Goddard, Robert Victor (Oral history)

British cadet served at Dartmouth College, GB, 1910-1914; officer served aboard HMS Britannia, Grand Fleet in GB coastal waters, 1914-1915; trained as balloon and airship pilot with Royal Naval Air Service in GB, 1915; served as SS Airship pilot patrolling over English Channel and based at Capel le Ferne, GB, 1915-1916; served with SS40 on detachment with Royal Flying Corps on Western Front, 1916; served with Coastal Airship C27 patrolling over North Sea and based at Pulham, GB, 1917; served with North Sea Airship NS5 and Rigid Airship 24 based at East Fortune, GB, 1917; served aboard HMS Indomitable, Battle Cruiser Fleet in GB coastal waters, 1917-1918; served with R23 based at Pulham, GB, 1918; served with R80 based at Walney Island, GB, 1918. Involved in preparations for R34 to fly across Atlantic, 1918-1919

REEL 1 Recollections of sponsoring Cadet Leonard Robinson's bomb sight invention whilst attending Dartmouth College, 1912: negative reaction of Admiralty; method of working bomb sight. Recollections of service as Midshipman aboard HMS Britannia , 1914-1915: Zeppelin bombing attack on HMS Britannia at Hepburn upon Tyne, including effects of bombing, subsequent confused investigation and dismissal of seriousness of bombing threat to armoured ships; background to orders to report for special service to AdmiraltyHouse, London, 4/1915, including volunteering at private meeting with captain, ignorance of nature of posting, send off party in gunroom, sealed orders to report to Second Sea Lord Admiral Hamilton at Admiralty; meeting other selected midshipman on train journey. REEL 2 Continues: Recollections of reporting to Admiralty, 4/1915: initial difficulties in seeing Hamilton; meeting Fisher and his opinions on junior officers and Nelson; reactions to news they were posted to fly airships and reasons for posting of midshipmen to Royal Naval Air Service. Recollections of balloon flying training during period at Grove House, Roehampton Lane, London, 5/1915: officers' messing arrangements; Royal Naval Air Service uniform insignia; comparison of conditions of service with life aboard ship; informal nature of officers' mess; pre-war balloon flying based at Hurlingham Club. REEL 3 Continues: pre-war balloon flying based at Hurlingham Club; role of naval ratings in preparing balloons for flight; leisurely nature of training; inflation and attachment of basket; flying instruments; balloon fabric; use of trail rope and grapnel; take off and initial impressions; comparison of balloons and airships; use of gas valve and ballast and effects temperature variation on buoyancy; application of balloon flying skills to airships; ballast used. REEL 4 Continues: importance of conserving gas; use of trail rope in landing; amusing story of farmer tying up trail rope to 'capture' balloon he thought to be German; amusing stories illustrating difficulties in landing. Aspects of period as airship pilot Kingsnorth , 6/1915: theoretical training in airships; practical training in building airship and use of BE2 aircraft bodies as airship cars;; methods of trimming and controlling airships; dual and solo flying training. REEL 5 Continues: Aspects of period at Walney Island, Barrow in Furness, 7/1915-10/1915: background to airship construction by Vickers at Walney Island; reports as to cause and effects of destruction through mishandling of Mayfly on maiden flight, 1911; size of Royal Naval Air Service establishment; role during construction of SS Airships; routine flights including take off procedure, methods of trimming airship. REEL 6 Continues: routine flights including method of trimming airship and use of trail ropes during landing; method of guiding airship into hangar and ineffective windscreens employed; problems in landing airships. Recollections of period as SS Airship pilot patrolling over English Channel based at Capel le Ferne, 11/1915-3/1916: anti-submarine role of airships; hangers adapted to take SS Airships; question of adequacy of training and relevance of naval small boat experience to airship handling. REEL 7 Continues: question of adequacy of training and relevance of naval small boat experience to airship handling; role of wireless operator/observer in SS Airships, flying instruments, controls and navigation aids; cold flying conditions; dual control adaptation; anti-submarine defences in Straits of Dover; anti-submarine defences in English Channel, routine and role of airship patrols including improbability of sighting German submarines and inability to attack them. REEL 8 Continues: variable duration of patrols; question of navigational difficulties; use of dummy bombs; Lindemann's development of binoculars with polarised lenses to reduce glare reflected from sea; impressions of Lindemann; hangers adapted to take SS Airships; origins of term 'blimp' for airships and its subsequent widespread usage; status as airship pilot within RNAS; unwitting role in defending Dover from air attack. REEL 9 Recollections of preparing SS40 for night flight to France during period at Polegate, 4/1916-5/1916: prior problems with SS13; practice night flying; black camouflage colouring employed; concealable identification roundels; rudder adaptation and problem during test flight; planned role in dropping and collecting agents across German lines. Recollections of period as officer attached to Royal Flying Corps at Bouvers sur Canche, France, 5/1916-11/1916: erection of portable hanger; Royal Naval Air Service personnel and assistance provided by army; meetings with Brooke-Popham and Trenchard and reaction to restricted altitude of SS40; modifications to give SS40 greater altitude in GB. REEL 10 Continues: impressions of Trenchard and his reaction to Goddard's age; question of effectiveness of night reconnaissance flights; relationship with Sub Lieutenant Chambers W P C and question not being allowed to carry out operational flights; confusion caused by Royal Naval as opposed to Royal Naval Air Service uniform and pride in Royal Naval status; reasons for abandonment of role in dropping agents behind German lines; reactions to vulnerability of airships to being shot down; question of 'friendly' ground fire and ruse in singing loudly at low altitudes to emphasise airship was British. REEL 11 Aspects of period as officer with Royal Naval Air Service at Kingsnorth, 12/1916-3/1917: construction of Coastal Airships; continued modifications for night flying to SS 40; Commanders Osborne and Ireland's fatal experiment with aircraft-carrying airship to counter Zeppelin raids. Recollections of period in command of C27 at Pulham, 4/1917-8/1917: comparison of SS and Coastal airships; role of crew; patrols and question of effectiveness of airships in anti-submarine role; Wheelwright and Maitland's experiments with different kinds of parachutes from C 27. REEL 12 Continues: Wheelwright and Maitland's experiments with different kinds of parachutes from C27 including filming of descent; comparison of free and fixed parachutes and Maitland's parachute jump into sea; shooting down of C27 whilst on leave; experiments towing airships with mobile winch on ground; story of anti-submarine patrol over Wash, engine failure and being towed by winch back to Pulham. Period with travelling examining board testing tradesmen qualifications, 8/1917. REEL 13 Recollections of period as officer with North Sea Airship NS5 and Rigid Airship 24 based at East Fortune, 9/1917-11/1917: description of construction and role of crew of North Sea Airship; difficulty of communication between crew; use of water ballast to top up water-cooled engine radiators; difficulty in movement between compartments; story of flying NS5 from Kingsnorth to East Fortune including unpredicted bad weather , engine from over heating and temporarily drifting over North Sea. REEL 14 Continues: story of flying NS5 from Kingsnorth to East Fortune including crash landing on airfield under construction and question of effects of inexperienced crew; story of near crash whilst 'racing' train in Rigid Airship R24; establishment of East Fortune as airship and aircraft station; size and personnel; story of pilot's disastrous attempt to fly through hangar. Recollections of period as officer aboard HMS Indomitable, 11/1917-3/1918: dangerous experiments in taking off with Sopwith Camel and 1 1/2 Strutter aircraft from platforms erected on 12" gun turret; North Sea gunnery exercises. REEL 15 Continues: North Sea gunnery exercise in mock combat between Indomitable, Australia and New Zealand and reasons for Goddard's success as Indomitable's rate-keeping officer in setting new shooting accuracy record. Aspects of period as officer aboard R23 based at Pulham, 4/1918-8/1918: experiments in mooring at sea to drogues with R 23 to extend airship operations and necessity of emergency release system from drogue. Aspects of period as officer aboard R80 based at Walney Island, 8/1918-11/1918: supervision of assembly of R 80 designed by Barnes Wallis; story of trial flight of R80, c11/1918. REEL 16 Continues: story of trial flight of R 80 including checking for gas leaks, discovering ship had broke its back, consequent loss of control and Goddard's suggestion for successful return, ca 11/1918. Period in London, 1918-1919: social life; preparations to fly R 34 across Atlantic 1918-1919.