Description
Object description
British civilian trained as pilot at Hall School of Flying, Hendon, GB, 1914-1915; officer served with Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, 1915-1917; served as pilot with Royal Flying Corps in combined Royal Flying Corps/Royal Naval Air Service Sqdn in Italy, 1918; served with air element of Elope Expeditionary Force in North Russia, 8/1918-12/1918
Content description
REEL 1 Background in London and Hendon, GB, 1897-1914: interest in flying stimulated by Hendon Aerodrome; sight of early parachute jump. Recollections of period of civilian flying training at Hall School of Flying, Hendon, GB, 1914-1915: restricted flying due to weather; engine throttle switch; taxiing practise in Caudron aircraft around aerodrome; reaction at school to his flying lessons; leaving school and move into lodgings; layout of Hendon Aerodrome; relations between different flying schools.
REEL 2 Continues: stories relating to John Hall, Clarence Winchester and Claude Grahame-White; glamour of flying; air shows and pylon air races; view of engine and aircraft being destroyed during testing of inventor's unusual propeller; opinion of Geoffrey de Haviland who tested his own aircraft designs; character of Frederick Handley Page; flying characteristics of Caudron.
REEL 3 Continues: effects of castor oil; different types of Caudron aircraft; story of John Hall escaping injury in crash landing; low-level flights and practising aerodynamically dangerous flat turns without banking around airfield; minor collision with pylon; passing test and award of pilot's certificate; rejection at interview for entrance into Royal Flying Corps for being over flying maximum weight. Aspects of period of flying training as officer with Royal Flying Corps at Royal Flying Corps Station Harlaxton, GB, 1917: initial rejection of applications to transfer to Royal Flying Corps from Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, 1915-1916; instructor's realisation he had flown before; learning bank turns; crash landing through confusion with instructor as to who was controlling aircraft; flying characteristics of Maurice Farnam MF.7 Longhorn.
REEL 4 Continues: dual instruction methods; flying characteristics of Martinsyde Scout 1 and Airco DH.4; forced landing in Airco DH.4 and crash landing on subsequent take off. Recollections of period with Royal Flying Corps/Royal Naval Air Service Sqdn at Gallarate, Italy, 1918: reception; Italian pupil pilots' unwillingness to fly; relations with Royal Naval Air Service personnel; instruction in technique of flying multi-engine Caproni Ca.3 and Caproni Ca.14 triplane; air speed indicator.
REEL 5 Continues: flying characteristics of Caproni aircraft; evaluation of Caproni aircraft's performance over mountain area; relations with Italian officers in officers' mess. Aspects of volunteering to join Elope Expeditionary Force in GB, 7/1918: briefing at Hotel Cecil, London; period at Blandford Camp where deliberately failed commissioned pilots were held under punishment regime; first news of posting to Russia at Newcastle upon Tyne. Recollections of period as pilot with Elope Expeditionary Force in Russia, 8/1918-12/1918: voyage to Murmansk and composition of volunteer force aboard; briefing as to training role; situation on entry into Murmansk Harbour.
REEL 6 Continues: fortification of quayside area; skirmish with Cossacks; opening fire on boat from Russian warship; relations with local White Russian forces; situation on move to Archangel; locating airfield at Bakaritza; use of train as accommodation; rations; difficulty in setting CC Interrupter Gear and story of accidentally forcing Bolshevik Russian aircraft to surrender whilst shooting own propeller off; problems with bomb racks and story of landing with bomb not properly secured; use of Cooper Bomb containing phosphorous for ground attack.
REEL 7 Continues: experimentation in quarry to discover correct methods of fusing bombs; reconnaissance role during advance along railway line; carrying messages between different areas; Bolshevik Russian defensive camps at railway stations and use of armoured train; story of attack on train whilst moving between stations; low-level bombing of stations; attack on Bolshevik Russian observation post; artillery observation duties including failure to locate fall of shot and methods of communication; photographic reconnaissance mission; question of reaction to Bolshevik Russian treatment of prisoners of war.
REEL 8 Continues: move close to front line at Obozerskaya; clearing of airfield; effects on operations of winter weather, 11/1918-12/1918; withdrawal of French troops in reaction to news of Armistice, 11/11/1918.
