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Aviation History
1936
1936 - 1701.PDF
688 FLIGHT. JUNE 25, 1936. in the Singapores just time to note the appearance of the target in its entirety. Then salvos crashed into quays, warehouses and through the thin, unarmoured decks of merchant ships ranged alongside. If ever a plan existed to use that fleet for the invasion of England an extensive revision of the programme was necessary. But the raiders were not to have everything of their choosing, and as the mists cleared they could see a number of aircraft moving on an aerodrome to the south of the harbour. '' Dustbins '' grew out from beneath the Hey- fords, and the Singapores dropped low as a desultory anti-aircraft fire began from the dockyards. Sweeping low, parallel with the quayside, they combed the mass of derricks, masts and warehouses with their Lewis guns. The style of the fighters was noticeably cramped by the Singapores' low-flying tactics. They screamed about over the harbour as though chagrined that they could not attack from below. There were no casualties. The fighters dared not follow far out to sea, and the British force returned without incident, being escorted on the final stage by some Ansons which fell in with them over the Channel. The turning point of the war was a week's merciless bombardment in all weathers by British machines on the big Eurland centres. Day and night, bombers of every type flew out over the Channel, to return, perhaps, after a few hours to rearm and fly off again. On one occasion a squadron of Wellesleys penetrated so far inland that it found the depot which it was to bdrnb almost com pletely lacking in defence against air attack. One evening a squadron of Battles returning from a raid reported much less opposition than was usual. That same night, when well on its way to the target, a squadron of Whitleys was recalled by wireless. And that signified only one thing. ' : : A.C.—1936. Here is our very latest army co-operation machine—a Westland—with Handley Page slots and naps. The engine in the prototype is a Biistol Mercury for which controllable cooling is specified. The cabin is heated and the enclosures are easily opened. Performance figures may not be given, but the span and length are, respectively, 50ft. and 30ft. The A39/34 as the machine is known temporarily, will be at Hendon on Saturday. Death 0/ Mr. George Parnall IT is with very great regret that Flight records the death, on June 21, of Mr. George Parnall, founder and proprietor of the company which was recently re-formed into Parnall Aircraft, Ltd., of Yate, Glos. On May 23, Mr. Parnall suf fered a stroke and cerebral hemorrhage, and at 3 a.m. last Sunday morning he passed away peacefully. He was buried at St. Gennys, Bude, Cornwall, yesterday. George Geach Parnall was born in Bristol on February 1, 1873. There, under the title Parnall and Sons, he built up a large and flourishing business as a manufac turer of high-class shop fittings. During the war, the Coliseum works were turned over to aircraft production, and large numbers of aeroplanes were built. The firm of George Parnall and Co. was established as an independent aircraft firm in 1919, and a series of interesting experimental aircraft were built, of which it will suffice if we recall the Parnall Panther ship plane, in which the fuselage was arranged to fold its rear portion alongside the wings; the little Peto, designed to be housed on board a submarine, and which actually went down in the Mr. George Parnall ill-fated M.2 some years ago; an experimental machine, the Possum tri-plane, with a Napier engine in the fuselage driving airscrews mounted outboard; several types of light aeroplane, such as the Pixie, Elf and Imp; and more recently the experi mental parasol monoplane, in which the wing is mounted on a weighing balance in such a way that the air forces on it can be measured in flight. This latter machine is still being used for research on wing sections at Farnborough. Most of these machines were produced while Mr. Harold Bolas was chief designer, a post which he relinquished some years ago to go to the United States of America. REPORT NUMBER NEXT WEEK THE contents of to-day's issue form a valuable work of reference for all interested in the R.A.F. Next week's issue will prove of equal yet contrasting interest, for it will contain detailed and fully illustrated reports of next Saturday's R.A.F. Display, and the S.B.A.C. Display on Monday, to which latter event the general public are not admitted, but at which Britain's finest machines and pilots perform. The R.A.F. and S.B.A.C. Report Number will form a fitting companion to the present one. NEXT THUR SDAY JULY 2 P %w PRICE SIXPENCE To prevent disappointment, a regular order for ''• Flight" should be placed with your newsagent.
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