Aircraft Types Used By Australian Forces 1914 - 1918

Martinsyde G.100 and G.102 Elephant Scouts

Served with 67 Sqd (Australian) RFC

The Martinsyde G.100 Elephant and the G.102 were British fighter bomber aircraft of the First World War built by Martinsyde.The type gained the name Elephant from its relatively large size and lack of manoeuvrability.The G.102 differed from the G.100 only in having a more powerful engine.

7472

00Jun16 Built with RFC Serial 7472 the 14^th of 50 Martinsyde G.100 Elephant aircraft built by Martinsyde Ltd in their UK factory at Brooklands, near Weybridge in Surrey UK. Built in the Serial Range 7459 to 7508 to Contract No.87/A192 dated 22^nd November 1915. Fitted with a 120hp Beardmore engine.

00Jun16 Taken on charge by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) for acceptance checks by the Aeronautical Inspection Department at Weybridge Surrey.

14Jul16 Allocated for use to the Expeditionary Force France.

27Jul16 Allocation changed the Expeditionary Force Egypt. Aircraft moved to the Southern Aircraft Repair Depot at South Farnborough, Hampshire UK to be prepared for shipment to Egypt.

01Sep16 Received by X Aircraft Park (XAP) at RFC Station Kantara, Suez Canal Egypt.

08Sep16 Received for use by HQ 5^th (Corps) Wing. Issued for use to 14 Sqn RFC Station Heliopolis, Egypt.

00Oct16 Allocated for use to No.67 (Australian) Sqn, 5^th Wing, Middle East Brigade RFC at Kantara airfield 160km NE of Cairo on the eastern side of the Suez Canal.

16Oct16 Received by 67 Sqn.

17Oct16 After conducting a 20min acceptance test flight at Kantara the aircraft overran the landing zone and crashed into tents at the end of the airfield and overturned. The aircraft sustained moderate damage to the upper wings, petrol tank, airscrew and empennage. Pilot CPT R. Williams was uninjured.

27Oct16 Received for repair to XAP Kantara.

09Feb17 Allocated to 67 Sqn at Kilometre 143 airfield (so called because it was that distance from the Canal).

27Feb17 Received for use by 67 Sqn.

25Mar17 Moved from Kilo143 airfield to Rafa airfield, Palestine when 67 Sqn was relocated.

20Apr17 Departed Rafa airfield in the early morning hours along with one other Martinsyde as escort to five BE.2c/e bombers led by CAP R. Williams [in 6775] tasked to attack Turkish cavalry reinforcements at Hareira, Sinai. On one strafing attack run 7472 was shot down by Flak Unit No.136 and crashed near Turkish troops. Pilot Lt N.L Steele was posted as MIA. On 14Jul17 an enemy aircraft dropped a note stating Lt N.L Steele was shot down by AAA and died of his wounds as he lay beside his downed machine.

AFC Pilot Lieutenant Norman Leslie Steele (21) single, a warehouseman of Melbourne VIC has no known grave. He is remembered on Panel 60 of the Jerusalem Memorial, Jerusalem War Cemetery, Israel. Steele is also honoured on at Location 187in the Commemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT. He is also one of seven allied airmen whose name is engraved on a stone tablet monument erected by German airmen at Sheria, Palestine. This monument now resides in the Bersheeba War Cemetery.

Australian War Memorial, Canberra

25Apr17 Aircraft struck off charge.

7477

00Jun16 Built with RFC Serial 7477 the 19^th of 50 Martinsyde G.100 Elephant aircraft built by Martinsyde Ltd in their UK factory at Brooklands, near Weybridge in Surrey UK. Built in the Serial Range 7459 to 7508 to Contract No.87/A192 22^nd November 1915. Fitted with a 120hp Beardmore engine No488.

00Jun16 Taken on charge by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) for acceptance checks by the Aeronautical Inspection Department at Weybridge Surrey.

14Jul16 Allocated for use to the Expeditionary Force France.

27Jul16 Allocation changed the Expeditionary Force Egypt. Aircraft moved to the Southern Aircraft Repair Depot at South Farnborough, Hampshire UK to be prepared for shipment to Egypt.

05Sep16 Received by X Aircraft Park (XAP) at RFC Station Kantara, Suez Canal Egypt.

10Sep16 Received for use by HQ 5^th (Corps) Wing. Issued for use to 14 Sqn RFC Station Heliopolis, Egypt.

27Sep16 Received for repair by XAP Kantara.

00Oct16 Allocated for use to No.67 (Australian) Sqn, 5^th Wing, Middle East Brigade RFC at Kantara airfield 160km NE of Cairo on the eastern side of the Suez Canal.

17Oct16 Received for use by 67 Sqn, issued to C Flight for detached duty at Mahemdia airfield on the outskirts of Port Said, Egypt. Assigned to Lt W.J.F Guilfoyle.

00Oct16 Lt Guilfoyle escorted two BE.2c machines to conduct a Photographic reconnaissance of the important airfield of Masiad.

11Nov16 Lt W.J.F Guilfoyle and Lt L.J Wackett with Observer Lt Turner in a uniquely modified BE2c ‘gunship’ escorted eight 67 Sqn BE.2c bombers that departed Kantara and Mahemdia airfields for the largest aerial attack yet undertaken by 67 Sqn (or any other RFC Squadron) on the German airfield complex near Beersheba, Palestine. The eight BE2 bombers, carrying only the pilot and bomb load, landed at Mustabig airfield to refuel then all 10 machines departed at 0830hrs to attack the airfield and the nearby Turkish Army Headquarters.

After dropping his 100lb bomb in the centre of the airfield Guilfoyle then joined Lt L.J Wackett in his up-gunned BE.2c to repel two Fokker monoplanes that tried to intercept the bombers.

17Dec16 Moved to Mustabig airfield on the Sabkhet el Mustabig saltpan just west of the Bir el Mazar Oasis when 67 Sqn moved forward with the Palestine Brigade advance toward Jerusalem.

00Jan17 The aircraft suffered unspecified damage. No specific information has been found that shows how this machine was damaged but the Official History of the AFC does say that 67 Sqn suffered several crashes in and around the el Arish area of the Sinai and at Mustabig airfield in early January 1917 because of the atrocious weather conditions.

07Jan17 Received for repair and/or servicing by XAP Kantara.

00Feb17 Allocated to 67Sqn.

18Feb17 Received for use by 67 Sqn at Kilo 143 airfield near El Arish, Sinai, Egypt.

26Mar17 Moved from Kilo 143 to Rafa airfield, Palestine when 67 Sqn moved forward with the Palestine Brigade advance toward Jerusalem.

06Apr17 MAJ A. Murray-Jones was escorting a BE2c flown by Lt C de C Matulich and Lt F.W.F Lukis on a Reconnaissance mission when they met five German Rumpler Scouts near Wadi Sheikh Nuran heading for Rafa airfield. Jones immediately attacked the five Germans allowing the BE.2c to get back and warn the Base. Jones was eventually forced down at Wadi Sheikh Nuran and quickly abandoned the damaged aircraft before the Germans strafed it with bombs and gunfire. Jones and the aircraft were later recovered by a ground party from Rafa.

20Apr17 Aircraft repaired and test flown serviceable by MAJ A. Murray-Jones.

22Apr17 When landing at Rafa airfield after a local training flight Lt R.M Drummond lost a wheel on landing resulting in the machine overturning and causing moderate damage.

00May17 During the month of May 1917 all aircraft on squadron charge were cleansed with an acetone wash to remove all previous coatings. They were then re-doped and varnished to try and protect the machines from degradation in the harsh desert climate.

15Jun17 Moved with 67 Sqn to Deir-el-Belah airfield 16km south of Gaza, Palestine.

08Jul17 CPT C.A Brooks RFC departed Deir-el-Belah airfield with Lt C. Vautin (BE.12a No.6323) as escorts for BE2e No.6775 [Lt T. Taylor and Lt F.W.F Lukis] which was on a Strategic Reconnaissance Mission. Approaching Gaza two German Albatros D.III Scouts attacked the formation and in taking avoiding action the wings of Brookes’ machine were seen to fold up and the tail detach from the aircraft. CPT Brooks fell to his death in the wreckage of his machine. The aircraft was claimed shot down by Offizier Kem and Leutnant Jancke of FlAbt300.

Captain Charles Alfred Brooks (29) single of Winsley, Wiltshire from the Wiltshire Regiment attached to No.67 (Australian) Sqn RFC has no known grave but is commemorated on Panel No.9 of the Jerusalem Memorial in the Jerusalem War Cemetery. He is also one of seven allied airmen whose name is engraved on a stone tablet monument erected by German airmen at Sheria, Palestine. This monument now resides in the Bersheeba War Cemetery.

Beersheba War Cemetery, Israel

Note: This was the first appearance of the Albatros D.III on the Front and the performance gap between the Albatros and any of 1 Sqn’s aircraft put the initiative purely in the hands of the Germans.

17Jul17 Struck off charge.

A1607

00Dec16 Built with RFC Serial A1607 the 47^th of 50 Martinsyde G.102 Elephant aircraft built by Martinsyde Ltd in their UK factory at Brooklands, near Weybridge in Surrey UK. Built in the Serial Range A1561 to A1610 to Contract No.87/A/487 dated 21^st June 1916. Fitted with a 160hp Beardmore engine Serial No.WD2408.

00Jan17 Taken on charge by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) for acceptance checks by the Aeronautical Inspection Department at Weybridge Surrey.

00Mar17 Allocation to the Expeditionary Force Egypt. Aircraft moved to the Southern Aircraft Repair Depot at South Farnborough, Hampshire UK to be prepared for shipment to Egypt.

00Jul17 Received for assembly and testing by X Aircraft Depot (XAD) at RFC Station Aboukir, Alexandria Egypt.

00Sep17 Allocated to HQ 40th (Army) Wing, Palestine Brigade RFC at RFC Station Heliopolis.

17Oct17 Received by HQ 40th (Army) Wing.

00Oct17 Allocated for use by No.67 (Australian) Sqn, 40th (Army) Wing, Palestine Brigade RFC at Deir-el-Belah airfield, Palestine. The aircraft was physically located with XAP at Heliopolis airfield and as it happened 67 Sqn pilot Lt H.W Bowd had just been released for duty from the 14th Australian General Hospital in Abassia, Cairo. The plan was for Bowd to fly the acceptance tests then ferry the aircraft to Deir-el-Belah airfield.

25Oct17 While performing a series of acceptance checks at RFC Heliopolis pilot Lt H.W Bowd entered a loop and coming out of the loop at 3000ft the machine disintegrated and Lt Bowd was ejected from the wreckage and fell to his death.

A Court of Inquiry held at XAP Heliopolis on 26Oct17 found that the pilot flew the aircraft in such a manner that too much strain was placed on the rear portion and it broke at the rear cockpit bulkhead where the seat safety belt was attached. When the machine did break at the bulkhead Lt Bowd was forcibly dragged backwards and ejected.

11Nov17 Aircraft struck off charge by HQ 40 Wing.

AFC pilot Lieutenant Henry William Bowd (33) single of Inverell, NSW is buried in Grave No.322F of the Cairo War Memorial Cemetery, Cairo, Egypt. He is also honoured at Location 187 in the Commemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT.

SY 2020-04-15

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning we will remember them. - Laurence Binyon