|
Date: |
|
Description: | British officer served as pilot and aerial photographer with No 1 Sqdn Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force on Western Front, 1915-1918
REEL 1: Background in GB: story of enlisting with Public Schools Bn and attempting to transfer to Royal Flying Corps; story of obtaining civilian pilot’s licence at Brooklands aerodrome; description of flying training; further flying training at Central Flying School; question of adequate training and flying hours prior to active service; posted to No 1 Sqdn Royal Flying Corps, 3/1915; story of flying from Farnborough to Folkestone. Aspects of operations with No 1 Sqdn Royal Flying Corps on Western Front, 3/1915-: description of camera used for photographic reconnaissance; problem of flying aircraft and taking photographs; question of altitude to avoid gunfire from ground; focusing of camera; photographic lorry attached to each squadron for developing plates; time taken to develop plates; liaison with artillery; communication with ground; codes; map references.
REEL 2 Continues: liaison with infantry; description of shell bursts; photographic reconnaissance and interpretation; location of camera in aircraft; problem of communication between pilot and observer and technical innovations; armaments in aircraft; opinion of Fokker Eindecker; description of Lewis and Vickers machine guns; problem of slipstream; comparison of lifestyle of airmen and infantry; role in preparations for Battle of Somme, 1916; monitoring progress of infantry; memories of opening day of Battle of Somme, 1/Jul/1916; liaison with artillery batteries using one aircraft; location of No 1 Sqdn.
REEL 3 Continues: Aspects of period in GB, 1916-1917: further flying and gunnery training; description of coastal railway line; posted to Ypres salient, Belgium, spring 1917. Aspects of operations with No 1 Sqdn Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force on Western Front, 1917-1918: morale; comparison of flying across lines in 1915 and later in war; reorganisation of Royal Flying Corps; opinion of Sopwith Pup; reaction to introduction of monoplanes; role in testing new French aircraft; opinion of Spad and Nieuport; attitude to formation of Royal Air Force, 4/1918; various memories of Trenchard; opinion of air aces; attitude to German air aces; question of Germans using photo reconnaissance; attitude to rating of air aces; question of confirming kills. | Publisher: | http://www.iwm.org.uk | Source: | Imperial War Museum | Creator: | McCall, Geoffrey | Identifier: | http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/o... | Go to resource |
|
More Like this...
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
recording
Australian officer served flying Sopwith…
|