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The Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers was the first flying unit of the British Armed Forces
British Armed Forces

The armed forces of the United Kingdom, commonly known as the British Armed Forces or His/Her Majesty's Armed Forces, and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, encompasses a Royal Navy, an British Army, and an Royal Air Force....
 to make use of heavier-than-air craft. It evolved into the Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps

The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery cooperation and photographic reconnaissance....
 which in turn evolved into the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is the United Kingdom's air force, the oldest independent air force in the world. Formed on 1 April 1918, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history ever since, playing a large part in World War II and in more recent conflicts....
.

911, following the growth in early aviation activity, the War Office
War Office

The War Office was a former department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1963, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence ....
 issued instructions for the School of Ballooning
School of Ballooning

The School of Ballooning was a training and test centre for British Army experiments with airships. It was established at Chatham, Kent in Kent in 1888....
, which had originally been formed in 1888, to be expanded into a battalion
Battalion

A battalion is a military unit of around 500-1500 men usually consisting of between two and seven company and typically commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel....
. An order was issued on 28 February 1911 for the formation of the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers

The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the Structure of the British Army of the British Army....
 effective 1 April the same year.






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The Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers was the first flying unit of the British Armed Forces
British Armed Forces

The armed forces of the United Kingdom, commonly known as the British Armed Forces or His/Her Majesty's Armed Forces, and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, encompasses a Royal Navy, an British Army, and an Royal Air Force....
 to make use of heavier-than-air craft. It evolved into the Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps

The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery cooperation and photographic reconnaissance....
 which in turn evolved into the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is the United Kingdom's air force, the oldest independent air force in the world. Formed on 1 April 1918, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history ever since, playing a large part in World War II and in more recent conflicts....
.

Establishment

In 1911, following the growth in early aviation activity, the War Office
War Office

The War Office was a former department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1963, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence ....
 issued instructions for the School of Ballooning
School of Ballooning

The School of Ballooning was a training and test centre for British Army experiments with airships. It was established at Chatham, Kent in Kent in 1888....
, which had originally been formed in 1888, to be expanded into a battalion
Battalion

A battalion is a military unit of around 500-1500 men usually consisting of between two and seven company and typically commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel....
. An order was issued on 28 February 1911 for the formation of the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers

The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the Structure of the British Army of the British Army....
 effective 1 April the same year. The initial establishment was 14 officers and 150 other ranks. Officers could be selected from any branch of the service whereas other ranks were selected from the Corps of Royal Engineers.

Pilots had to already have earned a Royal Aero Club
Royal Aero Club

The Royal Aero Club is the national co-ordinating body for Air Sport in the United Kingdom.The Aero Club was founded in 1901 by Frank Hedges Butler, his daughter Vera and the Hon Charles Rolls , partly inspired by the Aero club....
 certificate from a private flying school. The GBP 75 charge for flight training was reimbursed only if the student passed the course.

Structure and activities

The battalion comprised two companies
Company (military unit)

A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 75-200 soldiers. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure....
 and a headquarters located at Farnborough
Farnborough Airfield

Farnborough Airport or TAG London Farnborough Airport is an airport situated in Farnborough, Hampshire, Hampshire, England.Farnborough Aerodrome has a United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority Ordinary Licence that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee ....
. The commander of the Air Battalion was Major Sir Alexander Bannerman. No. 1 Company
No. 1 Squadron RAF

No. 1 Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It currently operates the RAF Harrier II from RAF Cottesmore.The squadron motto is In omnibus princeps , appropriate for the RAF's oldest squadron and one that has been involved in almost every major British military operation since World War I....
 was equipped with airship
Airship

An airship or dirigible is a aerostat that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust. Unlike other aerodynamics aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, which produce lift by moving a wing, or airfoil, through the air, aerostatic aircraft, such as airships and Balloon , stay...
s and was under the command of Captain Edward Maitland
Edward Maitland (aviator)

Air Commodore Edward Maitland Maitland Order of St Michael and St George Distinguished Service Order Air Force Cross Royal Geographical Society was an early military aviator who served in the Air Battalion Royal Engineers of the Royal Engineers, the Royal Flying Corps, the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Air Force....
. No. 1 Company was located with the headquarters at Farnborough. Maitland was an experienced balloon
Balloon (aircraft)

A balloon is a type of aircraft that remains aloft due to its buoyancy. A balloon travels by moving with the wind. It is distinct from an airship, which is a buoyant aircraft that can be propelled through the air in a controlled manner....
 and airship pioneer. He also helped pioneer the parachute
Parachute

A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating Drag .Parachutes are made out of cloth, most commonly nylon....
 and in 1913 made the first parachute jump from an airship. No. 2 Company
No. 3 Squadron RAF

No. 3 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Eurofighter Typhoon and T1 from RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire....
 was equipped with aeroplanes and was commanded by Captain John Fulton. No. 2 Company was located at Larkhill
Larkhill

Larkhill is a garrison in the civil parish of Durrington, Wiltshire, Wiltshire, England. It is a short distance west of Durrington village proper and is part of the Salisbury ....
 on the Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain

Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in central southern England covering . It is part of the Southern England Chalk Formation and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, with a little in Hampshire....
. Fulton, a mechanical engineer from the Royal Field Artillery
Royal Regiment of Artillery

The Royal Regiment of Artillery, is generally known as the Royal Artillery and is nicknamed the Gunners. The Regiment is an Arm of the British Army....
, had been an early enthusiast of military flying and had attended the world's first air show at Rheims in 1909. He had earned his pilots certificate, number 27, on 15 November 1910.

Creation of the Royal Flying Corps

In October 1911, the Italians
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
 used aircraft in combat against the Turks
Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in southwest Asia and Thrace in the Balkans region of Southern Europe....
 in Tripoli
Tripoli

Tripoli is the largest and Capital city of Libya.Tripoli has a population of 1.69 million. The city is located in the northwest of the country on the edge of the desert, on a point of rocky land projecting into the Mediterranean Sea and forming a bay....
. This led to the formation of a sub-committee of the British Imperial Defence Staff to recommend policy for the future of British military flying. The committee recommended the formation of a separate flying corps and on 12 April 1912 the Royal Flying Corps was created.

External links

  • Royal Engineers and Aeronautics
  • Origins of the Royal Flying Corps/Royal Air Force
  • Early British Military Ballooning (1863)