Description
Object description
British officer served with Airship Branch, RAF in GB, 1919-1921; student at Cambridge University and Imperial College, London, GB, 1921-1924; commanded Cambridge University Air Sqdn at Cambridge, GB, 1925-1928; served as staff officer with Air Ministry, London, GB, 1928; student with Royal Air Force Staff College, Andover, GB, 1929; commanded 30 (Bomber) Sqdn, RAF in Iraq, 1930-1931; served as chief engineering instructor with Royal Air Force, Home Depot at RAF Henlow, GB, 1931-1934; student at Royal Naval College, Greenwich, GB, 1934; served as staff officer with No 3 (Bomber) Group, Western Area, RAF at RAF Andover, GB, 1935-1936; served with European Intelligence Section, Directorate of Operations and Intelligence at Air Ministry, London, GB, 1936-1939 including visits to Spain during Spanish Civil War, 1936 and Germany, 1937
Content description
REEL 1 Recollections of period as officer with Airship Branch, RAF in GB, 1919-1921: circumstances of transfer from Royal Naval Air Service to Royal Air Force, 1918; introduction of new uniforms; problems of newly introduced rank system; reasons for decision to accept permanent commission in Royal Air Force; background to posting as captain of Airship R.36 Airship at RAF Pulham; preparations for commercial flights; reasons why he became first officer of Airship R.36; experimental mooring trials; Airship R.36's accident whilst mooring.
REEL 2 Continues: damage suffered by Airship R.36; ruse used to fool news reporters; traffic control experiment conducted from Airship R.36; potential of airships for long distance flights; prior recollection of mooring experiments with Airship R.23 during First World War; civilian role of Airship R.36; construction of mooring mast at Croydon with introduction of London-Paris-Brussels flights; attitude of Lord Trenchard to airship service; rejection of civilian captaincy of Airship R.101. Aspects of period as student at Cambridge University and Imperial College, London, GB, 1921-1924: start of engineering studies at Cambridge University, 1921.
REEL 3 Continues: decision not to attend navigation school; crash of R.34; learning to fly as technical officer with No 2 Flying Training School, RAF at RAF Digby. Aspects of period as commanding officer with Cambridge University Air Sqdn, Cambridge, GB, 1925-1928: establishing squadron; provision of facilities at RAF Duxford; selection of candidates; member's enthusiasm to join Royal Air Force thwarted on medical grounds; weekly flying sessions; vacation camps; reputation of Royal Air Force.
REEL 4 Continues: Aspects of period as staff officer with Air Ministry in London, GB, 1928: Lord Trenchard's solution to question of hangar size; amusing story of Lord Trenchard's absentmindedness; role in writing war manual. Aspects of period as student at Royal Air Force Staff College, Andover, GB, 1929: origins of students; subjects studied; reasons for vacation visit to Turkey; character of flights from GB to Turkey; reception by Turks and commencement of inspection tour.
REEL 5 Continues: account of inspection tour of Turkish Air Force; air superiority controversy illustrated during exercise; character of course; standards of staff; contrasting attitudes of Royal Air Force, British Army and Royal Navy to staff courses; question of loyalty clashes in background to R101 Airship crash, 15/10/1930; faith in airships for civil use. Recollections of period commanding 30 (Bomber) Sqdn in Iraq, 1930-1931: posting to command unit at Mosul; duties and role of squadron; disadvantages of operating Westland Wapiti.
REEL 6 Continues: problems with Westland Wapiti undercarriage; incident when he ordered crew to parachute; bombing operations against Kurdish villages for non payment of taxes; commanding composite 'A' Squadron supporting Iraqi Army; explanation of origins of term 'He's had it'; advantages of service conditions at Mosul; efforts to introduce vitamin supplement; contacts with local dignitaries; drinking and morality; visits to club. Aspects of period as chief engineering instructor at Royal Air Force Home Depot at RAF Henlow, GB, 1931-1934: attitude to posting; duties.
REEL 7 Continues: nature of trip to Persian Gulf to negotiate airfields for Imperial Airways route to India; preponderance of short service officers on engineering course; character of course. Aspects of period as student on staff course at Royal Naval College, Greenwich, GB, 1934: posting to college; naval attitude to air power; attending aerodynamics course with National Physical Laboratory at Teddington; attitude of senior staff at National Physical Laboratory which delayed acceptance of monoplanes. Recollections of period as staff officer with Headquarters, No 3 (Bomber) Group, Western Area, RAF at RAF Andover, GB, 1935-1936: posting to unit; character of new 'Command' system; problems of organising Jubilee review, 1935.
REEL 8 Continues: duties as Wing Commander Operations; efforts to increase effectiveness of night bombing squadrons; story of loss of aircraft and crew due to poor navigation during night bombing exercise; army co-operation activities; financial restrictions; lack of aerodynamic bombs. Recollections of period as staff officer with European Intelligence Section, Directorate of Operations and Intelligence at Air Ministry, London, GB, 1936-1937: posting to section, 1936; organisation of Royal Air Force intelligence sections; deductions concerning German scientific activities and aircraft design; monitoring German radio transmissions; photographic reconnaissance intelligence; supplying differing intelligence to Stanley Baldwin and Winston Churchill; invitation to visit Republican Spain during Spanish Civil War, 1936.
REEL 9 Continues: tour of Republican sectors in Spain, 1936 including scepticism of superiors to his findings, lessons learnt, visit to Spanish Republican Navy at Valencia and air raids; decision to give Supermarine Spitfire eight guns; involvement in long range bomber development. Recollections of visit to German Air Force in Germany, 1937: inspection of Dornier Do 17 squadrons exposing ruse to cover absences in Spain; German confusion over Royal Air Force list; opinion of air force stations; political aspects of tour; prospects of Anglo-German alliance; freedom to plan tour.
REEL 10 Continues: strength of German Air Force; efforts to meet Ernst Udet and conversation during Ernst Udet's return visit in which Goddard encouraged his dislike of four engined bombers; investigation into German secrets and implausibility of death rays. Recollections of period as staff officer with European Intelligence Section at Air Ministry, London, GB, 1937-1939: role in drawing Air Staff's attention to radar experiments; size of intelligence department; relations with MI5 and MI6; opinion that Germany was unprepared for war during Munich Crisis, 9/1938; establishment of shadow Air Ministry at Garston Manor during Munich Crisis, 9/1938; memories of eccentric colleague.
REEL 11 Continues: question of concept of 'knock out blow'; question of Hitler's attitude towards attacking GB; meeting with Charles Lindbergh and his message of German power; opinion that Adolf Hitler was bluffing at time of Munich Crisis, 9/1938; German Air Force return visit to GB including their reaction to rowdy mess games, concealment of modern aircraft and opinion of German impressions of visit.