malawi. Dr John Todd, his grandson, reflects on the man himself:

“He was actually a very kind man and didn’t revel in the act of accruing kills. He hated war. He witnessed the early death of so many men, which he attributed in part to their use of alcohol to calm their nerves, whilst leading a terrifying existence, not of their choice”.

Between the wars the idea for territorial based squadrons to enhance the regulars came from Lord Trenchard and the Auxiliary Air Force squadrons were formed in 1925. Its civilian recruits were determined to prove themselves and would soon be known for their skill, bravery and high morale. No. 603 (City of Edinburgh)’s motto typified their fighting spirit: ‘Gin Ye Daur’ (‘If you dare’ in the Doric dialect).

The three Scottish auxiliary squadrons: No. 602 (City of Glasgow), No. 603 (City of Edinburgh), and No. 612 (City of Aberdeen) were infused with Scottish traditions which carried through as the units evolved. All members of No. 602 learned to sing ‘I belong tae Glasgow’ and all Scots auxiliaries made the loyal toast with Drambuie liqueur. Furthermore, King George V approved the use of Grey Douglas tartan as officers’ mess dress for Nos. 602 and 603 squadrons in 1936, also worn by each squadron’s pipe band. The auxiliaries had city headquarters and a strong local identity in their home city whose citizens regarded them as elite units, the city’s own squadrons.

 

Those who volunteered for the Auxiliary Air Force may have found inspiration in the stories of record-breaking flying Scots. These included Glasgow-born Jim Mollison, husband of famous aviatrix Amy Johnson, set record times for long-distance flights. Scots Douglas Douglas- Hamilton and D. F. McIntyre were some of the first pilots to fly over Mount Everest in 1933. Like 601 ‘Millionaires’ (City of London) squadron, many initial recruits were wealthy weekend flyers but the men came from city desks to farms. Jim Skinner joined No. 603 squadron’s ground crew in 1938 with four other boys from the same stair in his tenement block and several others from the same street.

During the Second World War, it was a Scottish auxiliary squadron which shot down the first enemy aircraft over British waters on 16 October 1939. On that day, the Luftwaffe made its first attack on Great Britain, targeting Royal Navy vessels in the Firth of Forth. Both 603 and 602 squadrons were involved in intercepting the raid. Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding, himself a Scot, sent the message “Well done. First blood to the auxiliaries”. The debate as to who ‘drew the first blood’ continues.

Nos. 602 and 603 shared in another victory. Less than two weeks later Archie McKellar from Paisley helped bring down the first enemy bomber over British soil since 1918, a Heinkel III which crashed in the Lammermuir Hills on 28 October 1939. A plasterer’s son, he took flying lessons secretly at the Scottish Flying Club at Abbotsinch against his family’s wishes. He was invited to join 602 (City of Glasgow) squadron in 1936. MacKellar was one of the few pilots to become an ‘ace in day’ and was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross in September 1940 for his role in successful operations off the Scottish north-east coast. He later became Squadron Leader of 605 Squadron and was noted for his leadership, courage and tactical skills when he received a Medal Bar to his DFC in October 1940. He was killed on 1 November 1940, just one day after the Battle of Britain officially came to an end.

Over a third of the aircrew in the Battle of Britain had been part-timers at the beginning of the Second World War. Auxiliaries provided 14 of the 62 squadrons in Fighter Command. During the Battle of Britain Edinburgh’s 603 squadron claimed 57 confirmed enemy aircraft destroyed – more than double the average of Spitfire fighter squadrons. Scottish personnel served with distinction in all branches and commands within the Royal Air Force.

Paisley’s John Hannah was, and remains, the youngest person ever to receive the Victoria Cross for aerial operations. He enlisted in the RAF in 1939 aged 17. Hannah went on to join No. 83 squadron on bomber operations targeting German-occupied ports along the English Channel. On the night of 15/16 September 1940, Hannah served in one of 15 crews flying over Antwerp on a mission to bomb enemy invasion shipping. His actions that night earned him the Victoria Cross.

When his crew’s Handley Page Hampden P1355 was hit by anti-aircraft fire, Pilot Officer C. A. Connor determined to fly the burning aircraft out of the range of enemy gunners. Meanwhile Sergeant Hannah sustained severe burns putting out the flames while crouched in the confined space of the aircraft. All the while bullets ricocheted in all directions. Hannah even used his log book and bare hands to extinguish the fire, remaining stoically calm throughout. Later he helped navigate the aircraft back to RAF Scampton.

Connor wrote about Hannah’s bravery: “He said, in his cheery manner, ‘The fire is out, sir’…Through it all he was grinning…and when we landed he jumped out of the aeroplane as though what he had done had been an everyday occurrence…He didn’t give his own safety a thought. He could have jumped, but preferred to stay behind”. On inspection of the heavily burned fuselage on landing, bullet holes in the petrol tanks were visible and it seemed a miracle the Hampden had survived the mission. Sadly, his health never recovered. Hannah was discharged from the RAF in 1942 and died at the age of 25 in 1947. A letter written by Hannah describing the events was recently donated by his daughters to the RAF Museum’s Archive & Library.

The RAF’s only living recipient of the Victoria Cross is another Scot: Flight Lieutenant John Alexander Cruickshank. He was born in Aberdeen in 1920 and worked as a bank clerk before joining the Royal Artillery. In 1941, Cruickshank applied to transfer to RAF aircrew and began his training that year. He joined 210 Squadron in 1943 flying Consolidated Catalina flying boats. 210 Squadron was part of RAF Coastal Command, providing air cover to Allied merchant shipping against enemy vessels. On 17 July 1944, Flight Lieutenant John Cruickshank and crew set off on patrol in Catalina JV928 DA-Y. After spotting a German U-boat after eight hours on patrol, the crew endured heavy fire including a shell which exploded inside the aircraft. However, the enemy submarine had sunk. Cruickshank guided the Catalina back to RAF Sullom Voe despite his severe injury and was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery.

Scottish women also served with distinction in the Royal Air Force. Corporal Elspeth Henderson from Edinburgh joined the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force in January 1940. She was working with fellow telephonist Sergeant Helen Turner at Biggin Hill when it was heavily attacked by enemy bombers in September that year. Both were awarded the Military Medal for their courage and devotion to duty. The citation reads:

“Bombs were falling around the building but both airwomen carried on…although they knew there was only a light roof over their heads. When the building received a direct hit both continued working till it caught fire, and they were ordered to leave”.

Henderson said: “Work and actual danger were never the worst; the worst was the anticipation with butterflies in the tummy and time to worry about families at home”. She never forgot the praise she received from bomber ace Group Captain Leonard Cheshire who informed her how pleased he was that a woman had received the Military Medal. Only six women received the Military Medal in the Second World War.

Also enlisting in January 1940, Marion Wilberforce née Ogilvie-Forbes from Aberdeenshire became one of the first eight female pilots in the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) ferrying aircraft from factories to RAF squadrons. Wilberforce had paid for her flying lessons using the wages from her job at a sports magazine and earned her flying license in 1930. Her first aeroplane was a de Havilland Cirrus Moth. In the ATA, she eventually went on to transport combat aircraft including Spitfires and Hurricanes. She received further training on bombers and by 1944, was one of only 11 women qualified to fly the Lancaster. Women in the ATA had to overcome some initial scepticism from their male colleagues but quickly proved their worth. The work required great skill and versatility to fly many types of aircraft. By the end of the war, Wilberforce had flown most of the 130 aircraft types ferried by the ATA. She continued to fly into her eighties.

The story of one family demonstrates the sacrifices made by Scots in the Royal Air Force. Lady Rachel Workman MacRobert suffered the tragic loss of her three sons. The eldest, Alasdair, died in a flying accident in 1938. Roderic was killed on 22 May 1941 leading a formation of Hurricanes in an attack on an Iraq airfield. Iain died just six weeks later when he failed to return from a search and rescue mission from RAF Sullom Voe. To honour them, Lady MacRobert generously donated enough money in 1941 to purchase a Short Stirling bomber for the Royal Air Force which was named ‘MacRobert’s Reply’ and four Hawker Hurricanes the following year. This started a legacy of dedicating aircraft with the name ‘MacRobert’s Reply’ for many years after the Second World War.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier from Kilmarnock became Chief of the Air Staff on 12 July 2016. He says he was inspired by the example of his father Victor, who served in a mobile signals unit as a ground Wireless Operator in Burma and India during the Second World War. When asked why he joined the RAF, he said his father bought him a Ladybird book, “The Pilot in the RAF” when he was just four years old. He says “That is undoubtedly my inspiration…When I grew up I wanted to do nothing else part from join the RAF and fly aircraft”.

The RAF Museum sees its main purpose as delivering the fascinating story of the Royal Air Force in all its beauty and complexity. To do this we will be using the amazing artefacts and people stories from our collections to narrate the RAF story in full through both official and personal channels.

London’s new exhibition the ‘First 100 Years of the RAF’ is built to act as an extensive introduction to the Royal Air Force and to provide an exciting and outstanding experience for all our visitors whether they are a young novice explorer to a more seasoned student of RAF history.

We have named the first section of our ‘First 100 Years of the RAF’ exhibition ‘Meet the RAF’. This section will act as an introduction to the Royal Air Force and will have a plenty of unique and fascinating artefacts on display, that will shed light on different aspects of RAF life throughout its 100 years history.

For example, one of the artefacts on display will be the Minor Offences Book of No 4 Squadron dated from 20 May 1918 to 2 September 1918. The Minor Offence Book contained the records of any RAF personnel who had broken rules and it was kept up to date by the officer of No 4 Squadron. Our book was kept by Prince Albert who later became His Majesty the King George VI. It’s amazing to see the handwriting of a former monarch and the offences that he had to record. For example in the image below we can see Prince Albert recording how several personnel did not turn up for an afternoon parade on 19 June 1918 and how one officer entered the station’s mess via its windows, contrary to orders.

Another artefact exhibited with in ‘Meet the RAF’ section of the exhibition is the Badge of No 1 Squadron, the oldest flying unit in the world. As the RAF’s oldest unit, No 1 Squadron has been involved in almost every major British military operation from First World War to the present time. Its motto written on the badge reads ‘In omnibus princeps’ (‘In all things first’) which reflects its valorous history.

The RAF Museum has a huge and amazing collection, but no matter how precious and unique the objects are, the Royal Air Force is above all about its people, the extraordinary individuals who make all the RAF’s amazing achievements possible.

That is why the visitors to ‘Meet the RAF’ section will be greeted by the number of ‘silhouettes’ of these wonderful characters telling their stories. One of them is Group Captain
Donald Osborn Finlay, who was a successful Olympian of 1930s and won bronze and silver medals in the Olympic Games in 1932 and 1936 respectively. Donald joined RAF in
1935, he flew Spitfires during the Battle of Britain and had several confirmed air-to-air victories. He continued his service in the Middle and Far East until 1959, when he retired.

Another person whose silhouette will greet you is Reverend Eleanor Rance, who became the RAF’s first female Anglican chaplain in 1999 and spent the next 11 years supporting Service Personnel and their families in the UK and in Iraq. This dauntless woman witnessed the moments of great joy and horrific tragedy, but she still guided people to ‘the divine and eternal, healing
love’. Her motto is the same as the motto of the RAF Chaplain’s Branch: ‘To serve, not to be served’.

The ‘Meet the RAF’ section of our ‘First 100 Years of the RAF‘ exhibition is opening this summer together with all our new exhibitions. We will look forward to greeting you, at the RAF
Museum London, and enabling you to discover outstanding RAF characters and the unique and precious objects in our collections that tell the glorious story of the RAF.

The Sopwith series of blogs concludes with an examination of the 7F.1 Snipe and the Dragon.

The Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe

As 1917 wore on and there appeared to be no prospect of the war ending in that year, or even the next, so the leading fighter aircraft companies began work on their designs to equip Britain’s air force in 1919. British Nieuport produced the B.N.1; Boulton & Paul the Bobolink and Austin Motors the Osprey triplane, while Sopwith chose to radically evolve the Camel into the 7F.1, later named the Snipe. The initial design was a single-bay biplane in which consideration was given to improving the pilot’s view and indeed, wrote Jack Bruce, it was this detail in “which the 7F.1 improved most upon the Camel, from which the pilot’s field of view was, by the standards of the time, atrocious.” [1] The engine chosen was the most powerful rotary then available, the 150hp Bentley B.R.1. The fuselage was circular in section, doubtless to provide a measure of streamlining and the entire aircraft was somewhat larger than the Camel.

A second design, serial B9963 and similar to the first, was built around W.O. Bentley’s new 200hp B.R.2 engine, while the third prototype, serial B9964, remains elusive. A fourth prototype, serial B9965, followed, which incorporated numerous small changes, including a modified upper wing and a revised fin and rudder, which, Bruce noted, “looked no more adequate than the original.” This aircraft crashed twice during testing and, after the second incident, it was rebuilt with two-bay wings, perhaps to address a requirement for a high altitude fighter. Although this role was not fulfilled, the two-bay wing remained.

The new Sopwith’s performance in comparative trials with its rivals at Martlesham Heath was not outstanding. Although the Snipe was an improvement on the Camel in terms of speed and climb, it was the Nieuport B.N.1 which appeared to possess the best overall performance. Wing Commander Alec Ogilvie of the Technical Department produced a report assessing the aircraft’s performance at Martlesham Heath. In it he wrote:

“This machine is a long way short of E.F. [Expeditionary Force] requirements as regards provision for equipment…Performance is a long way below requirements…even with 250lb short of proper load…As the machine was tested its flying qualities were bad, there being a strong tendency to get the nose down on turns. The rigging is being altered with a view to getting over this trouble. This machine as it stands is quite unsuitable for adoption as a type. Sopwith is making…alterations…but it will be essential for this machine to be tested before it can safely be said that the flying qualities will be improved sufficiently. No improvement in performance is to be looked for…In view of the advanced state of all four machines, [the Snipe, Bobolink, B.N.1 and Osprey] the definite probability that an adequate comparison will be available by March 15 1918, and the magnitude of the effects on the choice on the work of the Air Force for so long a period, it is most strongly urged that no decision should be taken before March 15 1918. It is submitted that a decision not based on positive tests would cause great irritation to the firms concerned, and would seriously weaken the position of the Technical Department in relation to designing firms generally.”

Yet, Bruce noted, “The Snipe was selected for no clearly identifiable reason.” However, factors which may have influenced the decision included the Snipe’s relative simplicity, Sopwith’s capacity for volume manufacturing and the logic of moving licensed manufacturers from Camel to Snipe production, instead of embarking upon a completely new aircraft from a different company. Both the RFC and RNAS were familiar with Sopwith designs by this time, with the Strutter, Pup, Camel and Dolphin all being in service.

This decision was at the expense of all the rival designs, save the Martinsyde F.4 Buzzard, which was not formally a part of the competition and was to be made in smaller numbers. In the event, even this modest ambition was never realised due to recurrent engine supply problems and the Martinsyde never served with the RAF as a fighter, (a few Rolls-Royce Falcon-powered F.3s were used as Home Defence aircraft in late 1918, while a handful of Buzzards were used as high-speed couriers during the 1919 Paris peace conference).

Sopwith Snipe, serial B9965, then went to France on 11th March, where it was tested by a number of service pilots. While comment was generally positive, the inadequate rudder and heavy ailerons were criticised and recommendations were made for the former to be enlarged. By this time, however, the momentum behind the Snipe was unstoppable and on 20th March large contracts were immediately placed for 1,700 aircraft. Planned production was eventually for 4,500 aircraft.

The next prototype, serial B9666, spent much time at Martlesham Heath, where the type’s considerable control problems were addressed at length. However, urgent production demands meant that early Snipes entered RAF service still fitted with plain ailerons and a balanced rudder which was only slightly larger than that fitted to the prototypes. Eventually, the development work on serial B9666 produced a mass-balanced rudder and ailerons, which were fitted to later production aircraft.

An attempt to produce a long-range escort fighter version for the bombers of the Independent Force, the Snipe 7F.1A, was completely unsuccessful due to structural limitations which would have rendered the aircraft useless for any sort of flying.

The only units to see action with the Snipe were 43 and 4 (AFC) squadrons during October and early November 1918 and, although the Australians enjoyed some success with the type, it is Major Barker’s action, fought on 27th October, while attached to 201 Squadron, for which the Snipe’s wartime service is chiefly remembered.

In spite of this and the Snipe’s selection as the standard fighter of the post-war RAF, it is well to remember the late Jack Bruce’s words on the aircraft:

‘The Snipe was perhaps fortunate that it went into operational service so late in the war that the German Jagdgeschwader were in operating difficulties and German industry was unable to bring forward new types in any numbers. In practical terms the Snipe was not much of an improvement over the Camel, in spite of its long period of development, yet in the post-war period it was to be preferred to the incomparably superior Martinsyde Buzzard as the Royal Air Force’s standard single-seat fighter.’ [2]

Although replacement of the Snipe by the Gloster Grebe and Armstrong Whitworth Siskin in the RAF’s fighter squadrons began in 1924, Snipes did remain on the strength of some training units until 1927 and, for this role, at least 40 airframes were converted into two-seaters to provide dual-instruction.

Major Oliver Stewart, writing of the Snipe in the 1920s, remembered: “It was more powerful and it had a better all-round performance, but it had none of the lightning manoeuvre of the Camel. To turn from a Camel to a Snipe was like turning from an eight horse-power sports car to an eight ton lorry…”

The Sopwith Dragon

During 1917, Granville Bradshaw of ABC Motors designed a new radial engine, a comparative rarity at that time, which was believed to develop 340hp for a weight of only 600lb and was later named the Dragonfly. Suitably impressed, it was not long before large government orders were forthcoming and designs for suitable aircraft sought.

Among the more notable of these was the Sopwith Dragon, derived from the sixth Snipe prototype and modified to accept the Dragonfly I engine. Apart from the change in the engine installation, the most obvious difference was the lengthening of the fuselage by 22 inches, to compensate for the added weight of the new engine. Total RAF orders for the Dragon eventually came to around 330 airframes.

However, as work on the Dragon, and other aircraft, progressed, it was realised that the Dragonfly was not completely reliable. The engine suffered from chronic overheating and was unfortunately designed to deliver peak power at the torsional resonance frequency of its own crankshaft, which caused a damaging vibration. It did not produce the expected power output, nor was it possible to run the engine for more than a few hours at a time before an overhaul was necessary; these faults clearly ruled it out for use in military aircraft. Nevertheless, massive orders for the Dragonfly had been placed and great efforts were made to remedy the engine’s woes, resulting in the redesigned Dragonfly 1A. Alas, these efforts were to no avail and the war was over long before work was finally abandoned. A second Sopwith Dragon was built in which the Dragonfly 1A was installed. A short testing programme was begun in 1919 but the continuing engine problems noted above and the end of the war meant that it was quickly abandoned. In spite of this, Sopwith completed 200 Dragon airframes and the aircraft was not finally declared obsolete until 1923. It is worth noting that a large number of new British aircraft were designed around the engine and almost all were cancelled following the armistice. [3]

Despite this less than stellar coda to the Sopwith story, it must be remembered that the company produced several excellent designs between 1915 and 1918 without which the RFC and RNAS would have been at a distinct disadvantage. Notably, the Pup provided the first true “thoroughbred” fighter for the RFC and RNAS, the Camel became an essential addition on several Fronts from mid-1917 until the end of the war and the Dolphin, thanks to its fine flying qualities and powerful engine, proved to be one of the best fighters of the period.

In common with other aircraft companies at the end of the war, Sopwith struggled to survive. Attempts to enter the civilian market were unsuccessful and neither was an aircraft designed to compete in the Daily Mail Transatlantic Air Race of 1919. The company was forced to declare bankruptcy in 1920 but was resurrected shortly afterwards when Thomas Sopwith and Harry Hawker purchased the assets to form H.G. Hawker Engineering. The company would go on to produce such classic designs as the Hart series, the Hurricane, Typhoon, Tempest and Hunter. After a series of mergers, the Hawker brand name, by now part of the Hawker-Siddeley Group, finally disappeared in 1963.

To complement the blog published earlier, this second part will illustrate and describe the Sopwith Camel and Dolphin.

The Sopwith Camel

Even as the Pup was entering service on the Western Front, the Sopwith design team was planning the next generation fighter. The Sopwith F.1, soon to be known by all as the Camel, first flew in the winter of 1916/1917. Although the Camel was a development of the Pup, there was in reality very little to connect the two. The most marked difference was the decision to group the heaviest elements of the aircraft, (the engine, fuel and oil tanks, armament and pilot), within the smallest space possible, increasing manoeuvrability. The torque from the rotary engine was also a factor in giving the Camel an agility that was probably unmatched by any other aircraft during the First World War.

It was originally intended to give dihedral to both wings but, to ease production, the decision was made to produce the upper wing without dihedral, while that of the lower wing was doubled to 5º to compensate. A problem with the prototype was the positioning of the cockpit underneath the upper wing, badly impeding the pilot’s view upwards and forwards and so, to remedy this, a cut out was made in the trailing edge. Another shortcoming was the decision to cover the breeches of the Vickers guns. As these were both fed from the right, clearing stoppages was a problem and most in-service Camels had a portion of this covering cut away. A variety of engines was fitted to the Camel, notably the 130hp Clerget, the 110hp Le Rhone and, in naval and later, RAF, versions, the 150hp Bentley B.R.1. The Clerget proved to be a source of endless trouble for the RFC and was eventually replaced by the Le Rhone or the 140hp Clerget 9Bf. Likewise, problems with the Sopwith Kauper synchronisation gear fitted to the Clerget were negated by the fitting of the superior Constantinesco gear to Le Rhone-powered aircraft.

The Admiralty was enthusiastic about the aircraft and the first production examples entered service with 4 Squadron, RNAS, in June 1917. The War Office was not far behind and the first RFC Camels were sent to 70 Squadron to replace its 1½ Strutters in June and July. The Camel was ordered in very large quantities and, as usual, Sopwith contracted production to other companies, including Ruston Proctor, Portholme, Boulton & Paul, Hooper and Clayton & Shuttleworth. Notable Camel aces were William Barker, Raymond Collishaw, D.R. McLaren and Henry Woollett. In terms of enemy aircraft destroyed, the Sopwith F.1 Camel is regarded as the pre-eminent fighter of the First World War, with 1,294 victories.

An important secondary role for the Camel was in ground-attack, beginning with the Battle of Cambrai in November 1917. Camel squadrons engaged in this work suffered very heavy casualties during 1918 but, faute de mieux, the Camel “fought on until the end of the war…magically manoeuvrable when flown with understanding of its fiercely pronounced idiosyncrasies, savagely unforgiving of incompetent handling.”[1]

Camels were produced in a number of variants. The most widely-produced after the standard F.1 was the 2F.1, a navalised version intended for use from a variety of vessels. The fuselage was made in two sections, which could be separated for stowage aboard ship while the mainplane centre section, and thus the overall wingspan, was reduced. The 2F.1 Camel was embarked upon a number of dreadnoughts during 1918 as an anti-airship deterrent and for these duties one Vickers gun was retained and a single over-wing Lewis gun fitted. A 2F.1, flown from a towed lighter in the North Sea by Flight Sub-Lieutenant Stuart Culley, destroyed Zeppelin L53 on 11 August 1918 and seven 2F.1 Camels from HMS Furious attacked the airship base at Tondern on 19 July 1918 in the world’s first carrier-launched air strike.

A dedicated night fighter, or “Comic” version, was produced in small numbers and issued to some of the UK’s Home Defence units. Two over-wing Lewis guns replaced the Vickers guns and, to facilitate reloading, the cockpit was moved aft by about a foot, while the fuel tank was moved forward to compensate. These ungainly aircraft did not distinguish themselves during their service careers.

Many Camels were issued to training units, where, Jack Bruce wrote, “they acquired a sinister reputation…inexperienced pilots were unable to react quickly enough when the fine-adjustment fuel control had to be altered soon after take-off; the faltering engine’s loss of power, if not instantly corrected, could lead to a stall and spin at a level too low to permit recovery of control.”[2] As a partial remedy, a small quantity of two-seat instructional versions was produced and some of these are known to have been used by training units during 1918.

The heavy casualties incurred by squadrons engaged in ground-attack duties led to the design of the experimental TF.1 Camel, which did not go into production but influenced the development of the Sopwith TF.2 Salamander. Armour was added to the forward part of the aircraft and two Lewis guns were fitted at a downward angle. “TF” stood for “Trench Fighter”.

Sopwith Camels were supplied to the Belgian Air Force in 1918 and used by several of that country’s aces. Two squadrons of the United States Army Air Service, attached to the RAF, were equipped with the Camel in 1918.

Total production came to 5,490 Camels of all types.

The Sopwith 5F.1 Dolphin

The first prototype of what became known as the Sopwith Dolphin emerged from the Sopwith works in May 1917 and was quite unlike any previous Sopwith aircraft. The raisons d’etre of the design were the installation of the powerful 200hp Hispano-Suiza V8 engine and the decision to position the upper wing level with the top of the fuselage, a feature which gave the pilot a completely unobstructed view in the upper hemisphere. To maintain the relationship between lift and centre of gravity, the lower wing was placed forward of the upper, resulting in the Dolphin’s characteristic negative stagger.

That the view downwards was considered insufficient is proven by the various modifications made to the succession of prototypes which appeared during 1917. For this reason, the Dolphin briefly sported cut-outs in the lower wing roots before a lowered rear fuselage decking, with deep cut-outs to the cockpit sides, was eventually chosen. The tall frontal radiator was abandoned after the first prototype and an attempt to mount the radiators on the upper wing was similarly unsuccessful; it was quickly decided that small block-type radiators, mounted on either side of the forward fuselage, were sufficient. Meanwhile, the tail assembly was successively enlarged and a balanced rudder fitted. During its development, the aircraft gained a mounting on the cockpit for two Lewis guns, supplementing the two Vickers guns already installed, possibly stemming from an early interest shown in the type by the Admiralty as a potential Home Defence aircraft. Although this feature was retained on production aircraft, most units in the field removed one or both of the Lewis guns. The fourth prototype, virtually a production-standard aircraft, was tested by the pilots of 19 Squadron; the subsequent report enthusiastically stated: “the machine itself seems to handle perfectly at all heights… [and] is very stable…The view is perfect and the machine easy to fly…Twelve pilots of this squadron have flown it; they all handled it satisfactorily and were delighted with the machine…”

Production of 500 Dolphins was ordered while the aircraft was undergoing tests in the summer of 1917 and further batches were ordered from Darracq and Hooper. However, the Ministry of Munitions rightly noted in March 1918 that “this type is affected by the shortage of Hispano-Suiza engines in the same way as the SE5 [sic].”

During late 1917, the pressure on Hispano-Suiza engine production increased. The engine was required for the SPAD XIII, the S.E.5a and the new Dolphin. Adding to the list of problems was the seemingly endless trouble suffered by licensed manufacturers of the engine, much of which revolved around the reduction gearing and airscrew shaft, which on the engines produced by some manufacturers, particularly Brasier, was found to be too soft. S.E.5a and Dolphin production was badly stymied by this, with airframes lying around in the UK waiting for engines. Meanwhile, Wolseley was having difficulty in producing its own version of the geared Hispano, the Adder, for the S.E.5a and it would be some months before an adequate supply of these powerful engines was available. A solution lay in removing the reduction gear altogether from the Hispano and, although this reduced the performance of the aircraft in which it was fitted, the “RAF in France evidently considered this price worth paying in order to have reliability.”[3] This aircraft, which entered service late in the war, became known as the Dolphin Mk. III.

A French development of the Dolphin (the Dauphin), intended for the Aéronautique Militaire and the United States Army Air Service, was fitted with the 300hp direct-drive Hispano-Suiza 8Fb. This version was known as the Dolphin Mk. II and was distinguished by somewhat bulbous nose contours. However, only a few were produced by SACA (Société Anonyme des Constructions Aéronautiques) before the war ended. Although there was some British interest, the pressure on Hispano-Suiza production precluded any hope of the RAF ordering the type.

The Dolphin equipped 19, 23, 79 and 87 Squadrons on the Western Front in 1918 and won many admirers thanks to its stability, speed and manoeuvrability. Flt Lt (later Air Chief Marshal) Leslie Hollinghurst wrote that “…the Dolphin was easy to fly and was strong and manoeuvrable. The pilot had an excellent view and, in my view, it was one of the best war machines ever built.” [4]

The Dolphin did not gain acceptance as a Home Defence fighter, due largely to the time (approximately 20 minutes) needed to warm the Hispano Suiza engine, which precluded a quick “scramble.” A further disqualification was the largely erroneous belief that the Dolphin would turn over on to its back in a crash landing, which, if not killing or injuring the pilot, would prevent him from escaping and much time and effort was put into devising a pair of curved steel hoops above the cockpit. In fact, the type’s centre of gravity meant that it rarely assumed this position and instead merely buried its nose into the ground. However, although a number of Dolphins flew with training units in the UK, Hollinghurst noted that the type earned an undeserved reputation for stalling quickly, with the result that the Dolphin did not earn the complete confidence of trainee pilots.

The Dolphin did not enjoy a long post-war career: aircraft of 79 Squadron served at Bickendorf until July 1919 and it remained in production until August 1919. The RAF did not declare the Dolphin obsolete until September 1921.

A few Dolphins served with the Polish Air Force in the war with Russia in 1920-1921.

Total British production came to 1,774 Dolphins of both types.

The RAF Museum is fortunate to receive the medal groups of many former members of the RAF; one recent such addition has a nice Hendon connection.

This is the ‘Medal Bar of Six’ of Squadron Leader Donald Ernest Gray – RAF Museum Accession Number X008-4139. It consists of (reading from left to right):

1939-1945 Star
Atlantic Star with Air Crew Europe Clasp
Defence Medal
1939-1945 War Medal
General Service Medal with Malaya Clasp
Air Efficiency Award

The group at first glance might look quite ordinary with no gallantry medals. However, with information gleaned from his log book an interesting history is revealed and also his participation in a forgotten humanitarian operation. Donald Gray was working at Cambridge Instruments Ltd, maker of scientific and medical instruments, in 1939 he joined RAF following the outbreak of war; he failed his pilot medical due to poor eyesight and instead trained as a Wireless Operator/Air Gunner (WOP/AG).

His flying training was from February 1941( No 1 Signals School); Gunnery training commencing July 1941.

When his training was completed, he flew as part of the crew of the Bristol Blenheim IVF long-range fighter (converted from the standard bomber version by the addition of a four-gun under-fuselage pack) with the Shetland-Islands based 404 (Coastal Fighter) Squadron Coastal Command from December 1941 to Sept 1942 when Bristol Beaufighters replaced the Blenheims. The Blenheims’ duties included shipping protection flights and they could act as escort fighters for bombing raids.

He transferred to No. 224 Squadron Coastal Command flying Consolidated Liberators on long-range reconnaissance and anti-submarine duties from October 1942 to January 1944, on 27 December 1942 they sighted and attacked a U-boat with unknown results, he also records attacking shipping off the French and Spanish coasts and chasing away Junkers Ju 88s from convoys which his aircraft was escorting. He married in 1944.

He then went to no. 111 Operational Training Unit – OTU- Nassau (Bahamas) /Lossiemouth (Liberators again) from February 1944 – June 1946 training other WOP/AGs, and flew on Short Sunderland flying boats like the one now in London from February 1947 with the Far-East based No. 88 Sqn from July 1947 – On 1 September 1946, No. 1430 Flight at RAF Kai Tak, Hong Kong had been re-designated No. 88 Squadron for transport duties with six Short Sunderland flying boats.

Courier services between bases in the Far East were operated until No.88 Squadron was re-designated a general reconnaissance unit. On 17 May 1949, Donald Grey flew on one of three Sunderland aircraft sent to Shanghai to evacuate British civilians trapped in the city from the advancing communist forces. According to Flight 2 of 1995, 95 civilians were evacuated. The Melbourne Argus reported:

“Strange and pathetic scenes marked the evacuation. Tears flowed as several Sikhs whom the British brought to Shanghai years ago for police duties in the old International Settlement were parted from their Chinese wives and children who could not obtain exit permits.

One Briton arrived at the seaplane base with a dilapidated white-painted office desk exceeding the 20lb baggage limit which he vainly tried to get flown out. Another brought two mattresses bursting at the seams. Others carried bedding and wicker baskets filled with assorted articles, including a bundle of dirty laundry.

The British evacuees were told they were being carried on an “austerity” basis and that no fare would be charged. One man wore two suits, two hats, and an overcoat in the warm sun. Another wore three coats.”

Unlike so many others, Donald Gray had survived over 80 operational wartime missions.

He was on Avro Ansons/Lincolns (such as the example displayed at RAFM Cosford – the only example in the UK) in 1953-4 at RAF Shawbury in Shropshire and made his last flight May 1957 in a de Havilland Chipmunk at RAF North Weald, Essex. He also served at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), Belgium in 1976 and in the United States (Lowry AFB) in 1976-78; his final posting was to RAF Hendon where he was President of the Mess Committee (PMC) in the late 1970s, retiring back to Cambridge aged 58.

His Medal Bar was donated along with supporting archive material by Mrs Christine Gray July 2016 to whom the Museum gives its sincere thanks.

If you have any small objects that you would like to donate to the Museum please visit our Donate Artefacts Form.

Until recently visitors to the War in the Air hangar at Cosford sometimes must have wondered why there was on display a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen four wheel drive utility vehicle, painted in an unmilitary-looking glossy black with a red stripe. This vehicle had actually been used by 18 Squadron RAF as a hire car for squadron staff during their service in West Germany in the 1980s and 1990s. Now moved into storage, how 18 Squadron came to have it was partly the reason for its preservation.

18 Squadron were the first RAF squadron to operate the Boeing C-47 Chinook, converting onto it in July 1981 when based at Odiham in Hampshire. With the beginning of the conflict in the Falkland Islands in April 1982, four of the Squadron’s Chinooks and associated personnel were embarked on the cargo ship the Atlantic Conveyor and transported to the South Atlantic area of operations.

On 25 May 1982 while with the Naval Task Force in San Carlos Water off East Falkland the Atlantic Conveyor was hit by two Exocet missiles fired from Argentine Air Force Super Etendard aircraft. A huge fire was started which resulted in the deaths of 12 personnel on board and the loss of all of the cargo, including three of 18 Squadron’s four Chinooks. Atlantic Conveyor sank three days later.

One Chinook, ZA718, coded BN or Bravo November, was on task when Atlantic Conveyor was hit, and was able to land on HMS Hermes and avoid the conflagration on the Atlantic Conveyor. 18 Squadron personnel were able to set up a command post at Port San Carlos to direct operations for Bravo November.

Whilst there, the Squadron commanders were given the use of a captured Argentine G-Wagen, surrendered as spoils of war to the Brigade of Gurkhas. This vehicle had been damaged by cannon fire from a British Harrier aircraft, and had sustained a hole in its bonnet and inner wing from a cannon shell. Despite this it proved serviceable and the OC of 18 Squadron Wing Commander Stables arranged for it to be brought back to the UK when operations in the Falklands ceased.

First registered in December 1981, the G-Wagen was part of a large consignment ordered from Mercedes-Benz and delivered to the Argentine military. Its original colour scheme was a tan and olive camouflage, which is illustrated in this photograph of it in the mid-1980s. Just visible is the 18 Squadron Pegasus emblem which was added to the passenger door.

18 Squadron took the G-Wagen with them when posted to RAF Gutersloh in West Germany in 1983 and it was registered as a British Forces Germany vehicle. It came into its own as a Squadron hack and hire vehicle, with personnel taking it as far afield as Denmark, Lichtenstein and Yugoslavia. Its hire sheet even records a detail in 1990 of “Op Granby” and an increase in mileage of 1500km, but whether it was taken to 18 Squadron’s theatre of operations in the Gulf is not yet known.
Alongside 18 Squadron at Gutersloh was the Puma helicopter equipped 230 Squadron, whose squadron crest features a tiger, in recognition of the Squadron’s service in Malaya. A friendly rivalry existed between the two squadrons and after two large porcelain tigers went missing from the 230 Squadron crew room, the G-Wagen was kidnapped for a week and returned to 18 Squadron with an orange and black stripe colour scheme. Funds were found for it to be painted in colours more befitting 18 Squadron, and hence the black and red 18 Squadron colour scheme it remains in today.

The original Argentine colours can still be seen on the rear number plate holder, alongside the 18 Squadron Pegasus.

In 1993, after ten years of service, the G-Wagen was starting to wear out and a request to a main dealer for a gearbox part required the sharing of its chassis number. It was at this point it was discovered that the Argentine military had never completed payment for the vehicle back in 1981 and Mercedes demanded the return of their stolen property. 18 Squadron personnel politely pointed out that as a “spoil of war” the G-Wagen was not being given up, and the part was obtained from an alternative source!

After 18 Squadron were posted back to the UK in June 1997 the G-Wagen could not be UK registered due to its lack of importation documents, and the decision was taken to retire it from service. Air Marshal Sir John Curtiss, Commander of the Air element during the Falklands Conflict, helped in the vehicle’s recovery back to the UK from the Falklands on the basis that it would eventually be transferred to the RAF Museum. On 14th June 2001 it duly arrived at Cosford in an 18 Squadron Chinook and was rolled out for its official handover to the Museum from OC 18 Squadron Wing Commander David Prowse.

Routine conservation work by Museum staff in 2003 led to a variety of items being removed from underneath the rear seat. These included some empty Embassy cigarette packets and a disposable lighter, two Argentine Ever Ready batteries, a German beer bottle top and a diamante earring! Also found were the burnt remains of this Argentine “Jockey Club” cigarette wrapper.

The damage to the bonnet caused by the Harrier’s 30mm cannon shell was repaired by 18 Squadron when the G-Wagen first arrived in Gutersloh in 1983. The exit hole in the inner wing still remains, however, and will be kept as evidence of the battle damage sustained during the vehicle’s service life.

In September 1916, William Leefe Robinson was awarded a Victoria Cross for destroying the German Army airship SL11 over Cuffley on the night of 3 September 1916. This blog will examine the impact the events of that night had on the German air offensive against the UK and on the life of William Leefe Robinson.

William Leefe Robinson was born in India on 14 July 1895, the son of Horace Robinson, a coffee planter, and his wife, Elizabeth Leefe. Although the family temporarily moved to England from India in 1901, as a result of competition from Brazilian plantations, they moved back again two years later. In 1909, William and his brother Harold were sent back once again to England to be educated at St. Bees School in Cumberland (Cumbria). Although William did not distinguish himself academically, he shone in school sports and was well-liked by the staff and pupils.

Just a few days after the outbreak of war in 1914, Robinson entered the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. Upon being commissioned, he was posted to the Fifth Militia Battalion of the Worcester Regiment but, quickly bored by a life of assisting in training men for the Front, he applied for a number of transfers. Ray Rimmel writes that “there seems little reason to suppose that Robinson had any great ambition for flying, the subject was never raised in correspondence, more likely the tedium of his position was such that he fired off as many applications as possible and took the first one offered him.” Thus it was that on 29 March 1915, he was posted to 4 Squadron RFC as an observer.

During a reconnaissance on 8 May, Robinson was wounded in the arm by two pieces of shrapnel from a German anti-aircraft shell. After being treated in hospital, Robinson was given a month’s leave and, on 29 June, he was posted to Farnborough to begin flying training. On 18 July he went solo for the first time and on 28 July qualified for his Royal Aero Club Certificate. At the end of September, he joined 19 Squadron, based at Castle Bromwich, where his duties included the delivery of aircraft and the taking aloft of trainee pilots and observers.

Originally intended for reconnaissance duties, the airships of the German Army and Navy were first used to bomb the UK in January 1915. During the later months of 1915, the attacks on the UK by both German airships were increasing in frequency and boldness and, as a result of public and media pressure, the government began substantially to increase the UK’s aerial defences, particularly those around London. Although the material damage inflicted by the airships was light, particularly when compared to later aeroplane raids, their nuisance value was considerably greater. Substantial numbers of aircraft, searchlights and anti-aircraft batteries were stationed around the country, as well as large numbers of personnel to operate and support them, all of which distracted from the main effort on the Western Front. Although it is the German Navy that is best remembered for the offensive against the UK, the German Army, mainly equipped with Schütte-Lanz airships, made a small contribution to the offensive.

A rival to the better-known Zeppelin, Schütte-Lanz constructed airships primarily from wood and plywood. Although other features pioneered by Schütte-Lanz were in time copied by Zeppelin, wooden construction was not a real success. Aluminium and duralumin proved to be lighter and stronger, while a wooden structure, imperfectly sealed by the airship’s envelope, was prone to moisture damage. This not only occurred when flying in wet weather but also in damp hangar conditions, which was a particular problem at naval bases. As a consequence, the German Naval Airship Division preferred Zeppelin’s products and the majority of Schütte-Lanz airships were used by the German Army.

As part of the increase in London’s defences, Robinson joined 10 Reserve Aeroplane Squadron at Joyce Green on Christmas Eve, 1915. However, due to his Commanding Officer making “…such a fuss about having me back at Birmingham…” he returned there at the end of January. Just a few days later, he was again posted south, to Suttons Farm, where a Flight of the newly-formed 19 Reserve Aeroplane Squadron was based. On 15 April 1916, as part of a large-scale reorganisation of the country’s defences, 19 Squadron was re-titled 39 Home Defence Squadron. The airfields used by the squadron were very primitive and the difficult task of landing by night was assisted only by an L-shaped flare path, made by placing petrol cans at intervals, their lids removed and the insides filled with petrol, paraffin and cotton waste. The flying itself was arduous – the patrols were long, with the pilots heavily muffled against the cold and their faces covered in whale oil to protect them from frostbite, while landing in the dark was difficult and dangerous.

Improvements were being made, however, in regard to the quality of the defences. Early attempts to attack German airships with weapons such as Hales bombs and Ranken darts were almost completely unsuccessful. The striking exception was the destruction of Zeppelin LZ37 on the night of 7 June 1915, as it returned to its base over Belgium, when it was bombed from above by Flight Sub-Lieutenant Rex Warneford. Despite this success, explosive bullets were being developed and the War Office and Admiralty had ordered large quantities of them from different inventors. Sparklet, Buckingham, Brock and Pomeroy were all used by the Home Defence squadrons from 1916, often in a mixture designed to inflict as much damage to their hydrogen-filled targets as possible. French Le Prieur rockets were also issued to RFC Home Defence units but, although they had found success against tethered kite balloons, they were of no use against airships and most RFC pilots had them removed.

On the night of 25 April, Robinson was among the members of 39 Squadron who spotted LZ97, a German Army Zeppelin commanded by Hauptmann Erich Linnarz, while over London. Two pilots attacked the airship: future AOC-in-C of Bomber Command, Captain Arthur Harris made an ineffective challenge with his B.E.2c’s machine gun and, as his aircraft was unable to climb above the Zeppelin, his attempt to use Ranken Darts was equally hopeless. The other assailant was Robinson, who in fact attacked LZ97 before Harris. In his combat report, Robinson wrote: “I fired at the Zeppelin three times (each time almost immediately below it); the machine gun jammed five times, and I only got off about twenty rounds. When the Zeppelin made off in a ENE direction, I followed for some minutes, but lost sight of it.”

Some four months later, after 39 raids almost without loss, the German Naval and Army Airship Commands ambitiously launched their first combined operation against London. It was to be the largest airship raid of the war and, in the words of Cole and Cheeseman, “an utter failure.”
From midday until around 3.30 in the afternoon of 2 September 1916, twelve Naval and four Army airships rose slowly from their bases and began to climb over the North Sea. In Room 40 of the Admiralty, intercepted wireless messages from the German airships began to pour in and it was apparent by 5 o’clock that afternoon that a large raid was imminent. The weather, however, was not favourable: rain covered much of the UK during the morning and a light mist crept down from the Wash to cover London during the afternoon and evening. Worse, a strong wind from the south east actually compelled some of the German airships to return to base, as ice, forming on the hulls, threatened to bring them down through sheer weight. Zeppelin LZ53 turned back over Norfolk, while the commander of LZ97 aborted while still over the North Sea. The strong winds caused the rest of the raiders to scatter their bombs over the south-east of England during the night without causing significant damage. Only one airship, the Army’s Schütte-Lanz SL11, commanded by Hauptmann Wilhelm Schramm, “penetrated to within seven miles of Charing Cross.”

At around 11.10pm, the aircraft of 39 Squadron were “scrambled” from their airfields, with Robinson detailed to patrol between Hornchurch and Joyce Green. LZ98 had bombed the area around Dartford and Tilbury, when, shortly afterwards, it was sighted by Robinson. The Zeppelin, considerably lightened after dropping its bombs, easily evaded the B.E.2c. Robinson wrote: “I very slowly gained on it for about ten minutes – I judged it to be about 800 feet below me, and I sacrificed my speed in order to keep the height. It went behind some clouds, avoided the searchlights and I lost sight of it…” By this time, Robinson had actually exceeded his allotted patrol time but, perhaps in frustration, he flew out of his assigned patrol area and towards London, hoping that the capital’s searchlights would illuminate another target.

Meanwhile, Schramm’s SL11 had circled London from the east, in preparation for an attack on the capital from the north. The airship dropped numerous high explosive bombs across north London before it was detected and held over Alexandra Palace by the searchlights in Finsbury and Victoria Park. Thousands of Londoners watched as the Finsbury guns began to fire at the airship which, while turning evasively, was seen by three 39 Squadron pilots: 2/Lt Mackay, 2/Lt Hunt and Robinson. As Schramm turned over Tottenham, Robinson found himself catching SL11; after disappearing into a cloud, it reappeared, nearer than ever and, with the capital’s anti-aircraft gunners still enthusiastically engaging the airship, he signalled with a red Very light, at which the fire from the ground ceased. Moments later, he attacked the SL11 head-on:

I flew about 800 feet below it from bow to stern and distributed one drum along it (alternate New Brock and Pomeroy). It seemed to have no effect; I therefore moved to one side and gave it another drum distributed along its side – without apparent effect. I then got behind it (by this time I was very close – 500 feet or less below) and concentrated one drum on one part (underneath rear). I was then at a height of 11,500 feet when attacking the Zeppelin.
I hardly finished the drum before I saw the part fired at glow. In a few seconds the whole rear part was blazing.
When the third drum was fired there were no searchlights on the Zeppelin and no anti-aircraft was firing.
I quickly got out of the way of the falling, blazing Zeppelin and being very excited fired off a few red Very’s lights and dropped a parachute flare.

The burning airship crashed into a field outside Cuffley at approximately 2.20am on the morning of 3 September. All sixteen on board were killed.

The structure of the SL11 was constructed from wood and plywood, rather than the metal employed by Zeppelin and much of this was burnt during the airship’s descent. One eyewitness who arrived at the scene shortly after the SL11 came down remarked that “…there wasn’t much of a wreck there for an airship – only about twenty-five square yards of it…” Yet thousands of sightseers, enthused by the destruction of one of the much-hated “baby-killers”, were soon flooding towards Cuffley to view the remains. The authorities referred to the wreck as L21, possibly in order to prevent public confusion between Schütte-Lanz and Zeppelin airships.

Robinson’s recognition was not long in coming and a recommendation from Sir David Henderson for the awarding of the Victoria Cross was made shortly afterwards. By 5 September, newspapers were headlining the award of the VC to the “Hero of Cuffley”, the promulgation of which, some 48 hours after the action, made it “one of the quickest bestowals in the medal’s history.” The investiture took place at Windsor on 9 September. Robinson would also be rewarded with several thousand pounds from companies and individuals as the first airman to destroy a German airship over the UK.

The destruction of SL11 was swiftly followed by two more successes for the defences when Frederick Sowrey destroyed L32 on 24 September and Wulstan Tempest downed L31 on 2 October. The loss of three valuable airships within a month effectively broke the back of the airship offensive against the UK. Despite new and improved versions, known as the “height climbers” being deployed later in the war, they had little effect and the Leader of Airships, Peter Strasser, would meet his end in just such a craft, L70, during the last airship raid on Britain, when it was shot down on 5 August 1918.

Following the loss of SL11, the Army Airship Service made no further effort to attack the UK. The disastrous three months endured by Strasser at the end of 1916, persuaded the German Army Air Service, in Cole and Cheeseman’s words, that “successful airship attacks on London were no longer possible.” When the German Luftstreitkrafte (Combat Air Force) was formed shortly afterwards, its new commander, Wilhelm von Höppner, immediately stated: “Since an airship raid on London has become impossible, the Air Service is required to carry out a raid with aeroplanes as soon as possible.” The results of this realisation were the far more lethal Gotha raids which began on London in June 1917 and continued, although nocturnally, into 1918.

Meanwhile, Robinson desired a posting to a more active role, preferably on the Western Front and, on 9 February 1917, his wish came true when he received orders to join 48 Squadron, which was in the process of equipping with the new Bristol F.2a. This aircraft, which in modified form became the much-respected F.2b, (better known as the Bristol Fighter), was to suffer a disastrous combat debut. One of the new aircraft’s teething problems was the icing up of the guns at altitude. The squadron blamed this on the oil freezing, to which Robinson’s solution was to remove the oil altogether, a decision which was to remain controversial for obvious reasons. The squadron arrived in France on 18 March and, the following month, which became known to the RFC as “Bloody April” made its first sortie. This was a patrol of six F.2as led by Robinson in the vicinity of Douai, well-known to be the home of Jasta 11, equipped with the formidable Albatros D.III, under the command of Manfred von Richthofen. The patrol was duly intercepted by five pilots of Jasta 11, including von Richthofen, just as it was beginning to turn back for the British lines. Four of the six Bristols were swiftly shot down, including Robinson’s aircraft. Although early newspaper reports claimed that Robinson had been killed, he had in fact been captured. Many argue the disaster was due to the squadron’s inexperience with the new aircraft, while others have pointed out that many of the guns on the squadron’s aircraft were rendered useless by the lack of lubrication.

During the rest of 1917, Robinson attempted to escape four times, once, with two companions, even managing to evade capture until within four miles of the Swiss border. Eventually, Robinson found himself at Clausthal PoW camp, which was commanded by Heinrich Niemeyer, brother of Karl, commander of Holzminden. Both camps and both brothers (who were in fact twins) were infamous for their treatment of prisoners. In July 1918, Robinson was transferred to Holzminden, where he “suffered ceaseless and deliberate persecution”.” A failed escape attempt made Robinson’s standing with Karl Niemeyer even worse, who allegedly “swore to avenge the death of Wilhelm Schramm, whom he falsely claimed to have known well, going out of his way to make life difficult for Robinson.” Robinson was singled out for treatment which, it seems, was designed to gradually break his morale, including a requirement to answer roll calls three times a day and confinement to the most insalubrious cells in the camp. In memoirs published in 1919, the Norwegian pilot Trygve Gran, a fellow prisoner in Holzminden, recalled that on one occasion, “Robinson was taken to a cell and, for disobeying an ‘order’, was whipped to the point of collapse.”

Following the Armistice, Robinson was repatriated to the UK, landing on 14 December. Friends who saw him in England were shocked by his appearance, for the eighteen months of confinement had left Robinson seriously weakened. Shortly after Christmas, he contracted influenza, a pandemic of which was sweeping across Europe.

Captain William Leefe Robinson succumbed quickly, passing away on 31 December 1918. He was 23 years old.

This blog will examine four of Sopwith’s major First World War designs. With the publication of a second blog, the reader will be able to trace the continuous and gradual development of these famous aircraft, from the 1½ Strutter of 1915 to the Dragon of 1918. Photographs of each aircraft will illustrate the Sopwith “line of descent”.

Thomas Sopwith, already an accomplished pilot, began to produce his own aircraft at Brooklands in 1912. The Sopwith Aviation Company was established in a converted ice-rink in Kingston-on-Thames from early 1913 and, in the eighteen months or so before war was declared, the firm supplied a number of aircraft to the RNAS and RFC, as well as winning the 1914 Schneider Trophy at Monaco. At war’s outbreak, therefore, the company was well known, particularly to the Admiralty, and had won a reputation for building fast and well-designed aircraft.

The company, for much of the First World War, revolved around four men: founder Thomas Sopwith, designer Herbert Smith, works manager Fred Sigrist and test pilot Harry Hawker.

Sopwith 1½ Strutter
As related above, Sopwith had a special relationship with the Admiralty from the beginning and it is no surprise that the latter expressed an interest in the company’s new aircraft when it emerged in 1915. Although Sopwith described the aircraft as the LCT, (possibly the Land Clerget Tractor), the unusual centre-section strut design meant it quickly became known as the 1½ Strutter. Features of the prototype included a variable-incidence tailplane and air-brakes mounted at the lower wing roots, although the latter were not incorporated into production aircraft. Jack Bruce noted that the prototype was not equipped with a forward-firing machine gun, as “the superior performance to be expected from a tractor configuration outweighed the sacrifice of the unobstructed field of fire forward provided by a pusher”, which, he added, “was bold thinking with only 110hp available.”[1] Instead, the observer was able to swivel a Lewis gun, using the French Etévé mounting, in any direction, including over the upper wing.

Nevertheless, a batch of 50 aircraft, followed by another for 100, was ordered by the Admiralty. The compact design and relatively high speed of the aircraft led to its designation as a fighter, although many airframes from the second batch were completed as single-seat bombers. In early 1916, it was decided that a forward-firing gun was desirable and all Strutters, with the exception of the very first aircraft, were so equipped. The problematic Lewis gun arrangement was also dropped in favour of a Scarff-ring-mounted weapon.

The 3rd and 5th Wings of the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) began using both versions of the Strutter as a bomber in spring 1916. While the single-seat version was to be used exclusively as a bomber, the two-seater was, somewhat optimistically, employed on patrol duties as well. However, the Admiralty’s planned bombing campaign did not materialise as originally hoped. The crisis on the Western Front, caused by the Battle of Verdun, and the subsequent moving forward of the British Somme offensive, forced the RFC to request the transfer of considerable numbers of aircraft from naval contracts, among which were over 70 Strutters. Naval Strutters continued the Western Front bombing campaign into 1917, while limited numbers were employed as anti-submarine aircraft in the Mediterranean and as bombers in Macedonia. Others were embarked on HMS Furious and HMS Vindex, fitted with wheeled undercarriages or with skids. A number were used to test hydrovanes and flotation gear at the Isle of Grain.

The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was not far behind the Navy in ordering the new type and, with the Sopwith works running at full capacity, an initial order for fifty aircraft was given to Ruston, Proctor in March 1916. Further batches were built by a multitude of different companies and almost 700 were eventually delivered to the RFC.

Unfortunately, RFC units on the Western Front found the new aircraft to be inferior to the opposition. An improvement in performance was sought by the installation of the 130hp Clerget engine but “this was too late…it was mid-April 1917 before production 1½ Strutters could be so equipped in reasonable numbers, and…the Sopwith was by then hopelessly outclassed.”[2] By October 1917, the Strutter had been withdrawn from the Western Front. Fifty-nine aircraft were converted to “Comic” specification for night-fighting operations and others continued as trainers in the UK.

While a total of approximately 1,300 Strutters was produced in the UK, over 4,500 were built in France, which made great use of the type as a bomber and reconnaissance aircraft. In addition, Belgium, Russia and the United States purchased the Strutter, making it one of the most widely-used aircraft of the First World War.

A Sopwith 1½ Strutter replica can be seen at the RAF Museum, Cosford.

Sopwith SL T B P

This aircraft, allegedly built straight from drawings chalked onto the floor of the Sopwith works by Harry Hawker, can claim to be the forerunner of the Pup. The tailplane and undercarriage followed Sopwith orthodoxy and similar versions were to be found on the Pup, as were the single-bay wings and wing-tips with significant backwards rake.

Harry Hawker used the aircraft as a personal runabout to fly between the various factories building Sopwith aircraft. It is known to have survived until at least 1926, by which time it was converted to a two-seater.

SL T B P may have stood for Sopwith Land Tractor BiPlane.

Sopwith Pup

The late Jack Bruce wrote that “it has been said that the little Sopwith Scout which was to be known as the Pup was designed as a counter-weapon to the Fokker monoplane.”[3] Whatever the truth of this, the Fokker began to make its presence felt in the late autumn of 1915 and the prototype of the Sopwith Pup first flew in February 1916. Possibly it was the exigencies of time, stemming from the Fokker menace, which caused Sopwith to use many of the design attributes of the SL T B P in the new aircraft.

The aircraft was, in comparison to its contemporaries, easy to fly and blessed with a high degree of manoeuvrability, made possible by the concentration of mass in the forward part of the fuselage. A low wing-loading, thanks to a generous chord, bestowed the Pup with an especially fine performance at higher altitudes, enabling it to retain full manoeuvrability to around 15,000 feet and Major James McCudden wrote that “when it came to manoeuvring, the Sopwith Scout would turn twice to an Albatros’ once.”

As Admiralty contractors, it is unsurprising that the first six aircraft were delivered to the RNAS and eventually some 175 Pups were built to naval contracts. Production aircraft first saw action with the RNAS in September 1916.

The RFC was not slow in following the Admiralty’s lead and large contracts were placed with both the Standard and Whitehead companies. The first RFC unit to be fully equipped with the Pup was 54 Squadron, which arrived in France on 24 December 1916. Shortly after production commenced, stronger cabane struts were introduced and although doubt was cast upon the structural strength of the little Sopwith by the Central Flying School, it was found to be satisfactory by the standards of the day. Nevertheless, units discovered that the mainplane panels of the Pup, irrespective of manufacturer or service, had to be replaced after about 40 hours of flying.

In late 1916, in response to a call from the RFC for reinforcements following the Battle of the Somme, the Admiralty dispatched 8 Squadron, RNAS to work with the army. Other RNAS Pup units active on the Western Front included 3, 4 and 9 Squadrons.

The Pup had only two major drawbacks. One was the 80hp Le Rhone or 100hp Le Rhone engine, which limited top speed and climb. The other was the single Vickers gun. In comparison, the Albatros D-series was fitted with a 160hp Mercedes engine and two machine guns. Consequently, as 1917 progressed, the Pup found itself increasingly hard-pressed by the Albatros D.III and D.V. The first Camels were delivered to the RNAS and RFC in June 1917 and thereafter the Pup was gradually withdrawn from service on the Western Front. The last Pup was relinquished by 54 Squadron in December 1917, by which time the type was thoroughly outclassed.

Attempts were made to increase the Pup’s performance. The 100hp Gnome Monosoupape was tried but did not confer any advantage. The 110hp Le Rhone was also tested and, although a slight improvement was gained, it was found that the extra weight of the engine made a three-point landing impossible. Trials confirmed that the static loading of this version was somewhat lower than the standard Pup and in November 1917, work on the aircraft was abandoned. However, as Bruce noted, “it is interesting that this work was still in progress at a time when the Camel and S.E.5a were in operational use [!]”[4]

Some Pups were embarked upon battleships and cruisers during the latter stages of the war as an anti-airship deterrent, while others played a pioneering role in taking off and landing from early aircraft carriers.

A large number of Pups were used by flying schools for training pupils in aerial fighting and several are known to have been retained by instructors for their own use at the Central Flying School and the School of Special Flying, in which role the little fighters acquired a variety of eye-catching colour schemes.

A Sopwith Pup, rebuilt from original parts, can be seen at RAF Museum, Cosford.

Sopwith Triplane

This aircraft is chiefly remembered for the great impression it made in the spring of 1917. Excellent manoeuvrability and rate of climb made it more than a match for the Albatros D.III; the German reaction was to call for rival designs, the result of which was the famous Fokker Dr.I.

The Triplane was an almost exact contemporary of the Pup; the fuselage was similar in construction and the armament remained identical. The short chord of the wings endowed the aircraft with excellent manoeuvrability and the pilot with good all-round vision, while the short wingspan gave the Triplane a high rate of roll. From February 1917, the Triplane was fitted with a tailplane of eight feet span, replacing the earlier ten feet span version derived from that of the Pup. At the same time, the engine was upgraded from the 110hp Clerget to the 130hp version which, in spite of the Triplane’s greater drag, gave it a speed advantage over the Pup.

The Triplane only saw action on the Western Front with the RNAS. Although the Triplane was ordered by the War Office, only one example is known to have served with the RFC. There is some confusion in the records over which batch of Triplanes was in fact ordered for the RFC. A request for the transfer of naval aircraft to the army in the autumn of 1916 was eventually fulfilled, the terms of which were that the RFC would hand over its contract for Sopwith Triplanes to the RNAS, while the latter gave up its SPAD VIIs to the former, although “it is doubtful whether any handover to the RNAS of a triplane built for the RFC ever took place, even on paper.”[5] However, in spite of this, the SPADs destined for the RNAS were handed over to the RFC! The firm of Oakley did eventually complete three aircraft, interestingly armed with two Vickers guns each, as were a batch of six Triplanes completed by Clayton & Shuttleworth.

The Triplane equipped a number of naval units, the most distinguished of which was 10 Squadron, RNAS. Led by Raymond Collishaw, the famous all-Canadian B Flight, or “Black Flight” of “Naval 10”, achieved remarkable success during May and June 1917. The aircraft of the Flight featured black engine cowlings and undercarriage wheels and were named Black Maria, Black Sheep, Black George, Black Prince and Black Death. Some of these names were given to more than one airframe, while Black Sheep was renamed Black Maria and Collishaw is known to have flown several Triplanes named Black Maria. The latter wrote:

The Triplane I found to be a delightful machine – in my estimation much preferable to the Pup.

Apart from its manoeuvrability and its rate of climb…the Triplane’s main virtue was the extreme altitude it could attain, and its performance at these heights…

As in the case of all other aircraft, the Triplane had its weaknesses. It was not quite as fast as it might have been, and it could not match a machine such as the Albatros D.III in a dive. Its main failing, though, by comparison with the enemy fighters that it faced, was its armament…It may not have been feasible to have equipped the early Triplanes, which had the 110hp Clerget, with twin Vickers, but I can think of no reason why the 130hp models, which “Naval 10” flew, could not have had two guns.

Six experimental models were in fact fitted with twin Vickers, and I was fortunate enough to obtain one of these before leaving “Naval 10”. When I brought it back to Droglandt it was greeted with mixed feelings. Some of the pilots considered that the extra firepower would be more than offset a reduction in its performance at height…Others, myself included, felt that a certain loss of performance would be acceptable in exchange for the extra gun. I found, in fact, that although there was a definite loss in performance above 10,000 feet, it was relatively slight, and…the firepower…made a big difference.

I continued to fly this machine – N533 – for the remainder of the time I was with “Naval 10”, and wished very much that we had all been given twin-gun types long before. [6]

The official historian, H.A. Jones, wrote that “the sight of a Sopwith Triplane formation, in particular, induced the enemy pilots to dive out of range.” Although not easily verified, this statement illustrates the high regard in which the Triplane was held by both sides during the spring and summer of 1917.

Unfortunately, the superiority of the Triplane proved to be short-lived, for the new generation of German fighters, notably the Albatros D.V, proved to have the edge in combat. Triplanes began to be phased from front-line service in July and August 1917, although 1 Squadron, RNAS, did not relinquish its last example until December.

Triplane production came to 147 aircraft and some remained on charge in training units in the UK until the end of the war. Ten examples are known to have gone to the French Government and one, still in existence, was operated in Russia.

An Oakley-built Triplane can be seen at the RAF Museum, Hendon.

An attempt to improve performance was made by producing an almost entirely new, and larger, aircraft. Two prototypes were completed, one (serial N509) powered by a 150hp direct-drive Hispano-Suiza engine, the second (serial N510) by a geared 200hp version. The latter aircraft crashed fatally on 20 October 1916. The first prototype was based at Manston for some time, where it flew a number of Home Defence sorties. No development of either version was undertaken.