Matthews - Heroes of the RAF

Heroes of the RAF

No.50 Squadron

by

Rupert Matthews

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This Edition First Published 2012

Published by Bretwalda Books atSmashwords

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Copyright 2012 Bretwalda Books

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ISBN 9781907791284

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CONTENTS

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I came to Dover to look for the remains of theWorld War II radar station that stood on Swingate Down and wasknown as CH04. I knew that much of the radar station had beendismantled in the 1950s, but that the main mast had been retainedand converted to broadcast BBC radio stations across Kent and theEnglish Channel.

It took a bit of nosing about, but I eventuallyfound the place. It was not until I got there and read theinformation board that I realised that CH04 had been built on thesite of an earlier airfield that had been used by the RAF in the1920s, and before then by the RFC in World War I. I made a note ofthe fact, and decided to look into this RFC airfield another time.Some while later, I had the opportunity to investigate RFC SwingateDown. It had been opened in 1914 to serve as a stop for refuellingaircraft on their way out to France, and then used for trainingpurposes.

So far so good. But what intrigued me was thatin the summer of 1916 the airfield at Swingate Down was recorded ashaving been the home base for a squadron of scouts (as fighteraircraft were then known) and that the squadron in question hadbeen No.50 Squadron. What puzzled me was that I knew that in WorldWar II No.50 Squadron had been a heavy bomber squadron. Yet here itwas in 1916 as a fighter squadron. Not only that but a littlefurther research turned up the name of the squadrons commandingofficer: Major Arthur Harris.

WAITING, 1940

Ground staff at an RAF bomber base somewherein England await the return of their aircraft from a raid onGermany in 1940. The authors father served as one such man taskedwith counting the aircraft as they returned.

So not only had one of World War IIs premierbomber squadrons been a fighter unit in World War I, but the greatand famous Arthur Bomber Harris had been a fighter pilot. I wasnow thoroughly hooked. No.50 Squadron, its men and machines becamea focus of research for me. And this book is the result.

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The GreatWar

In the spring of 1916 Britain had a serious,terrifying and devastating airborne problem. No.50 Squadron wascreated to face up to that menace from the air, and to destroy it.That the squadron did its job cannot be doubted, for within monthsthe terror was gone - though only to be replaced by one even moredestructive. And No.50 Squadron was hurled into the struggle todefeat that new devilish weapon.

The night time terror from the skies came in theform of gigantic Zeppelin airships that cruised over the North Seafrom Germany laden with bombs that their crews dropped with oftendevastating accuracy on towns, cities and ports across easternBritain. The first raid had come in January 1915 when GreatYarmouth and Kings Lynn were bombed by night. Four people werekilled, 16 injured and property worth 8,000 was destroyed. Overthe following months dozens of raids were carried out by theZeppelins, killing 181 people, wounding 455 and causing almost amillion pounds worth of damage. Clearly something had to be done tostop the menace.

ZEPPELIN SPY BASKET, 1916

These precarious capsules were loweredthrough cloud on a wire from a Zeppelin. A man inside telephonedback to the airship a description of what he could see to help withnavigation and bombing.

The problem was that the Zeppelins flew high, atthe very ceiling of contemporary fixed wing aircraft. And whilethey were huge, the parts of them that were vulnerable wereremarkably small. A few bullet holes in the gas bags that made upthe bulk of the craft made little difference to their bouyancy. Theengines and the crew, together with their bombs and machine guns,were housed in gondolas slung underneath the vast gas bags. Antiaircraft artillery could certainly do damage, and were thoughtcapable of bringing down a Zeppelin, but again the height of theairships made hitting them from the ground difficult. In any casethe German raiders came at night. Searchlights might reach theZeppelins to illuminate them for the gunners on clear nights, butwere ineffective on cloudy nights. Not so the raiders. They loweredmen in observation cars that dangled 3,000 feet or more below theZeppelin to telephone messages back up to the gondola to tell thepilot where to steer and the bomber when to drop his deadlyload.

In February 1916 the air defence of Britain washanded over to the army, which gave the task to the Royal FlyingCorps (RFC), then part of the army. The RFC decided that antiaircraft guns with searchlights were the best nocturnal defence anddrew up plans for hundreds of combined gun-light batteries to beinstalled round cities and towns. During daylight hours, trust wasplaced in the new models of scout aircraft entering service thatcould climb up to the operating height of the Zeppelins fast enoughto stand a chance of catching them. The RFC formed a number of HomeDefence Squadrons, mostly based on the east coast or near London,which were tasked with tackling any Zeppelins which came in sightduring daylight hours, for even with mounting attacks by night -night flying by planes was always hazardous business at thisdate.

B.E.2C ROYAL AIRCRAFT FACTORY, 1916

The B.E.2 entered service in 1912, with the Cversion being produced from 1914. It remained in service to the endof the Great War, though by 1918 was used only as a trainer.

And so, on 15 April 1916, the Royal Flying Corpsbrought into existence No.50 Squadron, tasked with home defenceagainst Zeppelin airships. The squadron was called into existenceat Swingate Down, a small airfield perched high on the hillsnortheast of Dover, Kent. Swingate Down was not much of anairfield. The smooth grass of the chalk downs provided a goodenough runway, but the only buildings were a scattering of woodenhuts and a couple of wooden hangars.

The RFC had been using the place as a refuellingstop for aircraft flying out to France. There was enoughaccommodation for the men tasked with the refuelling, and a bed ortwo for pilots forced to stay overnight by bad weather - and thatwas about it. The arrival of a full squadron put a severe strain onthe base at Swingate Down, which was met by more wooden huts and anumber of tents. Fortunately the summer of 1916 was kind so far asweather was concerned.