Category: Great War Stories

Recent Posts
  • Flying the Albatros DVa – Thur 29th April 8pm

    Arguably, one of the most stylish aeroplanes of the Great War, the Albatros with its distinctive wooden monocoque fuselage looked every inch the part of a WW1 fighter. However, the early versions were plagued with structural failures and the later versions such as the WW1 Aviation Heritage Trust’s DVa turned in a very lacklustre performance belying their graceful appearance. However, with a powerful Mercedes Benz engine and two Spandau machine guns they were an effective weapons platform in hands of a skilful pilot. Find out what Jean Munn, Rob Gauld Galliers, and Stu Goldspink think as they have all flown the Albatros – Thur 29th April 8pm. This will be the third session of 12 to hosted by the WW1 AHT pilots The full programme can be found here. If you missed the first two sessions, a link to the recordings can be found in the programme. Each chat will cost £5 per head (ex VAT) and will last approx 75 min. To book your ticket for the third session – Flying the Albatros Dva click on the link

  • Flying the Snipe and the Camel – Thur 25th Mar 8pm

    Have you ever wondered what keeps the pilots busy when they are flying WW1 aircraft. Now is your chance to find out. Join us on Thur Mar 25th at 8pm to listen to some of the most experienced latter day WW1 pilots talk about the challenges and the fun of flying the Sopwith Snipe and Camel

  • Lt. Francis McNamara VC, Australian Flying Corps 10-19

    VICTORIA CROSS VINNERS OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR (Q 68088) Lieutenant Francis Hubert (Frank) McNamara VC, No. 1 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205315396 Supplement to the London Gazette on 8 June 1917 For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty during an aerial bomb attack upon a hostile construction train, when one of our pilots was forced to land behind the enemy’s lines. Lt. McNamara, observing this pilot’s predicament and the fact that hostile cavalry were approaching, descended to his rescue. He did this under heavy rifle fire and in spite of the fact that he himself had been severely wounded in the thigh. He landed about 200 yards from the damaged machine, the pilot of which climbed onto Lt. McNamara’s machine, and an attempt was made to rise. Owing, however, to his disabled leg, Lt. McNamara was unable to keep his machine straight, and it turned over. The two officers, having extricated themselves, immediately set fire to the machine and made their way across to the damaged machine, which they succeeded in starting. Finally Lt. McNamara, although weak from loss of blood, flew this machine back to the aerodrome, a distance of seventy miles, and thus completed his comrade’s rescue. The drama of this brave episode is not entirely captured by the citation. McNamara and his wing man were flying Martinsydes armed with bombs made from converted artillery shells. One of these bombs detonated prematurely as he was trying to bomb a train badly damaging his aircraft and injuring him in the right thigh. As he climbed out from the attack he noticed that one of the BE2cs that they had been escorting was on the ground with Turkish cavalry approaching who were known to pay little attention to the concept of prisoners of war. Having crashed trying to get airborne with his fellow pilot sitting on the wing of his Martinsyde, McNamara then extracted himself from the cockpit and got back to the BE2 by which time the cavalry were in rifle range. The BE had been damaged during the bombing runs and the subsequent emergency landing – bracing wires broken, a tyre had come off, and a drum of Lewis gun ammunition wedged under the rudder bar. Those of you who have witnessed more recent attempts to start a BE in a hurry without any distractions will be aware of what a lottery it is. However, McNamara not only got the badly damaged back in the air but then flew it for over an hour back to base and landed safely. His ordeal was not over as he then nearly died when he got back from a reaction to a hastily administered tetanus jab and he got burned when attempts to revive his circulation using preheated bricks touched his bare skin. He survived the War and went on to serve with distinction in WW2 retiring in 1946.

  • Sergeant Thomas Mottershead VC RFC

    For most conspicuous bravery, endurance and skill, when attacked at an altitude of 9,000 feet; the petrol tank was pierced and the machine set on fire. Enveloped in flames, which his Observer, Lt. Gower was unable to subdue, this very gallant soldier succeeded in bringing his aeroplane back to our lines, and though he made a successful landing, the machine collapsed on touching the ground, pinning him beneath wreckage from which he was subsequently rescued. Though suffering extreme torture from burns, Sgt. Mottershead showed the most conspicuous presence of mind in the careful selection of a landing place, and his wonderful endurance and fortitude undoubtedly saved the life of his Observer. He has since succumbed to his injuries. No. 29937″. The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 February 1917. p. 1445. On 7 January 1917, Acting Flight Sergeant Thomas Mottershead was on patrol near Armentieres in FE2d of No 20 Squadron. He had just returned from leave and had to contend with a late change of aircraft delaying his departure. Once on patrol at 10000 ft, he and his wingman met a pair of Albatros (DIII). Having despatched one Albatros, the other flown by Vizefeldwebel Walter Gottsch opened fire from below and behind Mottershead’s FE2d and set the fuel tank on fire quickly setting the clothing of the unfortunate pilot alight – every pilot’s nightmare. Already a holder of the Distinguished Conduct medal for destroying an ammunition train and an Eindecker in one sortie in November 1916 while flying an FE2b, Mottershead was the only non-commissioned officer to be awarded the Victoria Cross for valour in the air.

  • Albatros G-WAHT displays at Stow Maries

    The skies over Essex last Sunday reverberated to the sound of WW1 Aviation Heritage Trust’s Albatros taking to the skies in mock combat with the Trusts Nieuport 17. The Albatros was flown by JeanMichel Munn and the Nieuport by its owner John Gilbert

  • Sopwith Snipe Control Grip

    This is a Sopwith Snipe control grip and pretty much in line with British grips throughout the 2 wars with two slight differences. Contrary to later Spitfire and Hurricane grips the guns could be fired individually and the firing button with an integrated safety catch came later and most probably for very good reason. The levers would engage an interuptor gear which would in turn fire the guns avoiding hitting ones own propeller.  The little hole at the top of the grip is a blip switch (really more a button). This is a common feature in rotary engines to temporarily stop it from creating power by switching off the magneto. This is the cause of the typical engine revv’ing sounds when a rotary-engined aircraft is taxying or coming in for a landing.

  • Lieutenant W Leefe Robinson VC RFC

    “For most Conspicuous bravery. He attacked an enemy airship under circumstances of great difficult and danger, and sent it crashing to the ground as a flaming wreck. He had been in the air for more than two hours and had previously attacked another airship during his flight.”London Gazette, 5th September 1916 This VC needs little further explanation than his post flight report. Flying for 3 .5 hours at night on his own and at heights that the BE2 could only just reach, it is an incredible tale! REPORT ON NIGHT PATROLFrom: Lieut. Robinson Sutton’s FarmTo: The Officer Commanding 39 H.D. Squadron.Sir, I have the honour to make the following report on Night Patrol made by me on the night of the 2nd-3rd instant. I went up at about 11.8 p.m. on the night of the 2nd with instructions to patrol between Sutton’s Farm and Joyce Green. I climbed to 10,000 feet in 53 minutes, I counted what I thought were ten sets of flares there were a few clouds below me but on the whole it was a beautifully clear night. I saw nothing till 1.10 a.m. when two searchlights picked up a Zeppelin about S.E. of Woolwich. The clouds had collected in this quarter and the searchlights had some difficulty in keeping on the aircraft. By this time I had managed to climb to 12,900 feet, and I made in the direction of the Zeppelin which was being fired on by a few anti-aircraft guns hoping to cut it off on its way eastward. I very slowly gained on it for about ten minutes I judged it to be about 800 feet below me and I sacrificed my speed in order to keep the height. It went behind some clouds avoided the searchlights and I lost sight of it. After 15 minutes fruitless search I returned to my patrol. I managed to pick up and distinguish my flares again. At about 1.50 a.m. I noticed a red glow in N.E. London. Taking it to be an outbreak of fire I went in that direction. At 2.5 a.m. a Zeppelin was picked up by the searchlights over N.N.E. London (as far as I could judge). Remembering my last failure I sacrificed height (I was still 12,900 feet) for speed and made nose down in the direction of the Zeppelin. I saw shells bursting and night tracer shells flying around it. When I drew closer I noticed that the anti-aircraft aim was too high or too low; also a good many some 800 feet behind a few tracers went right over. I could hear the bursts when about 3,000 feet from the Zeppelin. I flew about 800 feet below it from bow to stern and distributed one drum along it (alternate New Brock and Pomeroy). It seemed to have no effect; I therefore moved to one side and gave it another drum distributed along its side without apparent effect. I then got behind it (by this time I was very close-500 feet or less below) and concentrated one drum on one part (underneath rear) I was then at a height of 11,500 feet when attacking Zeppelin. I hardly finished the drum before I saw the part fired at glow. In a few seconds the whole rear part was blazing. When the third drum was fired there were no searchlights on the Zeppelin and no anti-aircraft was firing. I quickly got out of the way of the falling blazing Zeppelin and being very excited fired off a few red Verey lights and dropped a parachute flare. Having very little oil and petrol left I returned to Sutton’s Farm, landing at 2.45 a.m. On landing I found I had shot away the machine gun wire guard, the rear part of the centre section and had pierced the rear main spar several times. I have the honour to be Your obedient servant W. L. Robinson, Lieut. No. 39 Sqdn. R.F.C.

  • Fokker DVII – Update 3-5 Fuel and Oil Tanks

    This was placed behind the engine and inconveniently in front of the pilot directly under the ammunition boxes. This lead to several cases of self-destruction in the hot summer of 18 as the phosphorus ammunition used as tracers/anti balloon ammunition self-ignited burning through the boxes and the tank with a subsequent unwelcome pyrotechnic display. Only when a German pilot managed to luckily avoid the full catastrophe counter measures were taken. In the show and tell about the fuel gauge I have referred to a float mechanism which is also presented here. The gauge is an original Fokker DVII Maximall fuel gauge and you can clearly see the idea behind the mechanism in the picture. The float is set up in a tube and connected to the gauge indicator with a piece of string. Needless, to say inverted flying or actually anything but level flight might just give you a somewhat unreliable reading.

  • Vice Admiral Bell Davies VC, CB,DSO, AFC

    The King has been graciously pleased to approve of the grant of the Victoria Cross to Squadron Commander Richard Bell Davies, D.S.O., R.N., and of the Distinguished Service Cross to Flight Sub-Lieutenant Gilbert Formby Smylie, R.N., in recognition of their behaviour in the following circumstances. On the 19th November, these two officers carried out an air attack on Ferrijik Junction. Flight sub-Lieutenant Smylie’s machine was received by very heavy fire and brought down. The pilot planed down over the station, releasing all his bombs except one, which failed to drop, simultaneously at the station from a very low altitude. Thence he continued his descent into the marsh. On alighting he saw one unexploded bomb, and set fire to his machine, knowing that the bomb would ensure its destruction. He then proceeded towards Turkish territory. At this moment he perceived Squadron Commander Davies descending, and fearing that he would come down near the burning machine and thus risk destruction from the bomb, Flight Sub-Lieutenant Smylie ran back and from a short distance exploded the bomb by means of a pistol bullet. Squadron Commander Davies descended at a safe distance from the burning machine, took up Sub-Lieutenant Smylie, in spite of the near approach of a party of the enemy, and returned to the aerodrome, a feat of airmanship that can seldom have been equalled for skill and gallantry. London Gazette Supplement 86, 1 January 1916 Bell Davies had a very lively career in the RNAS surviving the Great War and rising to the rank of Vice Admiral by 1941 whereupon he joined the RNR on retirement as a Commander serving as a Convoy Commodore until 1944. A man who served his country with distinction in both Wars.  He was part of the RNAS’s aggressive forward defence posture forward based in France under Commander Sansom in the war of manoeuvre that existed in the Autumn of 1914.  The Commander had in his band of what today would be a group of ‘technicals’ (trucks with machine guns mounted on the back) frequently vectored on to German columns by Bell Davies on reconnaissance in a Farman. Bell Davies won his DSO for repeated attacks on the German submarines’ base at Zeebrugge despite being seriously wounded in the thigh.  The RNAS in France were also charged with attacking the Zeppelins for which Flt Lt Warneford won his VC by bombing one over Belgium in Jun 1915 so it was a busy year for the members of 3 Squadron RNAS.  In April they embarked for Gallipoli and by October Bulgaria had joined the Central Powers providing a land route for resupply of German forces in the Dardanelles.  By this time, flying a Nieuport 12, the amazing story of 13 November above unfolded.  The Nieuport that Bell Davies was flying that day was a two seaters converted to a single seater with the front cockpit permanently faired over.  For those of you who have seen our Nieuport owned by John Gilbert the challenge of getting the 6-foot Smylie into the cockpit would appear insurmountable.  Bell Davies stood up and Smylie dived through the controls to the front cockpit.  On their safe arrival, it took 2 hours to get him out.

  • German Ignition Switch

    This is the standard German ignition switch/key assembly. This item was a standard feature in all German aircraft during WWI. It came in two versions – for one magnet (rotary) or two (all inline engines). The pilot was able to select off, 1st magnet, 2nd magnet (for testing during pre-flight) or both (standard setting during flight). The lever was removable but standard across all switches making life for the airfield guards that little bit more interesting but also avoiding the missed dawn patrol due to a lost key.

About WW1AHT

WW1 Aviation Heritage Trust Ltd

We intend to provide an enduring flying collection of World War I Allied and German aircraft based in the UK flying from heritage sites like Stow Maries Great War Aerodrome.

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With thanks to Darren Harbar, Huw Hopkins, Leigh Smith and Russell Savory for their magnificent photographs

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