Review of 'Naval 8 – History of a Scout Squadron' by Colin Buxton (November 2022)

‘Naval 8’, the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS), was formed in 1916 when three Flights (18 aircraft) were detached from duties in the UK and sent to St Pol, near Dunkirk, for ‘temporary’ duty in France during the Battle of the Somme. Initially the Naval 8 aircraft were Nieuport 17s (single seater fighters) but these soon replaced by Sopwith Pups.

The Nieuport 17 C1 had a 110 hp engine, an endurance of just under two hours, a service ceiling of 17,000ft (which took 12 minutes to reach) and was armed with a single Lewis gun, mounted on the upper wing. In October 1916, the first Sopwith Pups arrived in France and Naval 8 replaced their Nieuports with the new aircraft. The Sopwith Pup had a similar engine to the Nieuport but, being a lighter aircraft, it had a longer endurance (three hours), a similar service ceiling which took longer to reach, and the Lewis gun now had a synchroniser so could be mounted in front of the pilot.

The Pup was soon replaced by the Sopwith 1½ Strutter which was a two-seater fighter with two mounted guns, a forward-facing Vickers machine gun for the pilot and a Lewis gun operated by the observer. The Strutter was powered by a 130hp engine and could reach its service ceiling in under 10 minutes. It also had a slightly longer endurance time. One other important difference was the Strutter’s ability to carry a bomb load of up to 60kg.

In spring 1917, the RNAS were supplied with the Sopwith Triplane, it has the distinction of being the first triplane to be deployed for military use. These were not as popular due to their light armament despite having a faster speed and a higher ceiling.

When it became clear that the Pup and the Triplane were outclassed by the new German Albatross (its manoeuvrability and rate of climb were far better), the Sopwith Camel was developed to replace them. This new fighter had to be faster and carry heavier armament. In the summer of 1917, the first Camels were deployed to France for the RNAS. It was a single seater with a maximum speed of 113 mph, a range of 300 miles and a ceiling of 19,000 ft. It was also armed with two Vickers machine guns.

Towards the end of the war (1918) a new Sopwith fighter was deployed in France, the Sopwith Snipe. It was not as fast as the Camel but it had better rate of climb and manoeuvrability.

The Albatross was not the only German opposition Naval 8 had to face. In 1918 the Fokker Dr1 triplane made its appearance on the Western Front. This was the chosen plane of Manfred von Richthoven and replaced his Fokker F1.

The maintenance of the aircraft between flights was the responsibility of the Air Mechanics, First Class. These were the ‘riggers and fitters’ who serviced the aircraft every night. The engines were stripped down, the airframes, struts and wires were checked and the canvas treated with protective ‘dope’. If a ‘downed aircraft’ could be reached, even in no-man’s-land (if necessary), they were collected for salvage.

The first airfield used by Naval 8 was Le Vert Galand aerodrome, on a cross roads near Amiens in the Pas de Calais, and Squadron Commander Geoffrey Bromet was the first commander of Naval 8. In November, Naval 8 achieved its first ‘kill’ when Flight Sub-Lieutenant Galbraith, in a Sopwith Pup, downed a ‘Roland’, a German fighter aircraft.

In 1917, Naval 8 was to move to various aerodromes – St Pol, Auchal and Mont St Eloi. In November, Bromet was promoted to Wing-Commander and posted to Dover. The new commander was now Squadron-Commander C Draper. At this time, the Squadron was specialising in reconnaissance and artillery spotting. In 1918 when the RAF was formed by merging the RFC and the RNAS, Naval 8 became 208 squadron During 1918, Squadron 208 was posted to aerodromes at La Gorgue, Serny (for the German Spring Offensive), Tramecourt (for aerial support for the battle of Amiens), Foucacourt (on the Somme), Estree and Moritz, where news of the Armistice reached the Squadron. From late April to early July the Squadronhad been ‘rested’.

The conditions for young men at 17,000 feet in an open cockpit, with a temperature often at -10 degrees C, were very difficult to endure. To combat this, pilots bought their own ‘padded’ protection, usually a single suit or lambswool lined trousers. At 17,000 ft the oxygen level was so low that hypoxia could cause confusion, rapid heart rate, blurred vision and neurasthenia. Not only the continual noise of the engine but also the difficulty of communication had to be overcome. A variety of hand signals between the commanders and wing men had to be developed, especially in ‘dog fights’. The use of flares to summon help or to draw attention to major problems had to be negotiated. Mastery of the armaments had to be taught quickly, Lewis guns had a top-mounted pan magazine with either 47 or 97 rounds which often required changing during fighting. Vickers machine guns had a belt feed (with 250 rounds).

Tactics were continually evolving, usually by discussions in the mess after action. Combat missions in 1918 might involve bombing and strafing ground troops especially in the last 100 days of the war. The living environment was similar to most officers – orders to attack might arrive with 10 minutes notice, batmen saw to all immediate needs and meals in the mess were similar to those experienced by the men at public school. Officers who wanted to dine out in the evening would have to be driven to nearby estaminets.  Gallows humour was endemic – the song ‘A Young Aviator Lay Dying’ was a popular mess song.

Consumption of alcohol was excessive especially when hosting pilots from neighbouring squadrons. These were usually very rowdy evenings.

One of the more famous pilots with Naval 8 was Lt-Commander Robert A Little, Australia’s highest scoring ace. He ‘scored’ 38 of his 47 victories with Naval 8 between Nov 1916 and July 1917 (he was ‘rested’ from July 1917 – April 1918). His nick-name while he was with the squadron was ‘Rikki’ – after Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, the mongoose in Kipling’s tale – after his aggression in battle was recognised as being of superior quality, but he a loner not a leader .

When he returned to France in 1918, he had been promoted to captain and assigned to 203 squadron of the RAF. Before he left Naval 8, Little was awarded the DSC and bar, followed by the DSO and bar, and the Croix de Guerre.

During the war, Naval 8 scored 273 ‘kills’, 26 of the pilots became aces, 28 were killed in combat, 11 became POWs and 10 have no known graves.

Report by Peter Palmer

Below is a video of the presentation by Colin Buxton