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Selection of WW1 German Aircraft The Imperial German Air Service (Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte) grew out of the need to put an end to frequent incursions by French observers during the first weeks of the war. The initial deployment of German fighter aircraft occurred within the Observer Corps, which were being equipped with one or two of the new Fokker Eindecker fighter aircraft for each The buildup of the Eindecker fighter force rapidly progressed with regular lMG 08 “Spandau”-armed production examples of the Fokker E.I. The first step towards specialist single seater…

Selection of WW1 French aircraft At the start of the First World War, France led the world in an aircraft design. In 1914 it had some 132 operational machines and 21 escadrilles. Initially the Aéronautique Militaire (French Airforce) concentrated on reconnaissance with aircraft like the Blériot XI. On 8 October, it was expanded to a massive expansion to 65 escadrilles. Furthermore, it was proposed that four types of aircraft could be used for four different tasks: Morane-Saulnier Ls would be used as scouts, Voisin IIIs as bombers, Farman MF.11s as…

BIGGIN HILL – HOME DEFENCE BASE /Prototype Testing; December 1917 Onwards Earlier in WW1 (1915/16) Britain became under attack from Zeppelin Airship bombers. These attacks were met by the Royal Flying Corp pilots flying machines of the day. After shooting down a number of these slow moving raiders, the Germans ceased these raids. However, by 1917, the Germans were equipped with well armed, faster heavy bomber aircraft. England was again under attack by a more serious adversity. This required setting up a new Home Defence force, located to protect vulnerable…

WW1 Aircraft Associated with Biggin Hill I live in Bromley and as a boy had an interest in planes, and often cycled to the Biggin Hill aerodrome to watch the RAF jets in action, and to attend Battle of Britain and other flying display days. At the aerodrome there is a Memorial Chapel which commutates all the 454 pilots and air crews who were killed in WW2 flying from the Biggin Hill sector. In 2016 this lost its funding support from the RAF/MOD and was taken over by Bromley Council.…

MODEL MAKING – ALL AIRCRAFT TYPES THAT FLEW IN WORLD WAR 1 John Preedy About 3 and a half years ago I took on the challenge of making all the aircraft types that flew in WW1 to the scale of 1/72. These cover all those of the Countries of the Allies and the Central Powers. At the time of starting I though the total amounted to some 180 models. Since that time I have found many more and my current estimate of the full number is more than 500. Pre…

I am happy to announce that my Military Ancestors database (found at www.militaryancestors.co.uk) has been updated and now includes entries up to, and including, June 1943. This means you can search for any military personnel who may have been mentioned in the Bromley & District [Kentish] Times during the wartime years between 1914 – 1922 and 1938 – 1943.      

Pam will be giving a number of fascinating talks this Autumn to local groups in the London Borough of Bromley. Her first talk will be held on Thursday 31st October at St Martins Church in Chelsfield where she will be talking about the development of the Council estate in Bromley which were built after the war to help with the housing shortage  View details here > She will also be giving this talk to the Farnborough Social Club in Orpington on Friday 1st November. Details here >   On Tuesday…

Pam will be giving a talk to the Bromley Borough Local History Society on the building of the first Council Houses in Bromley after the Great War, on Bromley Common – affectionately known as Bromley Garden City. Non-members of all ages are very welcome to come along. There is a contribution of £1 towards the cost of the meeting (50p for Members) The talk starts at 7.45 pm in the Small Hall at the Trinity United Reformed Church, at the junction of Freelands Road and Upper Park Road, Bromley, BR1 3AQ.…

I will be presenting a paper at the Voices of the Home Fronts: Reflections and Legacies of the First World War Conference at the National Archives at Kew on Friday 19th October. Under the ‘Post-war provisions and practicalities’ section I will be talking about the housing crisis after the Great War and how Bromley implemented Lloyd George’s policy, ‘Homes Fit for Heroes’. Tickets are on sale now

I have recently updated my database on Military Ancestors. I am therefore pleased to announce that the database now contains names from World War 2, from the outbreak of war in 1939 to the end of 1940.   The database is very easy to use, but please use the advice below to help you narrow down your search. Help and Advice The site allows you to make searches using surnames, but also keywords such as road names, regiments, locations. You can use the main search box facility but also you…