The Story of a

North Sea Air Station

Being some account of the early days of the Royal Flying Corps (Naval Wing) and of the part played thereafter by the Air Station at Great Yarmouth and its opponents during the war 1914-1918


by

C. F. Snowden Gamble

This is the 1928 First Edition

Widely acknowledged as the finest record of the early days of the Royal Naval Air Service (R.N.A.S.), and the definitive account of the historic Royal Flying Corps (Naval Wing), this massive book also provides an informative history of the operational role of the Royal Naval Air Station at Great Yarmouth during the First World War.

“The origin of this book lay in the desire of a number of officers and men who served at Great Yarmouth air station during the War of 1914—18 to have some permanent record of the activities at this station in a conveniently accessible form, in view of the fact that these played a considerable part in combating the menace of the Zeppelin airship, as well as disputing the efforts of the Imperial German Naval Air Service to establish an aerial supremacy over the North Sea . . .”

Please be aware that this is a large and heavy book, making international postage expensive


 

Front cover and spine

Further images of this book are shown below

 
 
Publisher and place of publication   Dimensions in inches (to the nearest quarter-inch)
London:  Oxford University Press, Humphrey Milford   6¼ inches wide x 9½ inches tall
     
Edition   Length
1928 First Edition   [xvi] + 446 pages
     
Condition of covers    Internal condition
Original green cloth gilt. The covers are scuffed and rubbed, particularly around the edges, and with noticeable variation in colour and a few old stains, plus a small discoloured rectangle on the front cover from an old label, since removed. The old staining is more widespread on the front cover. The corners are heavily bumped and there is a frayed section of cloth on the top front corner, which is visible in the image above. The spine has faded and is extremely dull, such that it is difficult to read the title. The head and tail of the spine are bumped and slightly frayed. The images below give a good indication of the current state of the covers.   There are no internal markings and the text is reasonably clean throughout; however, the paper has tanned with age, more noticeably in the margins. There is light scattered foxing throughout, usually confined to the margins; however, there is toning and heavier foxing to those pages adjacent to the photographic plates, including the Half-Title page. The toning to the pages affected is particularly apparent around the edges. The edge of the text block is not trimmed with some pages having ragged edges and minor loss on the outside edge. The edge of the text block is dust-stained and lightly foxed.
     
Dust-jacket present?   Other comments
No   Collated and complete and showing clear signs of use in dull, bumped and discoloured covers, though internally clean and, overall, since a reasonable example of the First Edition.
     
Illustrations, maps, etc   Contents
Please see below for details   Please see below for details
     
Post & shipping information   Payment options
The packed weight is approximately 1400 grams.


Full shipping/postage information is provided in a panel at the end of this listing.

   Payment options :
  • UK buyers: cheque (in GBP), debit card, credit card (Visa, MasterCard but not Amex), PayPal
  • International buyers: credit card (Visa, MasterCard but not Amex), PayPal

Full payment information is provided in a panel at the end of this listing. 




The Story of a North Sea Air Station

Contents

 

Introduction. The Early Days of Aviation in the Royal Navy
I. The Commissioning of Great Yarmouth Air Station
II. The Naval Manoeuvres of 1913 and the Part played by Great Yarmouth Air Station
III. The Growth of Great Yarmouth Air Station
IV. The Events at Great Yarmouth Air Station from January to August 1914
V. The State of Development in the Royal Naval Air Service at the Outbreak of the War
VI. The Development of the Imperial German Naval Air Service up to the Outbreak of the War
VII. The First Months of the War at Great Yarmouth Air Station
VIII. The Activities during 1914 of the German Air Stations opposed to Great Yarmouth Air Station
IX. The Activities of Great Yarmouth Air Station during the year 1915
X. The General Development of the Royal Naval Air Service during the year 1915
XI. The Activities during 1915 of the German Air Stations opposed to Great Yarmouth Air Station
XII. The Activities of Great Yarmouth Air Station during the year 1916
XIII. The 'Air Agitation' and the General Development of the Royal Naval Air Service during the year 1916
XIV. The Activities during 1916 of the German Air Stations opposed to Great Yarmouth Air Station
XV. The Activities of Great Yarmouth Air Station during the year 1917

XVI. The Coming of the Royal Air Force and the Technical Development of the Royal Naval Air Service during the year 1917
XVII. The Activities during 1917 of the German Air Stations opposed to Great Yarmouth Air Station
XVIII. The German Submarine Campaign against Mercantile Shipping
XIX. The Development of the Zeppelin Airship and the Imperial German Airship Service during the War
XX. The Events at Great Yarmouth Air Station during 1918 up to the Formation of the Royal Air Force
XXI. The Royal Air Force
XXII. The Events at Great Yarmouth Air Station from the Formation of the Royal Air Force until the Armistice
INDEX

 


List of Plates

  • The Royal Air Force Station, Great Yarmouth, in the Summer of 1918

  • The first machine to arrive at Great Yarmouth air station, No. 69 Maurice Farman 'Longhorn'

  • No. 20 Short seaplane equipped with the G.R.W. gear

  • Commander C. R. Samson, R.N., flying in a Short seaplane over H.M.S. Lion during the Naval Review, July 1914

  • L.3 .

  • Borkum seaplane station

  • Norderney seaplane station

  • German official Patrol Chart

  • 'Eighty-six-sixty-six'

  • Messages passed by Chief Petty Officer V. F. Whatling to Flight Lieutenant C. J. Galpin before & after the action with L. 22, May 14, 1917

  • L.44

  • The pigeon message of September 5, 1917, sent by Squadron Commander Vincent Nicholl from H. 12, 8666

  • Flight Lieutenant G. H. Trewin, Squadron Commander Vincent Nicholl, D.S.C., Flight Lieutenant R. Leckie, D.S.C., and Flight Lieutenant A. H. H. Gilligan aboard H.M.S. Halcyon after their rescue

  • Zeebrugge seaplane station

  • German seaplanes capturing a Dutch sailing barge, May 17, 1918

  • The coastal airship C. 27 falling in flames December 12, 1917. Photographed from one of the attacking German machines

  • One of the results of 'unrestricted' submarine warfare

  • Fregattenkapitan Peter Strasser

  • L. 12

  • L. 30

  • L.57

  • L. 71

  • One of the engine cars of L. 70

  • F. 2a flying-boat over the North Sea

  • Convoy photographed from escorting Short seaplane

  • Oberleutnant Christiansen

  • Destroyer towing a lighter and Sopwith Camel

  • Captain E. A. Mossop's flying-boat burning on the water. Photograph taken from one of the German machines

  • L. 70. Shot down in flames August 5, 1918, by Major Egbert Cadbury, D.S.C., D.F.C., and Captain Robert Leckie, D.S.O., D.S.C., D.F.C.

  • Major Egbert Cadbury, D.S.C., D.F.C., and Captain Robert Leckie, D.S.O., D.S.C., D.F.C., photographed at Great Yarmouth air station a few hours after they had shot down L. 70

  • L. 53. Shot down in flames by Captain S. D. Culley, D.S.O., August 11,1918

  • Sopwith Camel slung under H.M.A. R. 33

  • Flying-boats aboard towing-lighters

  • Chart to illustrate operations in the southern portion of the North Sea

 

List of Text Illustrations

Short S. 38, 50 H.P. Gnome

Maurice Farman 'Longhorn', 70 H.P. Renault

Short Seaplane, 100 H.P. Gnome

Borel Monoplane, 80 H.P. Gnome

Maurice Farman 'Shorthorn', 70 H.P. Renault

Caudron Amphibian, 100 H.P. Gnome

Henri Farman, 80 H.P. Gnome

Short Gun-carrier, 160 H.P. Gnome

Sopwith Seaplane, 100 H.P. Anzani

Sopwith 'Schneider', 100 H.P. Gnome

Sopwith Seaplane, 100 H.P. Gnome

B.E. 2c, 90 H.P. Raf

Bristol 'Bullet', 130 H.P. Clerget

Friedrichshafen Seaplane

Sopwith 1½-Strutter, 130 H.P. Clerget

Sopwith 'Pup', 80 H.P. Le Rhone

Short Seaplane, 320 H.P. Sunbeam

H. 12, 2 Rolls-Royce 'Eagle'

Horace Farman

D.H. 4, Rolls-Royce 'Eagle'

Sopwith 'Camel', 130 H.P. Clerget

Fairey IIIc, Rolls-Royce 'Eagle'

F. 22, 2 Rolls-Royce ' Eagle'

Brandenburg Sea-monoplane

Sopwith 'Schneider', 130 H.P. Clerget

D.H. 9, 240 H.P. Siddeley 'Puma'

D. H. 9a, 400 H.P. Liberty



The Story of a North Sea Air Station

Preface

 

THE origin of this book lay in the desire of a number of officers and men who served at Great Yarmouth air station during the War of 1914—18 to have some permanent record of the activities at this station in a conveniently accessible form, in view of the fact that these played a considerable part in combating the menace of the Zeppelin airship, as well as disputing the efforts of the Imperial German Naval Air Service to establish an aerial supremacy over the North Sea.

In the beginning it was the intention that the story be purely for private circulation amongst those who had been directly connected with the duties, but when the subject was examined in detail, and in that perspective that Time provides, it occurred to many of those interested that such a record might prove of value to a wider circle. In consequence it was decided to prepare the volume for general publication, although this course was not sanctioned without considerable opposition by many concerned, who felt that any story of this work with which they had been connected would be regarded by some as of the nature of advertisement, to which they had the confirmed Service objection.

In the interests of historic truth, of accuracy, and of fairness, it was felt that the achievements of our former opponents should be given prominence with our own, and the author has tried to obtain from reliable German sources as much information as practicable, and he wishes to express his appreciation of the help and invariable courtesy and consideration shown to him by the Director of the Naval Archives, Berlin (Vice-Admiral E. von Mantey), and also by a large number of officers formerly of the Imperial German Navy.

The story, as it now stands, is an attempt to trace the growth of the aerial arm in the Royal Navy and in the Imperial German Navy from 1908 to 1918—using the activity of one particular air station as a background . . .



Contemporary Review:

 

December 20, 1928

NOT very much has been published hitherto of the war work of the Royal Naval Air Service. Admiral Murray Sueter tells a good deal about it in his book "Airmen or Noahs" and " Pix " (Sqdn.-Commander T. D. Hallam, D.S.C.), in " The Spider Web," gives a vivid and most interesting account of the doings of the Felixstowe station. Lieut. C. F. Snowden Gamble has now performed a similar service for the station of Great Yarmouth. His book, however, has a far wider scope than that. He outlines the general history of the Royal Naval Air Service from its formation until the end of the war, by which time it had been merged in the Royal Air Force. The drawback to this method is that the reader would imagine that the R.N.A.S. was concerned entirely or mainly with the North Sea. The work on carriers is touched on here and there, but the Channel is almost ignored, and there is but scant notice of the airship branch of the service. As a very great deal is said about the development and activities of the German airship service, the impression might be created that our own authorities practically neglected this branch. Yet it seems to have been the case, and it is certainly more probable, that for the vital work of convoying ships into harbour, the non-rigid airship was more effective than any type of seaplane.

The preface explains, however, that this book cannot fairly be criticised on the same lines as most histories of the war. It was originally written for private circulation among persons interested in the doings of Great Yarmouth, and there was considerable opposition to publishing it for general consumption. To the original band of readers there would be a special interest in the list of personnel and of aircraft (giving the identification numbers) at Great Yarmouth at various times. These seem superfluous to general readers. The latter may also feel that a history of the R.N.A.S. should deal with more than the North Sea stations ; while those for whom the book was first written doubtless find in it exactly the two bits of history which they want to have on record in their libraries.

Now that the book has been published, the chief drawback to its arrangement is that the first 160 pages or so make rather heavy reading. There is a danger that some readers will not persist, and that would be a pity. If they do throw the book aside, they will miss much in the last 270 pages which would stir the coldest blood. The last three-quarters of the book are splendid. With the pilots of the station we live through the almost ceaseless patrolling of the North Sea, the searching for submarines and other hostile men-of-war, the frequent Zeppelin raids, the tragedies (fortunately not too numerous) of comrades lost by sea or in action, and towards the end some dashing encounters with German seaplanes. Three heroes stand out above the rest, the late Lieut.-Col. Vincent Nicholl, D.S.O., D.S.C.; Major R. Leckie, D.S.C.; and Major Egbert Cadbury, D.S.C., D.F.C. There must be many who met Col. Nicholl at Hayes since the war who never knew all that he had dared and endured, and how gallantly his decorations had been won. It was Nicholl and Leckie who, in 1917, brought a leaking flying-boat with one conking engine down to pick up two other officers from a sunk D.H.4. The boat, with six drenched, hungry, and thirsty men aboard her, was afloat for three days and nights before it was found—thanks to a gallant carrier pigeon. That story is worth reading and re-reading many times. It was Leckie who led out five boats to draw the seaplanes from Borkum into action, and finally led his three remaining boats in a head-on charge against 15 or 16 German seaplanes. After a desperate fight the enemy were put to flight but not before several of their machines had been shot down. Two British boats were interned in Holland, and one British officer was killed in the fight. Major Cadbury's speciality was hunting Zeppelins. Many were his disappointments when he saw the airships climb above his ceiling into clouds, and many a trying time he had finding his way home and landing in the dark. But on November 28, 1916, he shot down L 21 in flames ; and on August 6, 1918, he also wrought the destruction of Germany's best airship, L 70, which had on board the chief of the German naval airships, Peter Strasser. Leckie was Cadbury's observer on that occasion and actually fired the shots which set the hydrogen alight. Leckie also piloted the flying-boat from which, on May 14, 1917, the L 22 was shot down in flames by Flight-Commander C. V. Galpin. No charge of dullness can be brought against the accounts of these incidents.

The author's method of presenting his matter is somewhat original, and is to be commended. Though the compiling of accurate chronicles is his strong point, he can tell a stirring story very well when he must. Yet he never does so if he can help it. In most cases he makes the hero of an incident tell his own story, and as these accounts are not formal reports but chatty, personal descriptions, the result is excellent. He has also persuaded various German officers to contribute their versions of certain actions, and these accounts, though naturally more restrained, are certainly an important feature of the book.

The volume is illustrated with a number of good photographs, some from German sources, and by numerous drawings of machines from the pencil of Mr. Leonard Bridgman, who was at one time an officer of Great Yarmouth station.



Please note: to avoid opening the book out, with the risk of damaging the spine, some of the pages were slightly raised on the inner edge when being scanned, which has resulted in some blurring to the text and a shadow on the inside edge of the final images. Colour reproduction is shown as accurately as possible but please be aware that some colours are difficult to scan and may result in a slight variation from the colour shown below to the actual colour.

In line with eBay guidelines on picture sizes, some of the illustrations may be shown enlarged for greater detail and clarity.

 

 

 

 

 

 



U.K. buyers:

To estimate the “packed weight” each book is first weighed and then an additional amount of 150 grams is added to allow for the packaging material (all books are securely wrapped and posted in a cardboard book-mailer). The weight of the book and packaging is then rounded up to the nearest hundred grams to arrive at the postage figure. I make no charge for packaging materials and do not seek to profit from postage and packaging. Postage can be combined for multiple purchases.

 

Packed weight of this item : approximately 1400 grams

 

Postage and payment options to U.K. addresses:

  • Details of the various postage options can be obtained by selecting the “Postage and payments” option at the head of this listing (above).

  • Payment can be made by: debit card, credit card (Visa or MasterCard, but not Amex), cheque (payable to "G Miller", please), or PayPal.

  • Please contact me with name, address and payment details within seven days of the end of the listing; otherwise I reserve the right to cancel the sale and re-list the item.

  • Finally, this should be an enjoyable experience for both the buyer and seller and I hope you will find me very easy to deal with. If you have a question or query about any aspect (postage, payment, delivery options and so on), please do not hesitate to contact me.



International buyers:

To estimate the “packed weight” each book is first weighed and then an additional amount of 150 grams is added to allow for the packaging material (all books are securely wrapped and posted in a cardboard book-mailer). The weight of the book and packaging is then rounded up to the nearest hundred grams to arrive at the shipping figure. I make no charge for packaging materials and do not seek to profit from shipping and handling.

Shipping can usually be combined for multiple purchases (to a maximum of 5 kilograms in any one parcel with the exception of Canada, where the limit is 2 kilograms).

 

Packed weight of this item : approximately 1400 grams

Please be aware that this is a large and heavy book, making international postage expensive

International Shipping options:

Details of the postage options to various  countries (via Air Mail) can be obtained by selecting the “Postage and payments” option at the head of this listing (above) and then selecting your country of residence from the drop-down list. For destinations not shown or other requirements, please contact me before buying.

 

Due to the extreme length of time now taken for deliveries, surface mail is no longer a viable option and I am unable to offer it even in the case of heavy items. I am afraid that I cannot make any exceptions to this rule.

Payment options for international buyers:

  • Payment can be made by: credit card (Visa or MasterCard, but not Amex) or PayPal. I can also accept a cheque in GBP [British Pounds Sterling] but only if drawn on a major British bank.

  • Regretfully, due to extremely high conversion charges, I CANNOT accept foreign currency : all payments must be made in GBP [British Pounds Sterling]. This can be accomplished easily using a credit card, which I am able to accept as I have a separate, well-established business, or PayPal.

  • Please contact me with name, address and payment details within seven days of the end of the listing; otherwise I reserve the right to cancel the sale and re-list the item.

  • Finally, this should be an enjoyable experience for both the buyer and seller and I hope you will find me very easy to deal with. If you have a question or query about any aspect (shipping, payment, delivery options and so on), please do not hesitate to contact me.

Prospective international buyers should ensure that they are able to provide credit card details or pay by PayPal within 7 days from the end of the auction (or inform me that they will be sending a cheque in GBP drawn on a major British bank). Thank you.



(please note that the book shown is for illustrative purposes only and forms no part of this auction)

Book dimensions are given in inches, to the nearest quarter-inch, in the format width x height.

Please note that, to differentiate them from soft-covers and paperbacks, modern hardbacks are still invariably described as being ‘cloth’ when they are, in fact, predominantly bound in paper-covered boards pressed to resemble cloth.




Fine Books for Fine Minds


I value your custom (and my feedback rating) but I am also a bibliophile : I want books to arrive in the same condition in which they were dispatched. For this reason, all books are securely wrapped in tissue and a protective covering and are then posted in a cardboard container. If any book is significantly not as described, I will offer a full refund. Unless the size of the book precludes this, hardback books with a dust-jacket are usually provided with a clear film protective cover, while hardback books without a dust-jacket are usually provided with a rigid clear cover.

The Royal Mail, in my experience, offers an excellent service, but things can occasionally go wrong. However, I believe it is my responsibility to guarantee delivery. If any book is lost or damaged in transit, I will offer a full refund.

 Thank you for looking.



Please also view my other listings for a range of interesting books
and feel free to contact me if you require any additional information

Design and content © Geoffrey Miller