British Aeroplanes Before the Great War (Schiffer Aviation History)

BRITISH AIRCRAFT BEFORE THE GREAT WAR

Michael H. Goodall and Albert E. Tagg

Schiffer Military History Atglen, PA

Contents

Foreword, by Sir Peter Masefield Introduction

6 7

One

Aircraft Manufacturers

9

Two

Airships Models Unidentified British Aircraft

359 379 381

Bibliography

382

Index

384

Foreword by Sir Peter Masefield

A

ll devotees of the galaxy of historic aircraft which were designed, assembled and flown at Brooklands, Hendon, Eastchurch, Larkhill and numerous smaller sites during the years which led up to the First World War, will join me in welcoming this fine and meticulously researched book by Michael Goodall and the late Bert Tagg. For the first time the leading particulars of most of these aircraft types have been gathered together, more than 900 of them well illustrated and presented in one volume. It consti­ tutes a most valuable contribution to the detailed information about a remarkable period in aviation history and is a memo­ rial to the bravery and inventiveness of the intrepid pioneers of that faroff era. Importantly, among them are details of the first thirty Avro aircraft from the original Roe No.l biplane which made the first and now authenticated, though very brief take off under its own (Antoinette) power on the Finishing Straight of the Brooklands Motor Course in June of 1908. With them are the thirty-three Sopwith aircraft flown be­ tween July 1912 and the end of 1914. Between them the Avro and Sopwith aircraft, together with those of Shorts and Bristol, make up a significant proportion of all the British aircraft which took the air before the First World War. They were joined also at Brooklands by the nine adventurous Martin-Handasyde monoplanes and two Howard Wright monoplanes and one bi­ plane on which Tom Sopwith made his first flight without the benefit of any dual instruction. In fact, on the Howard Wright biplane, Sopwith made a gallant attempt upon the British Em­

pire Michelin Trophy by flying one hundred and fifty miles into Europe on the last day of 1910 before taking it on a suc­ cessful tour of the United States. Michael Goodall and the late, lamented Bert Tagg, both with such long and close associations with Brooklands, are to be congratulated on the production of such a valuable addition to the early history of British aircraft. The Wright Brothers had been an inspiration to the British pioneers and it is perhaps appropriate that this excellent volume has been published in the United States. A memorable photograph shows Wilbur and Orville, together with several of the earliest British pioneers outside Mussel Manor, Leysdown, Isle of Sheppey, Kent the clubhouse of the Royal Aero Club. The building still survives and is now a tavern. It is, in addition to the details of the aircraft, a valuable reminder not only of the beginnings of British aircraft con­ struction but also the fact that Brooklands grew from its small origins, on the World's first banked Motor Course, to become during two World Wars, the chief center of the British aircraft industry. In all for some eighty years Brooklands remained not only a significant reminder of early work but also, with both the Hawker and Vickers companies, a leader into the jet era. Today, Brooklands lives on as "The Brooklands Museum Trust" where later generations can relish reminders of "The Great Days That Were" with an assembly of some of the most illustrious aircraft as well as motor cars of the historic past, starting in June of 1908. I most warmly commend this book to all students of aero­ nautical history.

Introduction

I

t is hard to believe that less than a lifetime separates the early pioneers, with their flimsy creations of bamboo, pi­ ano wire and cotton bedsheeting, from today's airborne marvels machined from duralumin, stainless steel, titanium and carbon fiber. The first primitive machines struggled to get off the ground with just one person aboard - today's mighty air­ liners carry 500 passengers with ease at speeds that would have been unimaginable to the pioneers. But without those pioneers, with their boundless courage, enthusiasm and inventive genius, today's progress would not have been possible. Not all the pio­ neers were successful however and there were many deadends, but gradually the accumulated store of knowledge led to quick­ ening progress up to the beginning of World War I. It must not be forgotten that, after these novel machines were completed, some brave (or should one say foolish) fel­ low had to be found to coax it into the air. At first the pioneer aircraft constructors were often their own pilots, self taught, often alone in the pearly light of early dawn, shivering on the edge of some usually unsuitable grassland, waiting for an un­ reliable engine to drag them into the air. Gradually flying training became more organized with the opening of flying schools at Brooklands, Hendon and Larkhill and other, smaller centers. Up to the outbreak of War on 4 Au­ gust 1914, a total of 881 British subjects civil and military quali­ fied for British Aviation Certificates from the Royal Aero Club of the United Kingdom. The first went to J.T.C. MooreBrabazon (later Lord Brabazon of Tara) when, on 8 March 1910, he flew briefly a Short biplane at Shellbeach, Leysdown. The final pre-War Certificate (No.863) was awarded to Sergeant A.F. May, RFC.

Out of these 881 Certificates, 492 (56%) were gained by members of the British fighting forces (RFC and RNAS). The other 389 were awarded to civilian pilots from 11 June 1910. Out of the total, forty-eight British pilots (5 1/2%) were killed in accidents between the above date (the first, the Honorable C.F. (Charlie) Rolls, at Bournemouth in a Short biplane, through structural failure) and the last, before civil flying was aban­ doned at the start of the First World War when Lieutenant L.C. Hordern, flying a Henry Farman of No.5 Squadron RFC was killed at Gosport through an inadvertent (and familiar) stall and spin, following an engine failure. This book would not have been possible without the help of my two old friends, now both sadly departed. H.F "Fitz" Cowley started acquiring photographs of early British aircraft in the late 1920s, when many of the pioneer airmen were still alive and when it was possible to find photographs and bro­ chures of early aircraft in bookshops and antique shops and even from the pioneers themselves. Consequently he was able to amass one of the finest photograph collections in the coun­ try. I was fortunate to inherit his collection and add it to my own. The other major contributor and my co-author was A.E. "Bert" Tagg. Bert joined Hawkers at Kingston in the late 1930s and spent all of his working life with them and their successor companies. He was a skilled aircraft engineer and was able to add the flesh to the bare bones of my raw research material. Tragically he died before knowing that the book would be ac­ cepted by our publisher, the first to have been approached. Andrea and John Garner, Bert's daughter and son-in-law, have most kindly given me great assistance in editing the text and making it in an acceptable format for our publishers

British Aircraft Before the Great War

Many other friends have given unstinting help and have searched their archives on our behalf and many local newspa­ pers published our appeals asking for information on long lost aviation pioneers. We must particularly thank Jack Bruce, Stuart Leslie, Phillip Jarrett, Oliver Thompson and Dennis Manning for their evergenerous assistance. We are also indebted to Sir Peter Masefield for his helpful suggestions and for writing the foreword. The reader of the text of this lengthy work will soon real­ ize that some of the aircraft mentioned have no photograph or drawing shown. It is much to the regret of the authors that this is the case, but in spite of many years' search, some machines have proved completely elusive. It is hard to believe that any aeroplane, in an era when everything and everybody was be­ ing photographed, would not have been 'snapped' by the proud 'parent'. Perhaps this book will bring some of these photos to light at last. Even more frustrating are the photos that exist, but unlabelled, and have proved unidentifiable. The small advertisements in the aeronautical press have tantalizing mention of aircraft and engines for sale, which may

relate to undiscovered pioneer machines, but as they have nei­ ther names nor addresses, it is rarely possible to equate them to a particular aircraft. A number of designs which were described in patents and/ or built in detailed model form have been included although there is no proof that full-size versions were ever completed. An ever-present problem for the early pioneers was the lack of finance, particularly to cover the cost of the very expensive contemporary engines and consequently many machines were never completed. The pages of the aeronautical and motoring journals con­ tained many small advertisements from pioneers wishing to buy inexpensive secondhand engines or else to hire them. There were also optimistic advertisements inviting investors to take a financial share in projects. It is not known how many of these appeals were successful. The authors have done their best to make this a compre­ hensive account of every flying machine built in Britain prior to World War I, but are well aware that there must be many others which, nearly ninety years on, may never now be re­ corded.