WITH THE ROYAL FLYING CORPS (SOMEWHERE IN FRANCE) [Main Title]

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  • Title: WITH THE ROYAL FLYING CORPS (SOMEWHERE IN FRANCE) [Main Title]
  • Film Number: IWM 141
  • Other titles:
  • Summary: The RFC base at Sainte Marie Cappel, Western Front, late August 1917.
  • Description: A Nieuport 27c Scout of 60 Fighter Squadron, badly damaged outside a hangar, with mechanics removing a damaged wing. Three men working in a mobile repair shop (see the same scene in IWM 118 THE EYES OF THE ARMY). A new wing is fitted to a FE2d of 20 Night Bomber Squadron outside a hangar. A posed group of members of 60 Squadron: left to right Frank 'Mongoose' Soden (with dog), Captain William A 'Billy' Bishop VC DSO MC, Keith 'Grid' Caldwell, E W 'Moley' Molesworth, Spencer 'Nigger' Horn. Pan over a larger group of the squadron's pilots. (Bishop left the squadron at the end of August, when it was moved from Filescamp Farm to Sainte Marie Cappel, and this may still be Filescamp.) An FE2d, serial number A6445 of 20 Squadron (indistinctly marked "Presented by the Sultan of Mysore" ?) is wheeled out of its hangar. Other FE2ds (one named "Ajmer") of the squadron are armed, bombed up with 20-pounder and 112-pounder bombs, the pilot and gunner board one plane and the flight of five takes off. A Sopwith 1-1/2 Strutter of 45 Fighter Squadron is prepared for flight and the squadron takes off. The clear doped aircraft is A1083 and was usually flown by Geoffrey Cock. Just to the right can be briefly glimpsed the tail of Nieuport A6741. This aircraft was only on charge with 45 Squadron between 20 April 1917 and 6 May 1917 when it was returned to No1 Aircraft Depot, and thus dates this part of the film to that period. One 1-1/2 Strutter is shown stunt flying. Two FE2ds come in to land at Sainte Marie Cappel past a line of 1-1/2 Strutters.
  • Alternative Title:
  • Colour: B&W
  • Digitised: Yes
  • Object_Number: IWM 141
  • Sound: Silent
  • Access Conditions: IWM Attribution: © IWM (IWM 141)
  • Featured Period: 1914-1918
  • Production Date: 1917-12
  • Production Country: GB
  • Production Details: War Office Cinema Committee (Production sponsor) Topical Film Company (Production company) Jury, William F (Production individual) McDowell, J B (Production individual) Raymond, H C (Production individual)
  • Personalities, Units and Organisations: Soden, Frank (person) Bishop, William Avery (person) Caldwell, Keith (person) Molesworth, E W (person) Horn, Spencer (person) British Army, Royal Flying Corps, Squadron 20 (regiment/service) British Army, Royal Flying Corps, Squadron 45 (regiment/service) British Army, Royal Flying Corps, Squadron 60 (regiment/service)
  • Keywords: aircraft, French - combat: Nieuport 27c & [British] & [damaged] (object name) buildings, British - military: aerodrome (object name) aircraft, British - combat: Royal Aircraft Establishment FE2d (object name) aircraft, British - combat: Sopwith 1-1/2 Strutter (object name) weapons, British air - bomb: 20-pound (object name) weapons, British air - bomb: 112-pound (object name) operations, British air - routine (object name) operations, British air - preparation (object name) operations, British air - sortie (object name) operations, British air - return (object name) animals, mammals: dog (object name) 01/3(4-15).7 (event) Sainte-Marie-Cappel, Nord, France (geography)
  • Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W Sound format: Silent Soundtrack language: None Title language: English Subtitle language: English
  • Technical Details: Format: 35mm Number of items/reels/tapes: 1 Footage: 911 ft; Running time: 16 mins
  • HD Media:Yes
  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    IWM 141

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