WW1 Military Motors - 1916 set x 50 cards

[Lancashire Fusilier]

The Armies of many of the countries fighting in WW1, equipped their artillery with ' Bonagente ' wheel tracks.

The attached photograph, shows French heavy artillery with Bonagente wheel tracks fitted.

 

LF

 

 

IWM This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

Edited 5 September , 2016 by Lancashire Fusilier

[Lancashire Fusilier]

As seen in the previous post, large wooden wheel chocks were used to prevent the French heavy gun's recoil from pushing the gun back too far.

In post #5418, we can also see those large wooden recoil wheel chocks stowed in the carriage of the German 21 cm Morser Heavy Howitzer.

 

LF

 

 

IWM This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

Bonagente tracks fitted to the wheels of a Bulgarian 150 mm Gun.

 

LF

 

 

This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Kitchener's Bugle]

I was at the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham last week and spotted this treasure!.

[Kitchener's Bugle]

[Lancashire Fusilier]

1 hour ago, Kitchener's Bugle said:

I was at the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham last week and spotted this treasure!.

 

KB,

 

Many thanks for the excellent photographs, that is a 1914 ' Clyno ' 750 cc Motor Cycle Vickers Machine Gun Combination, and here some Clynos in service with the 24th Motor Machine Gun Battalion at their camp near Dieval, located just South of Bethune in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Picardy region of Northern France on 12th June 1918.

 

Regards,

LF

 

 

IWM This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

An Italian 149A Heavy Gun and it's crew, with the gun's carriage wheels fitted with ' Bonagente ' wheel tracks.

 

LF

 

 

 

 

IWM This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

This photograph dated 9th April 1918, shows German Tractors hauling 21 cm ' Morser ' 1916 Heavy Howitzers fitted with Bonagente wheel tracks, along a road in Armentieres at the start of the Battle of Lys, also known as the 4th Battle of Ypres, fought between 7th to 29th April 1918 as part of the German's 1918 Offensive.

 

Again, this photograph clearly shows the lower sections of the Bonagente tracks nearest the ground, coming together to form a stable platform on which the Howitzer could stand if needed.

 

The main action was fought in and around the village of Sailly-Sur-La-Lys located on the main road between Merville and Armentieres some 3 miles S.W. of Armentieres in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of Northern France.

 

LF

 

 

IWM This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

Robey & Co. WW1 aircraft manufacturers

 

Whilst the City of Lincoln is well known for it's strong connections with Tank design and production during WW1, it is lesser known for it's connection to WW1 aircraft production, despite some of Lincoln's leading engineering companies such as Robey & Co., Clayton & Shuttleworth and Ruston, Proctor & Co. Ltd., all being significant manufacturers of aircraft in Lincoln during WW1, with Rustons producing some 1,600 Sopwith Camels, Clayton & Shuttleworth some 650 Sopwith Camels, and Robey & Co., producing the Short 184 Seaplane, making more Short 184s than any other manufacturer during WW1.

 

Robey & Co., also manufactured the Sopwith Type 806 Gun Bus, as well as designing and manufacturing the two prototypes for the revolutionary ' Robey-Peters Fighting Machine ' to be armed with the American ' Davis ' aerial recoilless gun. 

The Robey-Peters Fighting Machine, was intended for service with the Royal Navy for anti-Zeppelin and anti-U-Boat patrols.

 

Robey & Co., were originally founded in 1854 by Robert Robey, who set up engineering premises at what was to become Robey's Globe Works on Canwick Road, Lincoln.

Like many other engineering companies in Lincolnshire, Robey & Co. manufactured farming equipment, boilers, stationary and portable steam engines, and in 1861, Robey & Co. built their first steam traction engine.

 

As was the case with most other British engineering companies, with the start of WW1, Robey & Co. turned their engineering expertise and factory over to war material production to assist with the war effort, and in May 1915, Robeys began manufacturing the Sopwith ' Admiralty ' type 806 Gun Bus for service with the Royal Naval Air Service ( RNAS ).

 

The Sopwith ' Admiralty ' Type 806 Gun Bus was a ' Pusher ' Bi-Plane ( rear-facing propeller ) based on the earlier Seaplane version.

The Sopwith 806 Gun Bus was originally powered by a 110 hp ' Sunbeam ' water-cooled V8 engine and first flew on 6th October 1914. However, it was found to be underpowered, and the modified version ordered from Robey & Co., was fitted with an upgraded 150 hp ' Sunbeam ' engine.

Robey's initial Admiralty contract was for 6 Sopwith 806 Gun Buses armed with .303 Lewis guns, and 30 equipped as Bombers, of which, only 17 were manufactured.

 

For the testing of their aircraft, Robey & Co., established a small aerodrome at Bracebridge Heath in Lincoln and in 1917 new permanent brick-built hangers were erected along with 10 canvas aircraft hangers, with the site becoming No.4 Aircraft Acceptance Park, which following the end of WW1, closed in 1920.

 

With the end of WW1, Robey & Co., reverted to the production of farming equipment, engines and also Steam Wagons, eventually also manufacturing mining machinery, road & quarry plant and air compressors.

 

Robey & Co., ceased trading in 1988.

 

I shall be presenting photographs of the various aircraft manufactured by Robey & Co. in Lincoln, including the revolutionary Robey-Peters Fighting Machine, the Sopwith ' Admiralty ' Type 806 Gun Bus, and the Short 184 Seaplane.

 

The first photograph depicts an early illustration showing Robey & Co's Globe Works on Canwick Road, Lincoln, with Lincoln Cathedral in the background.

 

LF

 

This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

Edited 9 September , 2016 by Lancashire Fusilier

[Lancashire Fusilier]

A Robey Steam Tractor.

 

LF

 

 

This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

The Sopwith ' Admiralty ' Type 860 Gun Buses manufactured by Robey & Co at their Globe Works in Lincoln, had their origins in a Sopwith two-seater Pusher Floatplane powered by a 100 hp Anzani radial engine, which were built for the Greek Navy in early 1914.

 

In January 1915, at least two of these Sopwith Pusher Floatplanes were converted to Landplanes, fitted with a Lewis machine gun mounted in the forward nose cockpit, and supplied to the Royal Naval Air Service ( RNAS ) for coastal patrols ( see attached photograph ), and it was these converted Sopwith Pusher Floatplanes which were the prototypes for the Sopwith ' Admiralty ' 860 Gun Buses subsequently built by Robey & Co. in Lincoln.

 

Of the 30 Sopwith ' Admiralty ' 860 Gun Buses built by Robey, one is known to have seen brief service in France, 16 were delivered to the RNAS at their bases in Detling, Eastchurch and Hendon for use on the Home Front, and by the time the remainder of the order were delivered to the RNAS in late 1915, the two-seater ' Pusher ' aircraft were largely obsolete, and so were used by the RNAS for spares.

 

The Sopwith ' Admiralty ' 860 Gun Bus had a crew of 2, a wingspan of 50 feet, and a length of 32 feet 6 inches. The 150 hp ' Sunbeam ' engine gave a maximum speed of 80 mph.

The armaments were a .303 Lewis gun mounted in the forward cockpit, and for bombing, bombs were fitted under the wings.

 

The Sopwith ' Admiralty ' 860 Gun Buses were withdrawn from service in mid-1916.

 

The first photograph shows one of the Sopwith Pusher Floatplanes powered by a 100 hp Anzani engine, which had been converted to a Landplane in January 1915, for Home Front service with the RNAS, which became the prototype for the later Sopwith ' Admiralty ' 860 Gun Buses built by Robey.

 

LF

 

 

 

This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

 

 

 

 

 

[Lancashire Fusilier]

The 2-seater ' Pusher ' ( rear facing propeller ) Sopwith ' Admiralty ' 860 Gun Bus, built by Robey & Co. at their Globe Works in Lincoln.

Also of note, the square flat radiator often seen on ' Pusher ' aircraft, mounted behind the crew's cockpits.

 

LF

 

 

 

IWM This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

 

Edited 10 September , 2016 by Lancashire Fusilier

[Lancashire Fusilier]

Technical drawing of the Sopwith ' Admiralty ' 860 Gun Bus, built by Robey & Co. at their Globe Works in Lincoln.

 

LF

 

 

 

This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

 

[Lancashire Fusilier]

The next photograph is extremely important, in that it shows the Sopwith ' Admiralty ' 860 Gun Buses under construction at Robey's spacious Globe Works on Canwick Road in Lincoln.

This photograph provides excellent details of the ' Pusher ' aircraft's fuselage and wing construction, and also confirms that at this point in the Sopwith ' Admiralty ' 860 Gun Bus' construction, the ' Sunbeam ' 150 hp V-8 side-valve, water-cooled, piston engine was already fitted.

 

LF

 

 

This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

 

 

 

[Lancashire Fusilier]

An historic and extremely interesting photograph, which was taken during the handing over of the first production model of the Sopwith ' Admiralty ' 860 Gun Bus manufactured by Robey & Co. in Lincoln to the Royal Naval Air Service ( RNAS ).

 

Those pictured from left to right are, Thomas Octave Murdoch ' Tommy ' Sopwith, the founder of the Sopwith Aviation Co., Australian born Harry George Hawker, who at the time this photograph was taken was Sopwith's Test Pilot, and following the liquidation of Sopwith Aviation in late 1920, Harry Hawker along with Tommy Sopwith, subsequently founded the H. G. Hawker Engineering Co. Ltd. ( later Hawker Aircraft ) and went on to design and manufacture some of the finest British aircraft, such as the Hawker Hurricane, Fury, Hunter and Harrier. Next is William T. Bell the Managing Director of Robey & Co., then two RNAS Officers, C. R. Abbot and J. O. Nicholl and finally, Mr. Hare who was the Foreman at Robey's Globe Works in Lincoln.

 

Also, pictured standing behind and between Harry Hawker and William Bell, is the aircraft designer James Arthur Peters, who was later to partner with Robey & Co., to design the Robey-Peters Fighting Machine.

 

It was Sopwith's Test Pilot, H. G. Hawker who piloted the first flight of a Sopwith ' Admiralty ' 860 Gun Bus, which took off from Lincoln Race Course on 21st May, 1915.

 

This photograph, also provides some nice details of the Sopwith ' Admiralty ' 860 Gun Bus seen in the background.

 

The price of each new Sopwith ' Admiralty ' 860 Gun Bus, was 1450 pounds.

 

LF

 

 

 

This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

I just revised the previous post to add some additional information regarding the event pictured, the identification of an additional person, the aircraft designer J. A. Peters, and also state the cost of each Sopwith ' Admiralty ' 860 Gun Bus, which was 1450 pounds.

I was also able to improve the quality of the photograph.

 

LF

[Lancashire Fusilier]

An excellent side-view of an RNAS ( Royal Naval Air Service ) Sopwith ' Admiralty ' 860 Gun Bus, giving nice details of the ' Pusher ' aircraft's rear-facing propeller.

Also of note, are the white RNAS work overalls being worn.

 

LF

 

 

This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

A nice photograph taken at the Royal Naval Air Service's Air Station at Eastchurch, Isle of Sheppey, Kent, showing an RNAS  Sopwith ' Admiralty ' 860 Gun Bus being prepared for take-off, with the Gun Bus' 150 hp ' Sunbeam ' engine running.

 

LF

 

 

This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

The Aviation and Royal Naval Air Service ( RNAS ) memorial at Eastchurch, Isle of Sheppey, Kent.

 

LF

 

 

This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

Centre panel details from the Aviation and RNAS memorial at Eastchurch, Isle of Sheppey, Kent.

 

LF

 

 

This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

To transport their aircraft, Robey & Co. used specially adapted ' Daimler ' flat-bed lorries mounted with wooden storage crates which contained the aircraft's wings, with the lorries also towing two-wheel trailers, similar to those used by the RFC., which were fitted with framework specifically designed to secure the aircraft's fuselage in place during transportation.

 

In the attached photograph, which is dated 20th February 1916, a convoy of Robey lorries and trailers are transporting two Sopwith ' Admiralty ' 860 Gun Buses Nos. 3845 & 3846, from the Robey factory in Lincoln to the RNAS Central Storage Depot at White City, London.

The convoy is parked, presumably for a crew rest break, during the road journey from Lincoln to London.

 

LF

 

 

 

This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

Edited 15 September , 2016 by Lancashire Fusilier

[Lancashire Fusilier]

Photograph showing details of Robey's ' Daimler ' aircraft wings transporter lorry and the trailer carrying the fuselage of Sopwith ' Admiralty ' 860 Gun Bus No. 3845.

 

LF

 

 

 

This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

Edited 15 September , 2016 by Lancashire Fusilier

[Lancashire Fusilier]

A detailed side-view of the Robey trailer transporting the Sopwith ' Admiralty ' 860 Gun Bus No. 3846.

 

LF

 

This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

Here is another photograph of the Robey convoy transporting 2 Sopwith ' Admiralty ' 860 Gun Buses from their factory in Lincoln to the RNAS Depot at White City.

 

The lorry transporting the aircraft's wings, shown on the right, has a distinctive plain bonnet with no bonnet vents and two desk drawer style bonnet handles.

The plain bonnet design was used by LGOC, AEC, Daimler and Commer, however, the design of the lorry's radiator top, rules out AEC and Daimler, leaving either LGOC or Commer.

As this lorry appears to have a rear-wheel chain-drive, that would fit with a Commer lorry.

 

LF

 

 

This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

The Robey-Peters Fighting Machine Type 1 & Type 2 

 

Another of Robey & Co's notable aircraft, although it never went into production, was the Robey-Peters Fighting Machine, which was intended for use by the RNAS/Royal Navy for both anti-Zeppelin and anti-U-Boat service.

The Robey-Peters Fighting Machine was named for the aircraft's joint-designers, Robey and the successful aircraft designer Mr. James Arthur Peters ( see post # 5440 ).

 

Two prototypes of the Robey-Peters Fighting Machine are known to have been built and test-flown, the first, Type 1 being Serial No. 9498 and the second prototype, Type 2 being Serial No. 9499.

 

Both Tractor ( forward facing propeller ) Bi-Plane prototypes were built at Robey's Globe Works in Lincoln, and powered by a single Rolls-Royce 250 hp V-12 ' Eagle ' piston engine.

 

Both the Type 1 and Type 2 Robey-Peters Fighting Machines had a crew of 3, a Pilot and 2 Gunners, and both types were designed to have 2 Nacelles or Cockpits fitted to the upper-wing section one on either side of the fuselage, from which on the Type 1, one Gunner would operate an American ' Davis ' Recoilless Gun from the Starboard-side ( right ), and the other Gunner would operate a .303 Lewis machine gun from the Port-side ( left ).

It was envisaged that the Starboard Gunner would armed with 10 rounds of ' Davis Gun ' 2 lb ammunition, while the Port Gunner would be armed with drums of .303 Lewis machine gun ammunition.

 

On the Type 2 Robey-Peters Fighting Machine, both the Port and Starboard Gunners would be armed with the American ' Davis ' Recoilless Gun.

 

On both the Type 1 & 2 Prototypes, the Pilot's cockpit was located to the rear of the fuselage, just forward of the aircraft's tail.

On the Type 2 Prototype, and to assist the Pilot's field of vision which was greatly restricted with the Pilot's cockpit being so far to the rear of the fuselage, small windows were set in the fuselage's side on both the port and starboard sides just below the Pilot's cockpit, through which the Pilot could view outwards and downwards.

 

The Robey-Peters Fighting Machine Type 1 had a completely different wing design to the Type 2, in that the Type 1's upper wing section was much longer than the lower wing section, with the upper-wing section having a wing-span of 54 feet 6 inches and a lower wing-span of 37 feet 10 inches.

 

Whereas on the Robey-Peters Fighting Machine Type 2,  both the upper and lower-wing spans were equal at 52 feet 6 inches, plus a fixed tail-fin was added in addition to the rudder.

 

The Robey-Peters Fighting Machine Type 1 prototype made it's successful maiden test flight from the Bracebridge Heath airfield near Lincoln in September 1916, and on it's second test flight the aircraft unfortunately overturned. Three days later on it's third test flight, the Type 1's engine caught fire and the aircraft crash landed.

 

On May 17,1917, again taking off from the Bracebridge Heath airfield, the Robey-Peters Prototype Type 2 made it's maiden test flight, however, the aircraft's engine stalled on take-off and the Type 2 crashed on the edge of the airfield.

 

Although the Robey-Peters Fighting Machine never went into production, as was the case with many of the early aircraft prototypes, valuable lessons were learned which were to greatly influence aircraft design and construction for many years to come.

 

In this first photograph, which is the only known photograph to exist of the Robey-Peters Fighting Machine Type 1, Serial No. 9498, the disparity between the upper and lower wing-spans on the Type 1, can be clearly seen.

Of note are the 2 Gunner's nacelle/cockpits fitted in the upper-wing section one on either side of the fuselage, with a ' Davis ' Recoilless Gun fitted in the starboard-side ( right ) nacelle/cockpit. Also of note, are the aircraft's swept back twin exhaust pipes.

This unique and historic photograph, was probably taken at Lincoln's Bracebridge Heath airfield at the time of the Type 1's maiden test flight in September 1916.

 

LF

 

 

This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

 

 

Edited 17 September , 2016 by Lancashire Fusilier