A Hundred Years ago (Yesterday)...the Birth of British Military Aviation

T6flyer · Sep 22, 2010

A Hundred Years ago (Yesterday)...the Birth of British Military Aviation

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ther; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 0 0 0 0 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0cm; margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt; line-height:115%;} @page WordSection1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt; mso-header-margin:35.4pt; mso-footer-margin:35.4pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style> At dawn on 21<sup>st</sup> September 1910, a Bristol Boxkite biplane took off from Larkhill on Salisbury Plain and flew south over Stonehenge towards the Wylyle Valley. It had been prevented from taking off the two previous days because of bad weather. The aircraft carried out four successful sorties that day and did not return to Larkhill until night fall.
The pilot was Captain Betram Dickson DRGS, late Royal Horse Artillery. He had the distinction of being the first British serviceman to qualify as a pilot in April 1910. He persuaded the War Office to let him take part in the Autumn Military Manoeuvres so that he could demonstrate the advantages of using an aeroplane for effective observation. The mission he was given was “To observe the movements of the Blue Forces and report them to the opposing Red Forces”. He was given neither a map nor a briefing. The Bristol Boxkite was owned by the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company. The other pilot on the exercise was Lt Lancelot Gibbs RA who did not fly on that first day. Robert Loraine a civilian, and actor by profession, joined the exercise on the second day and was consequently the first man to transmit a radio signal in Morse Code from an aeroplane to the ground.
During the short flight Dickson located the Blue Forces and landed near Codford St Mary to telephone his sightings. There he was surrounded by Blue Forces and after declaring himself neutral to the umpires flew back to Red Forces HQ to give the commander his report and his sketch map. There and then he was congratulated on his achievements by Winston Churchill, the Home Secretary and General Sir John French. This was the very start of Military Aviation.
As a consequence of the success of these first flights, the Royal Flying Corps was formed in 1912, the Royal Naval Air Service (later Fleet Air Arm)in 1914 and the Army Air Corps in 1942.
Today a hundred years to the day, a special flypast was organised to start at Old Sarum, near Salisbury to honour the above named gentlemen. Flying over the site at Larkhill before onwards to Middle Wallop. Leading were three Austers from the Eggesford Heritage Flight – the Mk.3, 6 and AOP9, closely followed by a Tiger Moth, Jungmann and HAL Pushpak.

On board the flight were Sir George White Bt, the great grandson of the founder of the British and Colonial Aircraft Company and David Dickson, the great nephew of Captain Berttram Dickson, the pioneer aviator.

In all it was a wonderful day and one that will be remembered for a long time to come.

Ferry_vO · Sep 22, 2010

A Hundred Years ago (Yesterday)...the Birth of British Military Aviation

T6flyer

Charter Member

Ferry_vO

Retired SOH Administrator