RFC/RNAS aircraft colours

[David Seymour]

I have been trying to discover the true colours used on these aircraft. The excellent pictures in Cross and Cockade journals were my starting point but I remain unsure as to what the colours really were. For example are the upper planes and fuselage dark green, olive, khaki, brown? Please can anyone help on this?

Many thanks and best wishes,

David

[Dolphin]

David

There's not an easy answer to your question, as the colour wasn't constant. The dope used for aircraft upper-surfaces on the Western Front was PC 10 (Protective Colouring No 10) and the pigments were natural oxide of iron (yellow ochre) and lamp black/carbon black, in the ratio of 250 to 1 (ochre is comparatively heavy and lamp black is very light); this prouced a dark brown mixture. To spread it on to aeroplane fabric, the mixture was added to cellulose or oil varnish, something that caused an optical effect known as 'green shift', which caused the doped area to look greenish under some light conditions. The degree of green shift varied depending on the type of varnish used. However, as the aeroplane was exposed to the elements, the green shift was reduced and it took on a definite dark brown appearance.

To add to the confusion, the colouring could vary between manufacturers, and even from batch to batch on aircraft made by the same manufacturer.

Aeroplanes destined for service in hotter climes were doped with PC12, which had a distinctive reddish-brown colour.

I hope that this helps.

Gareth

[David Seymour]

Gareth,

This helps a great deal. Many thanks.

So, the profiles in Cross and Cockade, showing them greenish, represent the aeroplanes straight from the factory, whereas the DH 4 on the cover of 2004 vol 1, which looks brown, has seen some action and has been around the airfields a bit?

Please can you let me know your source?

Many thanks,

David

[Dolphin]

David

Yes, I think that it's correct that new machines would have had more of a green tinge to them than aircraft that had been exposed to the elements.

There are lots of sources on aircraft colours, I had a quick look in the following:

Bombers 1914-1919 and Fighters 1914-1919 by Kenneth Munson;

Bombing Colours by Bruce Robertson;

The Camel File, The SE 5 File and The DH 4/DH 9 File by Ray Sturtivant and Gordon Page.

Regards

Gareth

[David Seymour]

Gareth,

Many thanks for that list. I'll have a look in the local library.

Best wishes,

David

[Terry_Reeves]

I'm no expert on WW1 aircraft, but I have a booklet entitled "Camouflage, '14 -'18 Aircraft" by O. G. Thetford dated 1943, published by The Harborough Publishing Company, Leicester. It has colour plates of Allied and German aircraft colours and markings along with many other details of WW1 machines , including weaponry and some squadron histories ect. This appears to have been published with model makers in mind. I understand that Owen Thetford was regarded as something of an expert in this area.

Terry Reeves

[squirrel]

In the Blandford pocket book series there are good illustrations and descriptions of the colours of WW1 Allied and German aircraft.

[Lorraine CJ]

According to a reliable source, the machines were a khaki-green (which just confirms everything Dolphin wrote), although apparently the undersides were beige. Does anyone know why the difference in shades?

Can anyone help me with this: if the name of a machine was painted on its side, which colour would have been chosen to make it more visible? White?

And, is there a more technical word for the dope used to cover aircraft with?

Thank you,

LCJ from Buenos Aires

[FAAAEd]

And, is there a more technical word for the dope used to cover aircraft with?

Some dopes used contained amyl acetone (or acetate) which gives that pear-drops smell familiar to any who have constructed balsa flying models. Lethal stuff if used without adequate ventilation.

[Lorraine CJ]

Thank you for your help, Petrol Pigeon.

[Dolphin]

LCJ

Aircraft were doped with a colour for two reasons. The first was to protect the linen fabric from damage by the sun's actinic rays, and the second was to assist in concealment. The PC10 'brown with a greenish tinge' and PC12 'reddish brown' colours worked well for both purposes.

The undersides of aeroplanes were, naturally, not subject to as much exposure to sunshine as the upper-surfaces, so they were often doped with a transparent covering that left them in their natural 'light creamy fawn' colour, often called Clear Doped Linen.

Unit markings (the geometric symbols on the fuselage) and individual markings (letters or numbers) on PC10 and PC12 doped aircraft were usually done in white, as this was the best colour to make them visible. RFC and RNAS units in the field usually had access to only red, white, blue and black paint.

I hope that this helps.

[FAAAEd]

LCJ

Aircraft were doped for two reasons.

Another reason; dope streatched and taughtened the fabric which helped to strengthen the structure, reduced drag and improved the integrity of the covering.

[Dolphin]

Another reason; dope streatched and taughtened the fabric which helped to strengthen the structure, reduced drag and improved the integrity of the covering.

PP

You're correct, of course. I went off on a tangent about coloured doping while ignoring the basic purpose. I've now made a small change to my earlier post.

Thanks for the reminder.

Gareth

[Doug Johnson]

According to 'Aircraft Camouflage and Markings 1907 -1954' by Bruce Robertson, first pub 1956, components were marked with such as B.C47881 C.C where C.C was the doping scheme. (it actually says see page 202 for the code letters but in my copy they are on page 231!)

Codes as follows;

A.A. Standard Collar co 'Armoid' A

B. Clarkes 'Britannia' Nitro Dope

B.B. Clarkes 'Britannia' B

C.A. Cellon Limited 'A'

C.B. Cellon Limited 'B'

C.C. Cellon Limited 'C'

C.D. Cellon Limited 'D'

C. Cellon Limited Nitro Dope (marked in red)

E.A. British Emaillite 'A'

E.B. British Emaillite 'B'

E.C. British Emaillite 'C' (4 Coats)

E.C.2 British Emaillite 'C' (3 coats)

E.C.2 British Emaillite Nitro dope (3 coats) (marked in blue)

N.A. Siebe, Gorman and Co 'Novellon' 'A'

N.D. Siebe, Gorman and Co 'Novellon' 'D'

R.A. Royal Aircraft Factory 'A'

T.A. British Aeroplane Varnish Co. 'Titanine' A

T.D. British Aeroplane Varnish Co. 'Titanine' Nitro D

"Dopes were altered several times owing to a shortage of certain solvents, necessitating a change in composition. Nitro Dopes were used from August 1917 to February 1918 due to a failure in the supply of Cellulose Acetate, for aircraft on home service or where danger from incendiary bullets did not arise, hence the additional coloured annotation."

The book is an excellent reference book. My copy was printed in 1966 and it incorporates the work in 'Camouflage , 1914-1918 Aircraft' published in 1943 as mentioned by Terrry Reeves.

Doug

[Lorraine CJ]

All of that was extremely useful.

My great uncle mentions in some letters that his Bristol Fighter had the name "Dominica" painted on its side, and as I'm writing a book about him, I wanted to have this little detail cleared. Knowledgeable people like yourselves would note this kind of silly mistakes immediately if you read it.

Thank you for your expertise,

LCj

[Dolphin]

LCJ

I just had a quick look in Above the Trenches, and saw that Capt Thomas Colvill-Jones was credited with victories while flying a number of Bristol Fighters (B1139 and B1122 in No 20 Sqn and C4864, C4831 and B1126 in No 48 Sqn). Was he able to have them all named Dominica?

I also had a quick look in British Aviation Squadron Markings in the hope that there might be a photograph of one of the Bristols used by your great uncle, but without success. It was close though! B1125 of No 20 Sqn is featured, and B1124 of No 48 Sqn.

I'll keep looking.

Gareth

[Lorraine CJ]

Dear Gareth,

Many thanks, and I would really appreciate it if you kept looking.

I'm pretty sure B1122 is the one with the name Dominica on it, but I had not even considered the possibility of the name being painted on others. I guess that was possible.

Where did you say you found all these photos? Are there any of the aerodromes? Mainly St. Marie Cappel and Bertangles are the ones that interest me.

Yours gratefully,

Lorraine

[Dolphin]

Lorraine

The book with the Bristol Fighter photos I looked at is British Aviation Squadron Markings of World War I by Les Rogers, ISBN 0 7643 1284 7. It concentrates on the aeroplanes, rather than the aerodromes from which they operated.

There are several pages, including photographs, about Bertangles aerodrome in Mike O'Connor's Airfields and Airmen - Somme, ISBN 0 85052 864 X.

I'll send you a Personal Message about some other sources that might interest you.

Regards

Gareth

[FAAAEd]

The Camel File, The SE 5 File and The DH 4/DH 9 File by Ray Sturtivant and Gordon Page.

Regards

Gareth

WRT the SE5 colours I found this in Mike O'Connor's Airfields and Airmen: Somme on page 54 where Cecil Lewis describes Ball setting out on his last patrol:

'The squadron sets out eleven strong on the evening patrol. Eleven chocolate-coloured, lean, noisy .........'

[AlanTB]

Check out jpsmodell.de, Product listing, JPS Colour. Then look under British, scroll down to the 1914 colours. This gives a nice little colour chart with dates etc. A good starting point.

Regards, Alan

[David Seymour]

Alan,

Many thanks,

David

[nieuport11]

Very late addition to this post, but just picking up on the name 'Dominica'

This was an official presentation aircraft resulting from a donation by the Government of Dominica, and not a personal name.

When the original gift aircraft was struck off the name was transferred to another aircraft.

The name was carried on four successive Bristol Fighters and was worn by the following machines:

Serial  Type  Date
1616  Vickers FB5  13.01.15  5 Sqdn
2362  RE7  08.01.16  19 Sqdn
5235  FE2b  15.04.16  23 Sqdn
7692  FE2b  27.09.16  18 Sqdn
A7180  Bristol Fighter  00.07.17  20 Sqdn
B1122  Bristol Fighter  19.09.17  20 Sqdn
E2453  Bristol Fighter  21.06.18  22 Sqdn
F4333  Bristol Fighter  31.12.18  62 Sqdn