First to fit & fire a Lewis gun on an aircraft

[clive_hughes]

Hi,

The air war isn't my specialism, but in reading a monograph from a local history journal I came across this.

The Flintshire County War Memorial index cards scheme in 1919 tried to record the service of everyone from that (former) county. At Bangor-on-Dee the Rector sat and patiently filled in most of the cards in the presence of those concerned, teasing some of their wider service histories out of them.

One such was George Henry SHONE, 2039, Regt. Sgt. Major 8th Sqn. RAF. Served 29 October 1914-2 March 1919. Received the MSM. Originally a 2nd Class Air Mechanic RFC he served at Brooklands, then as an AM1 in France from 19 April 1915.

Stationed at St.Omer then Poperinghe "where he fixed the first Lewis Gun to an aeroplane and used it for the first time, promoted to Gunner Observer".

He was later stopped from flying in the summer of 1916 and went on in his career. My question was whether he could actually have been the first to fit and use a Lewis in a British combat aircraft?

LST_164

[centurion]

I think Louis Strange claimed this having fitted a Lewis gun to a MF Shorthorn around 20th Aug 1914. His first sortie with it was on 22nd August 1914 with Lt. L. Penn-Gaskell as his gunner. Unfortunately they couldn't catch their quarry due to the weight of the gun.

[centurion]

I think Louis Strange claimed this having fitted a Lewis gun to a MF Shorthorn around 20th Aug 1914. His first sortie with it was on 22nd August 1914 with Lt. L. Penn-Gaskell as his gunner. Unfortunately they couldn't catch their quarry due to the weight of the gun.

Correction - it was a Henri Farman F20

[John Adams]

Of interest the first Lewis fired from an aeroplane was by a Captain Chandler of the US Signals Corp Aviation Division on June 2 1912.

H

[centurion]

Of interest the first Lewis fired from an aeroplane was by a Captain Chandler of the US Signals Corp Aviation Division on June 2 1912.

H

But not fitted to the aircraft