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Aviation History
1954
1954 - 0754.PDF
340 FLIGHT, 19 March 1954 FRANK BARNWELL . . . devoted to the production of the B.E.2c, an admirable flying machine—as might be expected from its designer, Sir Geoffrey (then Capt.) de Havilland—with a high degree of inherent stability, which war conditions soon showed to be excessive. Pre occupation with the construction of these aircraft, and of the meagre initial orders for the Scouts, relegated the firm's design and technical staff to a minor role with no creative opportunity, and it is not surprising that Barnwell left to join the R.F.C. He took his ticket in November 1914, got his wings at the C.F.S. in March 1915 (aged 35), and was appointed to No. 12 Squadron, in which he did much flying. When, in December 1925, at the age of 45, he applied to join the Institution of Aeronautical Engi neers (which made him an honorary member), he had logged 360 hours of solo flying as a pilot of 35 different types of aircraft— and that did not include several variants with different types of engine. During 1915, die appalling losses of the gallant R.F.C., cul minating in an outcry in Parliament and violent attacks from die Press (in which C. G. Grey was typically in the van), led to more effective War Office recognition of die essential need to support non-official designs, as had earlier been encouraged by die Admiralty for the R.N.A.S. under its then First Lord, Mr. Winston Churchill. One result was the release from die R.F.C. of Barnwell (by now a captain) "on indefinite leave with out pay" to rejoin the firm in August 1915 as chief designer, Coanda having left on the outbreak of war. He selected as his principal assistant a young graduate in mechanical engineering of Bristol University—L. G. Frise—released from a commission in die R.N.A.S.; and the faithful Tinson was there, too. Barnwell, with his Service experience, addressed himself to two requirements—a single-seater fighter and a two-seater to replace Farnborough types for artillery observation and offensive patrol. The resultant single-seater fighter, Type 10, was a monoplane with a 110 h.p. Clerget in a streamlined fuselage. In September 1916 the first of the five prototypes ordered was flown by F. P. Raynham at a speed of 132 m.ph. To the disappointment of the firm and others, its landing speed of 49 m.p.h. was decreed to be too high for the Western Front and so only another 125 were ordered as Type 11, with 110 h.p. Le Rh6ne engine and a Vickers gun mounted on die centre line. The two squadrons thus armed did good service in Macedonia and Mesopotamia, where they took over progressively from the Scout Ds in 1917 and 1918. Barnwell's original two-seater concept, Type 9, was based on a 120 h.p. Beardmore engine, the pilot (in front, with a Lewis gun on the starboard longeron and his eyes level with the upper centre-section) having a minimum blind spot. The observer/gunner was placed immediately behind him on a seat which could be folded out of die way when he had to stand up to operate his gun. When the prototype came to be built, however, as Type 12, F2A, the more powerful 190 h.p. Rolls-Royce engine had become available, and was fitted. The forward-firing synchronized Vickers gun was mounted on the centre line, just ahead of the pilot's windscreen, and fired through a tunnel in the upper fuel tank, where it was kept comparatively warm by the engine. Barn well had sent young Frise to an Army machine-gun school for a fortnight's course on the Vickers gun to learn its habits. The tail unit was partly below the fuselage, which was tapered to a horizontal edge to give the gunner the best possible view and field of fire for his Lewis gun on its Scarff ring mounting. His seat was made to slide as well as tip up and he was near enough to punch the pilot on the shoulder—lacking any other form then of intercom. Tail adjustment in flight was provided and there was an emergency form of dual control, to give the observer gunner a chance to get the aeroplane back if the pilot were knocked out. Parachutes were not then approved for Service use. The first machine, begun in July 1916, was flying on September 9th; die second with a 150 h.p. Hispano Suiza engine in October. The prototype had separate radiators installed vertically, one on each side of the fuselage; these interfered with the pilot's view, and a new circular radiator was therefore designed into the nose. On the first flight Captain Hooper reported inability to climb above 6,000ft (a reading confirmed by Harold Barnwell, who A "Flight" photograph of "Britain First," the famous progenitor of the Blenheim, built for Lord Rothermere. had been called in by his brother); he, however, was sure that he had got higher. On changing the altimeter, a height of 10,000ft was reached in the first 15 minutes. So successful were the sub sequent official trials that in November 1916 Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig decreed that two squadrons should be ready for operations in France for the 1917 spring offensive, and 50 air craft were ordered. No. 48 Squadron arrived in France in March 1917—and met with shattering disaster. Six Fighters, led by Captain Leefe Robinson, V.C., in the first offensive recon naissance of the battle of Arras on April 5th, ran into five Albatross, led by the fabulous von Richthofen. They attempted to fight back in the then-orthodox two-seater manner, the oilots manoeuvring to give their gunners a good field of fire. Four of the six were shot down (two by von Richthofen himself) including Leefe Robinson, who was taken prisoner. Six days later four more were attacked by four Albatross, of which two were shot down without loss, but later in the patrol one Fighter had to return with a jammed gun and the other three were shot down by four more Albatross. On April 16th six more Fighters made a photographic reconnaissance over Douai for nearly half an hour without encountering any enemy aircraft and went on, disregard ing a strong westerly wind; it caused five to run out of fuel before they could get back to their own lines. The squadron, unshaken, and increasingly assured of the inherent capabilities and manoeuvrability of the aircraft, then began to operate their Fighters as if they were single-seaters, using the front gun for the main attack and the observer's only as additional rear cover. In short, they tore into the enemy, with most effective and immediate result; this was continued by No. 11 Squadron, the second unit to be re-armed with this aircraft. Such striking confirmation of original high hope led to an increase by July in the total quantity on order to 602, with modifications after the first 50 as Type 14, F2B. These modi fications included continuation of the lower wing to fill in the former gap with a centre-section and the re-design of the top longerons to slope downwards from the cockpit to the engine bulkhead, providing for a larger fuel tank and ammunition box, and improving the pilot's view forward. From the 250th machine onwards the Rolls-Royce Falcon III of 275 h.p. was standardized, with a resultant increase in top speed to 118 m.p.h. at 10,000ft and a low-level speed of 125 m.ph. In July 1917 the War Office decided to rc-quip all fighter /recon naissance and corps reconnaissance squadrons with this aircraft and production on an unprecedented scale was planned; 4,747 were actually built in this country, nearly one-third of them by odier firms than Bristol, under a scheme which was virtually the prototype of the shadow industry of the second war. In addition 4,000 were ordered for construction in America, to be fitted with the 300 h.p. Hispano-Suiza engine; but it was later decided—under high political pressure—to use the newly designed 400 h.p. American Liberty engine, which was far more heavy and bulky than either the Falcon or the Hispano. Barnwell, with the full support of the firm, vigorously—but unsuccessfully —contested this decision; and the first aircraft flown in America in March 1918 confirmed his apprehension that it would be nose- heavy and unmanageable. In spite of its brilliant current British record in actual warfare, the F2B was forthwith condemned as dangerous for use by the U.S. Army, and only 27 were accepted for experimental flying. In all this there lies a moral! It may be noted, however, that the technical officers of the then engi neering division at McCook Field, Dayton, Ohio, installed a French 300 h.p. Hispano, which on November 18th, 1918, took the F2B to a height of 29,800ft above Dayton, thus gaining unofficially the world altitude record. In the First World War this aircraft—affectionately known as the Brisfit*—achieved a reputation akin to that gained by the Spitfire and Lancaster in the last war. It continued to be of good service in the R.A.F. throughout the 1920s, completing its career about 1928/29 on the North-West Frontier of India. Indeed, it still lives, as we saw with such delight at the Society's Garden Party last summer, and the year before—then, I think, piloted by Bill Pegg [this, actually, was in 1951.—Ed.] In recognition of his great services Barnwell was invested with the O.B.E. in 1917, to which was added the Air Force Cross. I believe he was the only British designer to be so honoured. In December 1917 he was elected a Fellow of the R.Ae.S., which he had joined as a member on March 4th, 1914—40 years ago today. In January 1917 he was appointed to a committee to consider the future of the Society. The aftermath of the Armistice in 1918 had a far more shattering impact on British aviation—in a drastic financial retrenchment, the unloading of vast war stock on a shrunken market, and industrial upheaval—than was even remotely approached after the second world conflict. The aircraft industry was left to fend for itself, with meagre orders and the com- *Readers interested in the history of the Bristol Fighter are reminded that it formed the subject of one of J. M. Bruce's articles in "Flight" on November 7th, 1952.—Ed.
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