Description
Object description
British seaman served aboard armed yachts HMS Zarefah and HMS Sagitta at Lowestoft, GB, 1914; officer served with Royal Naval Air Service in GB, 1914-1915; served with No 2 Wing, Royal Naval Air Service on Imbros and Thasos Islands, Greece, 1915-1916; served with Royal Naval Air Service in GB, 1916-1917; served with Armament Experimental Station, RAF at Orfordness, GB, 1918
Content description
REEL 1 Recollections of service as ordinary seaman aboard HMS Zarefah (Armed Yacht No 1) and HMS Sagitta (Minesweeper No 01) at Lowestoft, GB, 8/1914-9/1915: composition of crew; duties as Admiral Edward Charlton's flagship for East Coast Minesweeper Sqdn; competence of crew; question of destroyers' lack of seagoing consideration for yachts. Recollections of flying training as officer with Royal Naval Air Service at Royal Naval Air Service Station Chingford, GB, 9/1915-10/1915: reasons for joining Royal Naval Air Service; prior recollection of attending course at Naval Navigation School, Portsmouth; dual training with Bristol Boxkite.
REEL 2 Continues: dual and solo training on Bristol Boxkite; naval discipline; mess traditions; cross-country flight; opinion of Maurice Farman Longhorn, Avro 504K, Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c and Curtiss JN-4 Jenny; initial difficulty flying Bristol Scout due to 6ft 3" height; passing pilot's certificate; forced landing in Bleriot.
REEL 3 Continues: period at Royal Naval Air Station Dover,11/1915. Recollections of operations as pilot with No 2 Wing, Royal Naval Air Service, Imbros, Greece, 12/1915-4/1916: journey out; difficulties in judging perspective on landing; forced landing due to engine failure; patrols over Dardanelles looking for Imperial German Navy battleship SMS Goeben; artillery spotting for monitors and air turbulence from shells; German air attacks on base; story of fight with Fokker D.I whilst spotting in Voisin LA.S and consequent forced landing at emergency airfield at Cape Helles, Galllipoli, Turkey; refusal of permission to destroy aircraft due to ongoing evacuation, 8/1/1916.
REEL 4 Continues: ineffectiveness of Turkish shell fire during evacuation from W Beach, Gallipoli, Turkey, 8/1/1916; armaments carried on Nieuport 11 Scout and Bristol Scout; flying characteristics and problems in landing Nieuport 11 Scout; fight with Fokker D.I whilst flying Bristol Scout; monitor bombardments; adaptations to Bristol Scout to improve performance and consequent poor landing characteristics; use of packing case huts; centipedes; sheltering from air raids in unfilled grave.
REEL 5 Continues: living conditions. Recollections of period as officer with No 2 Wing, Royal Naval Air Service, Thasos, Greece, 4/1916-10/1916: difficult first landing at airfield; relations with French Air Force unit; petrol bombs used in raids to destroy Bulgarian crops; dangers of flying over mountains; bomb racks; difficulties in spotting for monitors; story of accidentally bombing Greek unit; extra bombs carried by Serbian pilot.
REEL 6 Continues: story of Serbian pilot's crash landing; emergency take offs in attempt to counter air raids; fly problem; malaria and dysentery attacks and consequent return to GB; question of conditions during period with suspected malaria in Royal Naval Hospital Haslar, Gosport, GB, 1916-1917. Recollections of period as executive officer at Royal Naval Air Service Station Redcar, GB, 1917-1918: role; disadvantages of including non-flying personnel in flight organisation; methods employed in making up shortages discovered in potato store.
REEL 7 Continues: hut inspection competition to improve morale; relations with Commander Charles Samson; criteria employed as member of Royal Naval Air Service officers selection board meetings held in London; continued monitoring of suspected malaria. Aspects of period at Royal Flying Corps Hospital, Mount Vernon, Northwood, GB, 1918: successful experimental use of Flavine injection; question of role of lice in causing trench fever; examples of shell shock cases.
REEL 8 Recollections of period as officer with Armament Experimental Station, RAF at Orford Ness, GB, 1918: role and composition of unit; experiments in testing parachutes for longevity, effects of bullets, efficiency of different packing methods and use for landing pigeon crates; experiments to determine best explosives for use in anti-submarine bombs.
REEL 9 Continues: experiments in night photography; test of aircraft armour against impact with balloon cables; experiments in night navigation; mixed nature of scientific and Royal Air Force personnel; story of failed attempt on altitude record.