'Show me the way to go Home'
‘Show me the way to go home……’
Title borrowed from an old music hall song - but quite relevant in the early days of aviation history. The aircraft depicted in the image are Bristol Fighters serving with the Royal Flying Corps in 1917. It was only seven years previously that the first aviation licence was granted in the UK and now there were many hundreds of young men, not only flying, but using their machines to fight in deadly aerial battles over France. With an average operational life-span of some three weeks it was hardly surprising that the most cherished piece of personal kit was the hip-flask (this supported by anecdotes from my father who served with the RFC 1917-1918).
In the early days of aviation history the weather was as big an adversary as the enemy forces and many aircraft were lost to unforeseen bad weather - maintaining safe flight and finding home base, or indeed any base, was a significant achievement in itself.
The composite image shows a pair of ‘Brisfits’ struggling against deteriorating weather, and as darkness falls, to gain their home ground. Aircraft images from Duxford airshows and background from my archives.
Title borrowed from an old music hall song - but quite relevant in the early days of aviation history. The aircraft depicted in the image are Bristol Fighters serving with the Royal Flying Corps in 1917. It was only seven years previously that the first aviation licence was granted in the UK and now there were many hundreds of young men, not only flying, but using their machines to fight in deadly aerial battles over France. With an average operational life-span of some three weeks it was hardly surprising that the most cherished piece of personal kit was the hip-flask (this supported by anecdotes from my father who served with the RFC 1917-1918).
In the early days of aviation history the weather was as big an adversary as the enemy forces and many aircraft were lost to unforeseen bad weather - maintaining safe flight and finding home base, or indeed any base, was a significant achievement in itself.
The composite image shows a pair of ‘Brisfits’ struggling against deteriorating weather, and as darkness falls, to gain their home ground. Aircraft images from Duxford airshows and background from my archives.
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