THE EXPLOITS OF THE NEWFOUNDLAND REGIMENT IN WORLD WAR I ARE WELL DOCUMENTED,
BUT RELATIVELY LITTLE ATTENTION HAS BEEN GIVEN TO NEWFOUNDLAND'S ROLE IN THE ALLIED AIR WAR. IN FACT, FOR A SMALL BRITISH COLONY, NEWFOUNDLAND WAS TO MAKE A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION IN BOTH AIRCRAFT AND PERSONNEL.
BY 1915 BRITAIN WAS IN DESPERATE NEED OF AIRCRAFT. TWO LONDON-BASED ORGANIZATIONS, THE OVERSEAS CLUB, REPRESENTING BRITONS THROUGHOUT THE EMPIRE, AND THE PATRIOTIC LEAGUE, REPRESENTING BRITONS IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES, APPROACHED THE MILITARY AUTHORITIES WITH AN OFFER TO COLLECT DONATIONS FROM THEIR MEMBERS TO FINANCE THE FORMATION OF AN "IMPERIAL AIR FLOTILLA." NEWFOUNDLAND WAS ONE OF THE FIRST MEMBERS OF THE EMPIRE TO RESPOND TO THE FUND DRIVE, WHICH ULTIMATELY EXCEEDED A MILLION POUNDS STERLING AND SUPPLIED OVER 600 "PRESENTATION" AIRCRAFT, AS WELL AS OPERATING FUNDS FOR A HOSPITAL FOR WOUNDED RFC OFFICERS.
On July 13, 1915 Newfoundland's
Governor, William Davidson, invited
several prominent citizens to Government
House to consider the Overseas Club's request for
assistance. At this meeting, the "Aeroplane
Committee" was struck as a new subcommittee of
the Newfoundland Patriotic Association. Its goal
was to "...assist our National Cause by raising
funds for the gift of two of the larger type
aeroplanes to be placed at the service of the
Imperial Authorities." Royal Flying Corps (RFC)
headquarters had drawn up a price list of suitable
aircraft and each donor was to receive a
photograph of the donated aircraft, with their
name prominently displayed. Furthermore, if the
aircraft was removed from active service (i.e.,
"struck off charge") the name would be
transferred to a replacement machine.
The elected executive of the Aeroplane
Committee were W. G. Gosling (Chairman), J. A.
Clift (Treasurer) and C. R. Steer (Secretary). A
subcommittee, consisting of these men along with
R. B. Job, A. B. Morine, J. C. Hepburn, and W. F.
Lloyd, was formed to get the subscription under
way. The Committee urged that "this matter be
taken up promptly by every true and loyal
patriot," and promised that donations would be
acknowledged in the daily newspapers. Thereafter,
both The Evening Telegram and The Daily News ran
almost daily updates on the "Aeroplane Fund"
donations and totals. Both J. A. Robinson (editor
of The Daily News) and W. F. Lloyd (editor of The
Evening Telegram) were members of the
Committee. The Committee canvassed the larger
firms on Water Street, as well as societies, labour
unions, and manufacturers. Printed circulars and
posters were also prepared and sent to the
outports.
In the original appeal, the "aeroplane" is
referred to as the "eagle eye" for the troops, which
recognized the early role of aircraft primarily for
the surveillance of enemy troop movements. In
fact, the advent of the continuous front in World
War I led to the replacement of the cavalry in this
role by aerial reconnaissance (Figure 1). In The
Fighting Newfoundlander, G. W. L. Nicholson notes
that the Newfoundlanders at Beaumont Hamel
were much impressed with the work of the Royal
Flying Corps, for despite "...continuous antiaircraft
fire and frequent attack by hostile planes they stuck to their task of photographing, and
collecting data to be overprinted on the latest
intelligence maps to be issued before the big
offensive." However, some people (both within
the military and civilians) were advocating for the
greater use of aircraft for combat and strategic
bombing. In an editorial on July 14, 1915, W. F.
Lloyd quoted the famous science fiction writer, H.
G. Wells, on the potential use of aircraft for
massive bombing raids on German targets, which
was thought to be less costly in both money and
human lives than the use of ground troops.
Finally, on January 20, 1916 the RFC was
reorganized with each Army being assigned two
Wings (consisting of two squadrons): a Corps
Wing committed to assisting ground troops, and
an Army Wing used for aerial combat, long-range reconnaissance and strategic bombing.
A Prussian cavalry officer watches a Wright
style biplane fly overhead. With the advent of
continuous front warfare, aircraft would replace the cavalry as the traditional means of army
reconnaissance.
The menace of aerial bombing in Britain was
eventually felt in North America as well. As large
German U-boats appeared in North American
waters, it was feared that they were carrying
aircraft to bomb coastal cities. For a 13-day period
in June 1918 all the lights in New York were shut
down at night, and air raid sirens were installed.
Some Newfoundlanders even purchased a special
insurance policy from C. T. Bowring and
Company, underwriters for Lloyd's of London, to
cover war-related property damages, including
those caused "...by aerial craft (hostile or
otherwise) including bombs, shells and/or missiles
dropped or thrown therefrom or discharged
thereat..."
The Aeroplane Fund exceeded expectations
from the outset, and after the August 5, 1915
general meeting of the Patriotic Association,
Governor Davidson was able to inform the Overseas Club that they had remitted £3,750 to Coutts & Co. Bank, for one Vickers and one
Renault aircraft. The Renault was a personal gift of
the Reid Brothers (Reid Newfoundland Railway)
and was to be inscribed Reid-Newfoundland. A
reply from the Secretary of the Overseas Club, E.
Wrench, indicated that the two aircraft would be
assigned to 11 and 12 squadrons of the "Overseas
Flotilla." In fact, they were initially assigned to 5
and 10 squadrons.
The Committee had actually raised more than
enough money to purchase two Vickers aircraft by July 27, and had to decide what to do with the additional funds. Some of the
promoters in the outports felt that it should be devoted to the purchase of machine guns. The value of machine guns
over magazine rifles at the front was becoming obvious. Canada had provided 1,000 machine guns to the cause
and if Newfoundland wanted to make an equal contribution it would have to provide 30 guns (about the cost of two
large aircraft). At a meeting of the Committee that evening at the Board of Trade Building, Treasurer Clift announced that the fund was
progressing very favourably and the Committee decided that any surplus after August 4 would be used for the purchase of machine guns for the Newfoundland Regiment.
The July 30 headline of The Daily News read:
"The Aeroplane Goal is Reached. Now for the Machine Guns". Lloyd's editorial in The Evening
Telegram the next day notes that the Treasurer now had enough money in hand for the purchase
of two Vickers aircraft, along with a cheque from Messrs. Reid for the purchase of a third. There was
enough surplus cash for the purchase of three machine guns, and Sir Edward Bowring had
promised to purchase two more on behalf of himself and his business. Other pledges, yet to be
collected, would allow for an additional nine or 10 guns. The goal was still 30 machine guns, and
Lloyd referred to this effort as the Machine Gun Fund.
By August 1915, the Aeroplane Fund balance of
$23,262.14 was earmarked for the purchase of machine guns. In telegrams on August 2 and 13,
Governor Davidson informed the Secretary of State for the Colonies, Bonar Law, that a surplus of
funds was available from the Aeroplane Fund for this purpose. But a reply from Law indicated that
the Newfoundland Regiment was already equipped with a full complement of machine guns. Based on
this information, the Grand Falls Committee, which had allocated a large part of its donations to
the purchase of machine guns, passed a resolution to divert these funds toward the purchase of
aircraft. Sir Edgar Bowring also agreed to divert his donation of $1,500 to aircraft. In a letter to Governor
Davidson, Secretary Steer reported that the Aeroplane Committee had met on August 26 and decided that
the surplus should be "...handed to the Over-Seas Club for the Aeroplane Gift Fund, to purchase two more
Gun mounted, 100 H. P. Gnome Vickers Biplanes, and the balance towards a fifth of the same class." Lloyd's
editorial of August 27, 1915 declared that Newfoundland was the greatest contributor of aircraft among the
colonies and dominions of the Empire. However, this was short-lived, as other members (notably India and
Australia) soon caught up.
Newfoundland No. 1 (Dec. 1915 issue of the
Newfoundland Quarterly).
At the outbreak of hostilities the RFC consisted
of 147 officers, 1097 men, and only 179 aircraft. It served as a corps of the British Army, consisting
of four operational squadrons and one training squadron, each with three flights of four aircraft.
The naval equivalent of the RFC, the Royal Navy Air Service (RNAS), had only recently been
formed (on July 1, 1914) under the watchful eye of the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston S.
Churchill. It was responsible for lighter-than-air airship operations and naval support (especially
seaplanes). It consisted of 50 officers, 550 other ranks, one operational squadron and one training
squadron, with 93 aircraft and seven airships. With all of the serviceable RFC aircraft earmarked for the Expeditionary Force overseas, the RNAS
assumed responsibility for the protection of naval harbours, oil tankers and other strategic targets at home.
The first three Newfoundland aircraft were
formally presented to the RFC on August 4, 1915, on the anniversary of the declaration of war by
Great Britain. The gift was announced in all of the major British newspapers. The announcement was
somewhat anticlimactic, since the Vickers aircraft inscribed Newfoundland No. 1 had already been
in service since July 15. The Daily News of August 14 published photographs of
Newfoundland No. 1 and No. 2, taken by Gerald Paddon at Shorncliffe Camp, England. In a
letter of October 18, Secretary Wrench informed Secretary Steer that Newfoundland No. 1 and
Reid-Newfoundland had been dispatched overseas. The former departed on August 20, piloted by Lieut. Neale,
and the latter on October 6, piloted by Lieut. Crook. As a matter of secrecy, it was
footnoted that they arrived safely "somewhere in France." A photograph of No. 1, with its name finally in place on the nacelle (i.e., a front cabin
with seats for pilot and observer), appears twice in the Christmas issue of the Newfoundland Quarterly.
In England, lists of donor names were sent to
aircraft factories and these were added to the machines as they came off the production line.
The uselife of these early aircraft was often only a few months. As promised, when a presentation
aircraft was "struck off charge," the name was assigned to another aircraft. In the RFC records,
"struck off charge" could indicate that the aircraft had been shot down, damaged or wrecked by
enemy action, or wrecked in a flying accident. It could also mean that the aircraft was replaced
because it was an obsolete model or rebuilt after a crash. Obsolete and rebuilt aircraft were often
reassigned as trainers.
Five Newfoundland aircraft designations were
used throughout the war. For example, the name Newfoundland No. 1 appeared on seven
different aircraft and Newfoundland No. 2 appeared on nine different aircraft.
The first two Newfoundland presentation
aircraft were part of a batch of 14 ordered from Vickers Ltd. on January 30, 1915 (Contract
#A.2974). They were the Vickers FB5 model, with 100 hp Gnome Monosoupape engines, built
at production plants in Bexley and Crayford. Just over 200 of the FB(fighting
biplane)5 model were produced, and production in England had stopped by September 20, 1915, since the
model had become obsolete. The FB5 looked more like the fragile aircraft of the days of the Wright flyer
then the sleek fighters flown by the WWI aces towards the end of the war (Figure 3). It had an
open frame connecting the nacelle and tail, instead of a fuselage (i.e., a full body). It had a
pusher style propeller, which was situated behind the pilot's cockpit. In a pusher configuration the
engine is mounted with the propeller facing backwards so that the aircraft is pushed through
the air. Most of the later WWI aircraft had a tractor propeller configuration, in which the
aircraft is pulled through the air. The FB5 had two front landing wheels and two skids, and
another skid in place of a landing wheel below the tail. It was the first aircraft designed as a
fighter, with a machine gun mounted at the front of the observer's cockpit. Newfoundland Nos. 1
and 2 were among the earliest aircraft to be fitted
with the state-of-the-art Lewis Mk 1 machine gun. The observer had taken on the new duty of
gunner, and sometimes bombardier. The local press dubbed the aircraft the "Vickers Gunbus,"
although the company referred to it as the Vickers gun carrier. Before the development of
the propeller interrupter gear this was the most effective way to mount machine guns on aircraft.
The interrupter gear allowed the machine gun to be fired through the tractor propeller and
eliminated the need for an observer/gunner in fighter aircraft.
Most of the aircraft to bear the Newfoundland
or Reid-Newfoundland names were products of the Royal Aircraft Factory (RAF) at
Farnsborough, England. The Reid-Newfoundland aircraft was originally a BE2c (Bleriot
Experimental) which was a later model of the first military aircraft built in Britain. It was a
tractor biplane that was primarily used in a reconnaissance role. Over the course of the war,
the Newfoundland name appeared most often on the RAF FE2b (Farman Experimental) aircraft.
This was a two-seater pusher biplane, similar to the Vickers gun carrier, which came into service
in March 1915. It was equipped with two Lewis machine guns and was a good match for the
contemporary German Fokker EIII. It even served as a light night bomber later in the war.
Another RAF product, the two-seater tractor RE7 (Reconnaissance Experimental) was used by
the Royal Flying Corps in France as an escort and reconnaissance aircraft, which could also
carry a 152.4 kg. bomb. The improved model RE8 was introduced in the fall of 1916 as an
artillery spotting aircraft.
Newfoundland No. 1 at Farnsborough, before being inscribed.
The features of the pusher propeller configuration are clearly illustrated in this photograph and the Lewis machine gun is in
place. Early presentation aircraft bore the letter "S" in a circle on
their rudder, which was the symbol of the Overseas Club (based
on the Japanese symbol of unity).
All of the other aircraft to bear the
Newfoundland name were tractor biplanes. The Airco (Aircraft Company) DH4 (de Haviland)
was the most successful day bomber of World War I. Its successor, the DH9, was disappointing
as a bomber, but was found to be an effective fighter aircraft. The Martinsyde G100 Elephant
was introduced in 1916 as a fighter/bomber, but was most effective as a bomber. The Bristol F2B
Fighter was introduced in 1917 and proved to be so dependable that it remained in service in the
UK until 1932. The most successful fighter aircraft of the War, however, was the Sophwith
F1 Camel, which was introduced in July 1917 as a scouting biplane equipped with a pair of Lewis
machine guns.
Nearly complete service records are available
for all of the Newfoundland presentation aircraft. For example, the original Reid-Newfoundland
presentation aircraft was a RAF BE2c (serial #2682), which was one of a batch of 100 aircraft
built for the RAF by Ruston Proctor. It was inscribed on October 3, and according to
Secretary Wrench it was sent overseas on October 18, 1915. The aircraft crashed on
February 16, 1916, while being flown for 10 Squadron by 2nd Lieut. L. Moss and 2nd Lieut. T.
Henderson. The name next appears on a Martinsyde G102 Elephant (serial #A6280),
which flew for 110 Squadron until struck off service on July 7, 1918. The name was last
reported on a Sopwith 1F1 Camel (serial #E7188) at Lincoln Air Field on January 18,
1919.
In the summer of 1917, a "Newfoundland
Week" was declared in England to celebrate the 420th anniversary of the discovery of
Newfoundland and to draw attention to the colony's contribution to the war effort. The
cities of Sheffield and Liverpool were encouraged by the Imperial Air fleet Committee to raise
money for the purchase of aircraft to be presented to Newfoundland and used in the
colony's name on the war front. In a ceremony in Sheffield, the Lord Mayor presented a gift
aircraft to the Air Fleet Committee, which it turned over to the colony. Lady Isabel Morris,
wife of the Newfoundland Prime Minister, broke a bottle of wine over the propeller and
christened the aircraft Sheffield. The Sheffield, an RE8 (serial #A4458) was deployed with 7
Squadron. A similar ceremony was conducted in Liverpool, where the Liverpool No. 2
(Newfoundland) was christened. It was a SE5A (Scout Experimental, serial #C6453), which was
deployed with 84 Squadron. In February 1918, the RFC further recognized Newfoundland's
contribution to the air war by establishing 125 "Newfoundland" Squadron. The squadron
disbanded in September 1918, before seeing any action, but was reformed during World War II.
To the author's knowledge, there has been no
definitive study of Newfoundlanders in the allied air forces. However, even a cursory review of the
available sources indicates that several Newfoundlanders were flyers. We know that the
air forces actively recruited from other branches of the military. For example, in October 1916,
Lieut. Colonel Whitaker reported that seven officers of the Newfoundland Regiment had
transferred to the Royal Flying Corps. The Newfoundland Book of Remembrance, produced by
Veterans Affairs, includes the names of 10 RFC and RNAS personnel that died in service. Five
of these men lost their lives on the SS Florizel, when it ran aground and sank off Cappahayden,
Newfoundland on February 23, 1918: Edward Berteau (RNAS), Frank Chown (RNAS), John C.
Parsons (RFC), Newman Sellars (RFC) and Frederick W. Snow (RFC). These five noncommissioned
officers, along with one survivor, Lieut. Ralph Burnham (RFC), were en route to
Toronto for flight training. Newman Sellars was joining his brother Fred, who was already
serving in the Royal Flying Corps. The remaining names in the Book include Lieut.
Leonard A. Edens (RFC), 2nd Lieut. John H. S. Green (RFC), and officer cadets John T. Dunphy
(RAF), Edgar Pollock (RAF), and Benjamin L. Woundy (RAF). Leonard Edens was one of
three enlisted sons of Mr. and Mrs. T. J. Edens, who were active with the Recruiting Committee
and Women's Patriotic Association respectively. Lieut. Green, along with Capt. Laurie G. Baine
(RFC), and Lieut. Gerald Harvey (RFC), are also listed on the Grand Banks genealogy website.
All three joined the British Mediterranean Expeditionary Force in 1915 and eventually
transferred to the Royal Flying Corps. Green was killed in air action, while Baine and Harvey
returned to the army for the duration of the war. Benjamin Woundy may be the only Grand
Banker to enlist in an air service during WWI. In addition, The Daily News’ Roll of Honour for
1916 included Lieut. Terence O'Brien, grandson of former Governor Sir Terence O'Brien, who was killed in
"aeroplane action in France" on March 2, 1915. This may be the first Newfoundland-related
air casualty of World War I.
Captain Ronald Ayre was the first
Newfoundland flyer to be decorated in World War I, when he was awarded the Military
Cross in October 1917. Photograph courtesy of his son, Wilfred Ayre.
Throughout the war,
The Cadet regularly published photographs of Newfoundlanders
enlisted in the allied air forces, including Lieut. Howard Reid
(RNAS), Lieut. W. Grace (RFC), Ensign N. M. Duchemin (U.
S. Air Service), Capt. V. S. Bennett (RFC), Capt. Ronald Ayre (RFC),
and Lieut. J. W. Blackall (RFC). Howard Reid was one of two enlisted sons of W. D. Reid,
President of the Reid Newfoundland Company, who had contributed two machine guns and a
biplane to the war effort. Howard Reid had the distinction of being the youngest officer in the
Royal Navy Air Service. He saw action in the Mediterranean, where he took part in an ill-fated
operation to assist the Romanian army in October 1917. After Bucharest fell to the
Central Powers two months later, he and his fellow flyers escaped and were redeployed on the
Western Front. Reid and several other Newfoundland airmen are also presented in the
Newfoundland Quarterly including Lieut. Leonard Edens (RFC), Lieut. J. H. Stanley Green (RFC),
Lieut. William Grace (RFC), Capt. Harold S. Tait (RFC), Lieut. J. W. Blackall (RFC), Lieut.
Charles L. Green (RFC), Capt. V. S. Bennett (RFC), Lieut. Robert G. Reid (RAF), Capt.
Ronald Ayre (RFC), and Cadet James C. Barr (RFC). Capt. Tait served as a medical officer
for the Royal Flying Corps in Macedonia. Lieut. Robert Reid, cousin of Howard Reid, was
involved in war action on the Italian Front, including the bombing of the flying school at
Egno, northeast of Trento, Austria.
Capt. Ronald Ayre was the first Newfoundland
airman to be decorated. While serving with 27 Squadron in France, he participated in 41 raids,
and was awarded the Military Cross in October 1917. Capt. V. S. Bennett later received the
French Croix de Guerre with palms. The celebrated Canadian flying ace, Carl Falkenberg,
lists Botwoodville (now Botwood) as his place of birth on his Officers' Declaration Paper. He
was the son of a Swedish consul to British North America, who later worked as a clerk in Quebec
City and joined the 8th Rifles in June 1915. He transferred to the RFC 84 Squadron in June
1917, where he recorded 17 victories and later served as a flight commander in the fledgling
Canadian Air Force (CAF) until his discharge on October 18, 1919. Capt. Roy Stanley Grandy
also made the transition from Royal Flying Corp to the Canadian Air Force and then on to
commercial aviation. Grandy rejoined the CAF in 1925 and served as Commanding Officer of
Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Station Torbay during World War II.
In the early years of flying, those who were
knowledgeable of the potential benefits of aviation to society were considered to be "airminded"
individuals. The vast majority of people had little direct exposure to aviation, but
there was a growing lobby of aviation enthusiasts that promoted air safety. During
World War I the public was apprised of the advancements in aircraft development through
magazine and newspaper reports. Newfoundland No. 2 was even featured in a dramatic fictional
account of air action in France that appeared in the Newfoundland Quarterly. Towards the end
of the war, flying aces had become international heroes and household names. When famous
British aviators arrived in St. John's in 1919 to compete for the London Daily Mail prize for the
first aircraft to cross the Atlantic, great excitement was generated around the globe.
Although neither Newfoundland's military pilots nor its presentation aircraft ever flew over native
soil, they were symbolic of the dominion's commitment to the war effort and its early
association with the development of aviation. An anonymous letter to The Evening Telegram in
1919, extolling the commercial possibilities of aviation, was a harbinger of the next chapter
in Newfoundland's aviation history.
Michael Deal is an archaeologist with Memorial
University.
