Aircraft Types Used By Australian Forces 1914 - 1918

Royal Aircraft Factory B.E. 12

The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.12 was a British single-seat aeroplane of The First World War designed at the Royal Aircraft Factory. It was essentially a single-seat version of the B.E.2. Intended for use as a long-range reconnaissance and bombing aircraft, the B.E.12 was pressed into service as a fighter, in which role it proved disastrously inadequate, mainly due to its very poor manoeuvrability.

A6321

1916 Built with RFC Serial A6321 the 21st of 50 Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.12a aircraft built under license by Daimler Co Ltd in their Radford factory in Coventry, Warwickshire UK. Built to Contract No.87/A/155 dated 24Aug16 in the Serial Range A6301 to A6350.

00Jan17 Taken on charge by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) for acceptance checks by the Aeronautical Inspection Department at No.1 Aircraft Acceptance Park in Coventry. Fitted with a V-12 air-cooled 150hp Raf4 engine.

1917 Dismantled and crated then dispatched by sea to Egypt for use by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF)

00Apr17 Received for assembly and testing by X Aircraft Depot (XAD) at RFC Station Alexandria, Egypt.

10May17 Received by X Aircraft Park (XAP) at RFC Station Kantara, Egypt for preparation before squadron issue.

00May17 Allocated to No.67 (Australian) Sqn RFC at Rafa airfield, Palestine.

21May17 A 20min acceptance test flight flown by MAJ R. Williams at Heliopolis aerodrome.

22May17 MAJ R. Williams flew a 60min ferry flight from Heliopolis to Kantara. Refuelled then flown for another 85min ferry flight from Kantara to Rafa aerodrome. Received by 67 Sqn and issued to C Flight.

15Jun17 Moved from Rafa airfield to Deir el Belah when 1Sqn moved forward with the allied advance in Palestine.

08Jul17 Lt C.H Vautin Departed Deir el Belah as one of two escorts for a reconnaissance BE2e flown by Lt T. Taylor and Lt F.W.F Lukis. The other escort was CPT C.A Brookes in Martinsyde 7477. When approaching Gaza the flight was attacked by two German Scouts, CPT Brookes spun away to avoid the attack but the stress was too much and the wings and tail of his aircraft tore off and Brookes fell to his death. The Germans then turned on Vautin who was forced to land and was taken prisoner. The BE2e managed to disengage and return safely to Base.

AFC pilot No.540 Lieutenant Claude Henry Vautin (25) single of Yuin WA was held as a POW in the Afrion Kara Hissar, Constantinople Turkey.

(left: Lt Claude Vautin [L] posing with his victor Oberleutnant Gerhardt Felmy)

He was released when the Armistice was signed and was repatriated to Cairo on 28Nov18; to Dover, England on the 16th of December 1918; and, finally back to Australia on 09Aug20.

17Jul17 Aircraft struck off charge.

A6322

1916 Built with RFC Serial A6322 the 22nd of 50 Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.12a aircraft built under license by Daimler Co Ltd in their Radford factory in Coventry, Warwickshire UK. Built to Contract No.87/A/155 dated 24Aug16 in the Serial Range A6301 to A6350.

00Jan17 Taken on charge by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) for acceptance checks by the Aeronautical Inspection Department at No.1 Aircraft Acceptance Park in Coventry. Fitted with a V-12 air-cooled 150hp Raf4 engine.

1917 Dismantled and crated then dispatched by sea to Egypt for use by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF)

00Apr17 Received for assembly and testing by X Aircraft Depot (XAD) at RFC Station Alexandria, Egypt.

10May17 Received by X Aircraft Park (XAP) at RFC Station Kantara, Egypt for preparation before squadron issue.

00May17 Allocated to No.67 (Australian) Sqn RFC at Rafa airfield, Palestine.

27May17 Received by 67 Sqn and issued to C Flight.

15Jun17 Moved from Rafa airfield to Deir el Belah when 67 Sqn moved forward with the allied advance in Palestine.

18Jun17 Aircraft fitted with bomb racks and associated equipment.

25Jun17 2nd Lt J. S Brasell departed Deir el Belah with two 67 Sqn BE2e machines for a reconnaissance in the Tel el Sheria region. The flight was attacked by three Fokker Scouts led by Leutnant Frank Schlieff from Fab300 and Brasell immediately turned to engage the German fighters thus allowing the two BE2es to dive away and escape. In the ensuing one-sided dogfight Brasell was shot through the head and, despite the grievous wound, managed to land the aircraft behind enemy lines but died shortly after landing. The following day Oberleutnant George Felmy dropped a message stating what had occurred and who shot him down.

AFC Pilot 2nd Lieutenant Jack Stanley Brasell (24) single of Melbourne VIC has no known grave and is commemorated on the Jerusalem Memorial, Jerusalem War Cemetery, Israel. He is also remembered at Location 187 in the Commemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial Canberra, ACT.

Jack Brassel, a native of Wanstead, England, had been working as an engineer with Western Electric Company Ltd for four years before enlisting on 22 July 1915. No.264 Sergeant J.S Brasell embarked for the Middle East from Melbourne aboard HMAT Orsova (A67) on 16 May 1916 and was attached to the 14th Squadron, Royal Flying Corps (RFC) in Ismailia in April. He was appointed Lieutenant in February 1917 soon after which he was transferred to 67th Squadron AFC on 15 May 1917.

05Jul17 Aircraft struck off charge.

SY 2020-01-17

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