"Dear Billie" - Killed on Flying Duty - The Changing Role of the Castle Bromwich (Birmingham) Airfield in the Great War, Chris Johns

From a basic training airfield using 'canary cages' in 1915 to an operational centre in 1918 for giant Handley Page 0/400 bombers destined for WW2-style bombing raids against Germany. In particular the talk looks at the stories of the many pilots buried in local cemeteries around North Birmingham and their many fascinating histories. The talk, fully illustrated, traces through one airfield to demonstrate the development of military aviation and the RFC from a small primitive force of four squadrons to the birth of the RAF and its massive contribution to the war effort.