US Cavalry Scout

The famous Cavalry Scouts of the United States Army first came to the notice of the general public through newspaper accounts of their daring exploits during the raids into Mexico against the bandit forces of Pancho Villa in 1911.

Although lightly armed and poorly protected, the Scouts would dart back and forth across the battlefield harrying enemy troops and targeting the exposed engine blocks at the rear of the slow and bulky Mexican mechanical walkers. The Scouts' cavalier attitude to danger became something of a calling card with recruits expected to display almost foolhardy bravery in battle.

This picture shows one of the earliest models of the Cavalry Scout's "Apache". It's maximum altitude was limited to only two feet above the ground, but it boasted a top speed of nearly 30knots and was highly maneuverable. The Apache was to go on to become a mainstay of the Cavalry Scouts for nearly three decades, although later incarnations bore little resemblance to their bulkier forebears.

Interested readers are invited to view further images of the Apache here.

Antipodean War of Independence

The Australian Territories' unilateral declaration of independence in 1891, closely followed by that of New Zealand, prompted a swift and merciless response from Imperial military forces stationed in the Pacific.

The short-lived rebellion saw the formation of the Republican Defence Force, including the Air Corps. Pictured above is Captain Shaun Heyes at the controls of a "Dingo" fighter aircraft, one of the few that could be cobbled-together from limited supplies by the Sydney Airworks Company in the face of Imperial blockade.

Captain Heyes became the first Australian "ace", downing twelve Imperial aircraft before disappearing over the Pacific. Tales of his exploits were to become an inspirational rallying point for the Australian Insurgency which continued the armed struggle against Imperial rule following the suppression of the rebellion in the Summer of 1892.

With victory in the second Antipodean War, the town of Victoria was renamed "Heyesville" in honour of this legendary flyer.

A rare colour image of the "Dingo" in flight can be viewed here.

US Air Cavalry P2 Thunderbolt

The P2 Thunderbolt first roared into service with the United States Air Cavalry in 1906. The first aircraft to successfully employ the newly-developed steamjet turbine, the Thunderbolt was capable of astonishing speed.

The P2 was nicknamed "The Monster" amongst Air Cavalry pilots, at first because of the number of test pilots who lost their lives during its development, but latterly because of its fearsome reputation in battle.

Initially the Thunderbolt was seen as a classic fighter, but its heavy armament and high speed also made it perfectly suited as a ground attack aircraft. "Bringing the thunder" was soon to become military slang for devastating strafing runs against ground targets.

The P2 became an American military icon during the twenty years it was in service, appearing regularly in Air Cavalry recruitment materials such as the poster displayed above. When President Roosevelt summed up his foreign policy agenda with the phrase "Speak softly and carry a big stick", many believed the stick he was referring to was the Thunderbolt.

Interested readers are invited to view more images of this famous aircraft here.

"Blue Cat" Flying Boat

This image shows one of the "Blue Cats" Cruz Catalina Flying Boats of the Floridian Independent Fleet's Air Arm in action during the suppression of the Cuban Uprising in 1899.

Upon Florida's seccession from the United States in 1887 following the disputed Presidential election, there was brief period of territory-wide anarchy. This came to an abrupt halt as the commanders of the former state militia took control of the cities and towns, imposing a harsh regime of law and order. Over time, these military groups formed themselves into formidable mercenary forces; notably the Floridian Independent Fleet and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

At first the authorities in Washington were keen to re-establish control over the rogue peninsula, but the mercenary groups soon became an indespensible (and plausibly-deniable) instrument of American foreign policy. Commisioned to deal with a rising tide of Bolshevism amongst the governments of Central and South America, the mercenary forces proved themselves utterly ruthless and determined.

Further images of this versatile and effective attack craft can be viewed here.

The Earl of Rosebery and his Bentley Sky Phantom

The photographic image above shows Archibald Philip-Primrose Rosebery, the flamboyant 5th Earl of Rosebery, at the controls of his beloved Bentley Sky Phantom.

Rosebery was one of the most famous society figures of his day; a succesful racehorse owner and author of political biographies, even enjoying a brief spell as Prime Minister from 1894-95.

Retiring from the Government citing boredom, he was to go on to succesfully woo the richest heiress in the Empire. This astute match, coupled with one of his horses winning the Derby, was to enable Rosebery to indulge his long-held fascination with aeronautics. He slowly built up one of the finest collections of vintage flying machines in the Empire, the envy of many a museum curator.

His pride and joy was the Bentley Sky Phantom, saved from scrap in 1901 and painstakingly-restored by his own hand, becoming the last airworthy Phantom in existence.

More images of the Bentley Sky Phantom, many of them in colour, may be viewed here.

Austrian "Eagle" Class Gunships

The "Eagle" Class Gunships of the Royal Austrian Mechanised Military were feared symbols of Hapsburg power in the middle of the 19th Century. All this was to change, of course, with the shattering defeat of Austrian forces at the hands of the Prussians in the short but intense conflict of 1866.

The irony is that Prussia and Austria had been allies only seven years before, in the war with the small kingdoms of Holsten and Pilzner over the disputed Duchy of Budvar. The powerful Prussian ground forces, lacking any effective air power, relied almost exclusively on the Austrian Gunships to provide bombing support and aerial defence. Despite this successful military partnership, relationships soon soured with increasing (and undoubtedly justified) Austrian suspicion of Prussian territorial ambitions in Southern and Eastern Europe.

The war of 1866 saw Austrian Gunships in action once more, this time against the very forces they had protected previously. However, their ability to project Hapsburg power was severely curtailed by the newly-formed Prussian Valkyrie Squadrons, seeing action for the first time. With their aerial attacks blunted, the commanders of the Royal Austrian Mechanised Military saw their ground troops struggle with archaic equipment against the more advanced Prussian war machine.

Forced into a humiliating surrender, the Hapsburg rulers never forgave their former ally and simmering Austrian resentment persisted until the turn of the century when the two nations were compelled to join forces once more in unlikely alliance against the Empire.

More photographic images of the "Eagle" Class in flight can be viewed here.

Sopwith Hurricane

The Sopwith Aeronautical Company was founded by Tommy (later Sir Thomas) Sopwith in Kingston-upon-Thames in 1867. The well-to-do gentleman sportsman and keen aeronaut formed his company with a group of like-minded acquaintances and opened their first factory in a disused ice rink. A number of experimental aeronautical designs emerged from the factory in Kingston in the early years, the most-succesful being a heavy triplane for the cargo market and an observation balloon for the Office of the Navy.

In 1883 production was to commence on the Hurricane, the most famous of Sopwith's aircraft. Its revolutionary 8-cylinder Merlin Steam Turbine, coupled with an innovative variable-pitch propellor, saw it move quickly to the fore in the world of military aviation. The Hurricane was the first aircraft to use mixed alloy construction techniques; its beams a strong but lightweight combination of steel and Cavorite. This gave it a higher operating ceiling and a longer range than any other fighter of its time.

The model picture here is fitted with a 0.5" Vickers Gun, firing high explosive nitroglycerine rounds. The pilot is Squadron Leader Stephen "Goose" Gourlay who was to become the first of the Royal Aeronautic Corps' many decorated Aces. Further photographic images of the celebrated Squadron Leader and this famous aircraft may be viewed here.

The Airship 'Enterprise'

This famous craft was, without a doubt, the most well-known flying machine of its time. The illustrated accounts of the explorations of the Enterprise and her three-man crew were to enthrall readers around the world. The immortal lines which prefaced the serialised tales in The Strand magazine have become almost as famous as the ship itself...

"These are the voyages of the airship 'Enterprise'. Its five-year mission; to seek out lost worlds and lost civilisations, to boldly go where no man has gone before..."

For four and a half years, readers would wait impatiently for the monthly extracts from the journal of charismatic ship's captain Tiberius J. Kirk. The intrepid explorers' discovery of ancient ruins and artifacts across initially Southern America, and then the uncharted hinterlands of Asia, was to provide the backbone to a thrilling collection of stories.

The last communication from the Enterprise was to arrive in London in June 1862 - only three months before the ship was due to reach the end of her five-year mission. No-one can be sure exactly what happened to Kirk and his crewmates; Professor Bonaparte McCoy and engineer Mister Scott. However, rumours persist that the Enterprise fell victim to some sinister Manchurian plot. Perhaps one day, a new generation of explorers will find the wreckage of the Enterprise deep in some steaming Asian jungle, and the mystery will finally be explained.

A collection of illustrations of the Enterprise are published here with the kind permission of the proprieters of The Strand magazine.

Racing Skiff "Rampant"

The London to Paris Air Race has been held annually since 1836 and is the longest-running flying contest in the world. Although the event has enjoyed a lower public profile since Transatlantic flight ushered in the modern era of competition for the Americas Cup, the London-Paris Race remains one of the most sought-after prizes in aeronautics.

Captain Lewis Galloway is, without doubt, the Race's most famous champion. Winner on no less than seven occasions, he still holds the record for consecutive wins with five in a row - all of them in his world-famous racing skiff "Rampant". That his final victory in 1874 was posthumous, his flaming craft plunging across the finish line beneath the Arc de Triomphe only seconds before erupting in an enormous fireball, only adds poignancy to his legend.

Further photographic images of this famous aeronaut's racing machine, many of them in colour, can be viewed here.

Tiger Moth

In an age of massive steel and iron airships, held aloft through the gravity-defying properties of Cavorite, the Royal Aeronautic Corps' "Tiger Moth" was an anachronistic throwback to the earlier days of aviation.

Sparingly constructed, predominantly from wood and canvas, the Tiger Moth was incredibly light. This allowed it to gain very high altitude (the effective ceiling of the aircraft was limited by pilot endurance rather than technical factors), able to attack even the highest-operating airships from above, dropping liquid-explosive incendiary bombs into the gas envelopes in a crippling blow.

Hugely successful in this specialised role, the Tiger Moth aircraft was to operate for many years as a mainstay of the Corps' defence strategies for the home islands of the Empire.

Further images of the Tiger Moth may be viewed here.

The Lunar Expeditionary Landing

The Lunar Expeditionary Landing of 1898 was a triumph of Imperial technological ingenuity. The landing craft, christened "Mabel", put down on the Moon's Sea of Tranquility to establish Salisbury Base Camp on May 24th, the Queen's birthday.
Lofted skwards through a combination of Cavorite lift and rocket propulsion, the Lunar Expedition took three days to make the transit through the aether to the Moon. Captain W.E. Johns and Doctor Alexander "Alec" Watt were later to describe the journey as "deeply unsettling" and "rather peculiar". One can only imagine the discomfort they experienced whilst floating free of the reassuring certainty of the Earth's gravitational field.
That the two men made this epic journey and returned to the safety of their home planet alive is one of the greatest feats of exploration and scientific achievement of the modern age. Imperial men of science continue to study the variety of minerals brought back by the Expedition, and these have greatly increased our understanding of the early history of our solar system.
Despite the unwieldiness of their "vacuum suits", the two lunar explorers carried out many experiments during their nine hours on the surface of the Moon. Captain Johns was pleased to report that he struck a cricket ball, bowled by Doctor Watt, a distance of two full miles.
The Expedition was to establish that commercial mining operations would never be able to recoup the considerable costs of travelling to and fro between the Earth and her closest neighbour. Sadly, the famous Expedition of 1898 remains the only occasion on which men from planet Earth have walked on the soil of another world.
More of the photographic images from the Expedition can be seen here.

Manchurian Sky Pirates

The defeat of the Imperial Expeditionary Force by Manchurian forces in 1842 during the so-called "Opium War" was to bolster the popularity of the Manchu ruling dynasty and strengthen their grip on territories across the Far East. Manchuria became the dominant power in the region, regularly thwarting attempts by both Russia and Nippon to increase their spheres of influence.

Through a mixture of trade domination and military success, Manchurian territory was to grow inland, with the tribal kingdoms of Mongolia and the weak city states of the Chin all gradually falling under Manchurian rule. This expansion to the foothills of the Himalayas was to see Manchurian interests collide once more with those of the Empire in the closing years of the century.

Imperial shipping in the skies above Nepal and Uttar Pradesh were to increasingly become the prey of Sky Pirates operating from camps across the high mountains. In an ironic echo of the English Privateers of the Caribbean in previous centuries, Manchurian authorities denied any knowledge of the activities of these raiders, although it was clear to all that the Pirates would be unable to operate without official sanction.

The Empire could not stand idly by whilst one of its key trade routes was interrupted in this way. Large airyards were built in Faizabad, and the Imperial fleet in the skies over the subcontinent was to eventually make up a full third of all Royal Aeronautic Corps vessels.

The Sky Pirate menace was broadly contained but proved impossible to eradicate completely and isolated attacks remained a constant irritation to colonial authorities.

Further photographic images of this Manchurian craft may be viewed here.

MV "Spark of Vitality"

The Merchant Vessel "Spark of Vitality" is a fine example of the craft often referred to colloquially as 'Sky Puffers'.
As Cavorite became increasingly available throughout Britain and the Colonies, the more entrepeneurial of the independent shipowners were amongst the first to convert their vessels to aeronautic use. The Clyde-built and Glasgow-based "Spark of Vitality" was one of the earliest of these conversions, first taking to the skies in 1851 and becoming a regular visitor to the airdocks of Belfast, Dublin and Liverpool.
Such converted marine vessels became a common sight in Colonial skies around the world. This sizeable fleet of mercantile craft was a key factor in the Empire's economic dominance in the latter years of the century.
Mister Gregory Hotherdike of Rutherglen has been kind enough to supply us with some of his colourful illustrations of the "Spark of Vitality", taken many years ago on an aerial excursion down the River Clyde, and readers are invited to view them at their leisure.

HMS Dauntless

The Royal Aeronautic Corps vessel HMS Dauntless was launched from the Belfast airyards of Harland & Wolfe in August 1896.

Designed for the purpose of aerial bombardment, the Damocles Class was originally fitted to carry large conventional munitions. However, the weight of this payload was to limit both range and operating ceiling - relegating the Damocles vessels to a supporting role.

With the development of new Liquid Nitroglycerine munitions, the Damocles Class ships were refitted to carry these lighter and more powerful explosive devices. This change has seen the Damocles Class vessels become a key component in the Corps' projection of Imperial power in the skies of Northern Europe.

The move to the more volatile liquid explosive has not been without cost however. June 1901 saw the tragic loss of 3 aircrew and 14 ground support staff in an explosion at the Farnborough airdock during the loading of the Dauntless' sister vessel, HMS Defiant.

A collection of further photographic images of HMS Dauntless, many of them reproduced in full colour, may be viewed here.