At dawn on 21st 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.
In all it was a wonderful day and one that will be remembered for a long time to come.
By: Magickpyggie - 23rd September 2010 at 16:30
Excellent, there are a number of centenaries coming up in the next few months. Captain Bertram Dickson is also acknowledged as the first Scotsman to fly, although he only had a French Brevet, No 71 dated 13th May 1910. He does not seem to have received a UK RAes Brevet before his untimely accident at Milan.
Interesting times ahead
By: WP840 - 23rd September 2010 at 12:06
Although flying has long since finished at Larkhill, the site of the original runway and hangars is still clearly visible.
By: T6flyer - 23rd September 2010 at 10:19
Apologies, but couldn’t have really posted it any earlier, as by the time it took us to fly home, put the aeroplanes to bed and then for me to drive 50 miles home…type it out and send, it was 11pm.
We all had a wonderful time, were well looked after and all for an historic event that three weeks ago didnt exist. A lot of hard work was undertaken for the Flypast and the celebrations to take place at Old Sarum, Larkhill and Middle Wallop.
On board two of the aircraft in the flypast were Sir George White Bt, the great grandson of the founder of the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company and David Dickson, the great nephew of Captain Berttram Dickson, the pioneer aviator. David, flew in the Auster Mk.3 of which his family presented one to the Army in 1943. A wonderful link with the past.
Martin
By: inkworm - 22nd September 2010 at 18:02
should have mentioned this a bit earlier in the day yesterday, I’d have had a good reason to raise a glass, not that it is needed, will have a belated celebration tonight, looks like a good day was had and the weather held.
Sign In
September 21, 2010 at 11:08 pm