RAF ground crew in WWI

[Rog123]

Hello,

does anyone have any information on the size of the RAF between 1914 and 1918 in terms of both air(how many squadrons both at home and abroad?) and ground crew/staff.I understand that during the second world war,RAF groundcrew/staff outnumbered aircrew by something like 10 to 1.Was this the same kind of ratio during WWI?

Also how many airfields were operating in France and were they situated some way from the front?

Thanks for any information

Ron

[per ardua per mare per terram]

It's a bad idea to project ideas from WW2 back onto WW1. The definitions were more fluid in WWI. For example ground crew could become aircrew much easier in WWI, James McCudden being the most famous example, but it happened in all theatres. The ratios also changed over the course of the war; in the first days there were more pilots (let alone other aircrew) than aircraft! Using McCudden's initial sqn there are no indications as to who were grond crew and who were air crew; from other sources I know that his brother William was a sergeant pilot, but there is no idication wherther he and the other sgts were all pilots. There are also no hints as to which were the mechanics that flew to France and those who went overland, nor how often they flew after that. There is not a hint on RNAS service records as to who were aircrew, I have not found any RFC other ranks papers at all. The RAF papers mention air gunners and observers, but I do not think that there were other specific grades, even though others (like fitters did fly). There were not rigid distinctions.

The RFC & RAF did seem to have been rigid about squadron definitions, but the RNAS units were far more fluid. Are you only asking about lighter than air craft or kite balloons and airship squadrons too? If you miss out the latter you will not get an accurate picture of the anti submarine defences. For RAF Squadraons the details are in Wg Cmdr C G Jefford MBE, RAF Sqns. It also shows where they were all were located. Sturtivant and Page, Royal Navy Aircraft Serials and Units 1914-1919 gives details of traced RNAS units and their successors.

[per ardua per mare per terram]

Ground crew could vary enormously between the different craft. Kite balloons, for example, were very labour intensive. For most of the war there was a limited weight:power ratio for aircraft so air crews were small but the demands on ground crews were large. There were few types of craft capable of being more than 2 seaters, but all required large numbers of carpenters, fitters, armourers. Some of these may go up in the "bus" either for the experience or to learn what happened in the air. Would you then regard them as ground or air crew?