Aero Squadron facilities during WW1

[Adrian Roberts]

There were a number of instances where a mechanic went on to pilot training. The best known of these would be Major J T B McCudden VC ,

Thomas Mottershead VC was also a mechanic before becoming a pilot, and was still an NCO at the time of his death as a result of his VC action.

[Dolphin]

My question is:  Even after the advent of the synchronized gun did pilots and observers ever carry side arms aloft?  If so, what type of handgun would this typically be? 

Gary

Observers were armed with machine guns, mainly the Hotchkiss and the Lewis for the Allies and the 'Parabellum' for the Germans, before the intricacies of synchronisation through the propeller. Hence, there was no great change for the man in the rear cockpit (or the front cockpit in one of the BE 2 series).

Airmen did sometimes carry sidearms, primarily for self-defence in the event of a landing behind enemy lines. The well known 'balloon-buster' Lt Frank Luke of the 27th Aero Squadron USAS, had a Colt pistol with him when he was brought down wounded on 29 September 1918. He used the pistol to either signal his position to German troops or to fight on to his death (accounts vary).

Other airmen were known to carry a pistol in order to cut short the agony if their aircraft was set on fire during combat. The firearms would probably have been standard service revolvers such as the British Webley. The photograph below shows the armoury of a British two-seater squadron: there are Lewis guns in racks at the rear, while Webleys and Verey flare pistols are hanging from the rafters.

I hope this helps.

Gareth

[Guest Gary Davidson]

Gareth --

Thank you. You answered my question and more (as usual). That’s quite a remarkable photograph by the way. Where is it from? The setting is so well “designed’ at first I assumed it was a still of a movie set. Quite a well-stocked little armory they had for themselves.

You were talking about trainees earlier. Were replacement pilots (new recruits) held in some sort of “pool” until assignments opened up on flight lines along the front?

Also, could a new recruit request a particular squadron? For example, if he wanted to be assigned to the same squadron as a father or brother already serving as a pilot, would that ever be accommodated?

Finally, what is the fewest flying hours you have ever heard a recruit having before being sent to the front? I know the requirements became less and less as the need for pilots grew and the war wore on beyond everyone's expectations.

Gary

[Dolphin]

Gary

The photo came from the book The First of the Few that I mentioned in an earlier post.

New RFC pilots sent to France from the UK went to a base depot, or Pilot's Pool, which was at St Omer in 1915-1916, and then at Marquise. It was moved as the landing ground at St Omer wasn't large enough to accommodate the larger and faster machines of the later period of the War. About half the pilots ferried new aeroplanes when they went to France, the others travelled by cross-Channel ship with the rest of the Army. Once at the Pool, the newcomers waited for a vacancy in a squadron operating the type of machine they had been taught to fly (or something similar). Cecil Lewis's Sagittarius Rising has a good description of this part of an airman's progress.

Pilots could request postings to particular units, but the chance of success wasn't great - they were there to be used where the RFC most needed them. I doubt that any pilot would have had a father serving as a pilot, as a man old enough to have a pilot son (therefore a person in his late teens) would have been considered to be very old for front line service.

I've read of pilots being sent to France with something like 10 hours flying time during the desperate days of April 1917. The average for 1917 was 17 hours, but by 1918 the average had improved to 50 hours, due to innovations such as better training using the Smith-Barry instruction methods and the development of Schools of Aerial Fighting. As the War progressed, it was realised that better trained pilots were much more likely to last longer when they reached the front.

I hope this answers your questions.

Gareth

[Guest Pete Wood]

The RFC normally used P&M and Douglas motorcycles and the RNAS normally used Sunbeam and Douglas.

Of course, anything could turn up and be pressed into service. I think I've seen a photo of a Norton being used.

Mike

True. You may recall the story (on the forum, last year) of the recruit who, when he enlisted, brought his own motorcycle when he was sent to France in 1914.

If you look at the adverts for officers' equipment, from private companies, there must have been a lot of 'unofficial' (better?) kit being used by those who could afford it.

[Guest Gary Davidson]

To all --

I’d like to thank everyone who contributed to this most enlightening (for me at least) thread. I discovered a lot I didn’t know. And I am now aware of the resources I need to find out more. As a result of this thread several more WW1 books have gone onto my “must have” list.

“Hats off” to the flyboys of the War In The Air forum!

Gary