Common use of Wing Clause in Contracts

Wing. 256 The operational experience gained had been immense, both at the Dardanelles and against the Königsberg, and the practicality of naval gunfire spotting had been demonstrated. Vice-Admiral de Robeck’s post-evacuation naval establishment required two seaplane carriers and two kite-balloon carriers, in addition to No. 2 Squadron under Wing Commander Eugene Gerrard at Imbros, plus an airship base at Mudros.257 By the beginning of 1916 the Air Department had dispatched a significant number of seaplane and balloon carriers, and this force was now collected together at the recommendation of Sykes’ replacement Wing Captain F. R. Scarlett, along with a pair of Royal Navy monitors, to act as a mobile striking force in the Eastern Mediterranean: the prototype of an aircraft carrier group.258 The formation of a single 252 Ibid, p. 153. 253 Ibid, p. 153. Jones, WIA, vol. II, p. 64. 254 Ash, Air Revolution, pp. 75-6. 255 Ibid, p. 77. Grove, ‘Air Force, Fleet Air Arm – or Armoured Corps?’ p. 37. 256 W. A. B. Douglas, ‘The R.N.A.S. in Combined Operations 1915-1914,’ in Dreadnought to Polaris: Maritime Strategy since Mahan, ed. A. M. J Hyatt (Vancouver: The Copp Clark Publishing Company, 1973), p. 27. 257 Jones, WIA, vol. V, p. 370. 258 Ibid, p. 371. squadron was at first resisted by Vice-Admiral de Robeck who believed that the seaplane carriers operating along the Egyptian coast were best kept with the C-in-C East Indies.259 Thus on 7 January 1916 Ben-my-Chree was transferred to the Eastern Mediterranean as part of the EIESS, formed at Port Said under 24 year-old Squadron Commander Cecil L’Estrange-Malone, who was supported by Lt. Erskine Childers as intelligence officer.260 In March 1916 the squadron included Ben-my-Chree, Empress, and two converted German freighters, now the seaplane carriers Anne and Raven II. 261 On May 14 Wing Commander Samson arrived to take charge of the EIESS, minus Empress which was deployed to the Bulgarian coast, while L’Estrange-Malone took command of Raven II, acting as Samson’s executive officer with Flight Lieutenant T. H. England as his SFO.262 The carriers were grouped together with monitors M15 and M26 to provide a mobile bombardment force. On 18 May the group successfully bombarded the El Arish forts and airfield, damaging the latter and successfully destroying the former.263 On 3 June Empress flew gunfire spotting missions for HMS Grafton and the monitor Earl of Peterborough, against the railway bridge north-east of Scala Nuova.264 Although there had been difficulty developing gunfire spotting doctrine earlier in the war, by this point in 1916 a close degree of cooperation between seaplane carriers and monitors had developed, creating a unique and flexible naval task force. Samson was in fact carrying out joint and combined operations, writing after the war that ‘I had to work for both the Navy and the Army, and also operate in the French Naval zone of the Syrian coast.’265 Vice-Admiral Wemyss, the newly appointed C-in-C East Indies, next dispatched the EIESS to the Red Sea hoping to keep watch on the Gulf of Aden.266 Samson, well known for his offensive spirit, proceeded to conduct strike missions against Aden, dropping nearly 1,000 lbs of

Wing. 256 The operational experience gained had been immense, both at the Dardanelles and against the Königsberg, and the practicality of naval gunfire spotting had been demonstrated. Vice-Admiral de Robeck’s post-evacuation naval establishment required two seaplane carriers and two kite-balloon carriers, in addition to No. 2 Squadron under Wing Commander Eugene Gerrard at Imbros, plus an airship base at Mudros.257 By the beginning of 1916 the Air Department had dispatched a significant number of seaplane and balloon carriers, and this force was now collected together at the recommendation of Sykes’ replacement Wing Captain F. R. Scarlett, along with a pair of Royal Navy monitors, to act as a mobile striking force in the Eastern Mediterranean: the prototype of an aircraft carrier group.258 The formation of a single !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 252 Ibid, p. 153. 253 Ibid, p. 153. Jones, WIA, vol. II, p. 64. 254 Ash, Air Revolution, pp. 75-6. 255 Ibid, p. 77. Grove, ‘Air Force, Fleet Air Arm – or Armoured Corps?’ p. 37. 256 W. A. B. Douglas, ‘The R.N.A.S. in Combined Operations 1915-1914,’ in Dreadnought to Polaris: Maritime Strategy since Mahan, ed. A. M. J Hyatt (Vancouver: The Copp Clark Publishing Company, 1973), p. 27. 257 Jones, WIA, vol. V, p. 370. 258 Ibid, p. 371. squadron was at first resisted by Vice-Admiral de Robeck who believed that the seaplane carriers operating along the Egyptian coast were best kept with the C-in-C East Indies.259 Thus on 7 January 1916 Ben-my-Chree was transferred to the Eastern Mediterranean as part of the EIESS, formed at Port Said under 24 year-old Squadron Commander Cecil L’Estrange-Malone, who was supported by Lt. Erskine Childers as intelligence officer.260 In March 1916 the squadron included Ben-my-Chree, Empress, and two converted German freighters, now the seaplane carriers Anne and Raven II. 261 On May 14 Wing Commander Samson arrived to take charge of the EIESS, minus Empress which was deployed to the Bulgarian coast, while L’Estrange-Malone took command of Raven II, acting as Samson’s executive officer with Flight Lieutenant T. H. England as his SFO.262 The carriers were grouped together with monitors M15 and M26 to provide a mobile bombardment force. On 18 May the group successfully bombarded the El Arish forts and airfield, damaging the latter and successfully destroying the former.263 On 3 June Empress flew gunfire spotting missions for HMS Grafton and the monitor Earl of Peterborough, against the railway bridge north-east of Scala Nuova.264 Although there had been difficulty developing gunfire spotting doctrine earlier in the war, by this point in 1916 a close degree of cooperation between seaplane carriers and monitors had developed, creating a unique and flexible naval task force. Samson was in fact carrying out joint and combined operations, writing after the war that ‘I had to work for both the Navy and the Army, and also operate in the French Naval zone of the Syrian coast.’265 Vice-Admiral Wemyss, the newly appointed C-in-C East Indies, next dispatched the EIESS to the Red Sea hoping to keep watch on the Gulf of Aden.266 Samson, well known for his offensive spirit, proceeded to conduct strike missions against Aden, dropping nearly 1,000 lbs ofof !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 259 Ibid, p. 372. 260 Burns, ‘The Story of Ben-My-Chree, Part I’, pp. 155-7. Cronin, Royal Navy Shipboard Aircraft Developments, pp. 200-1. Hugh & Robin Popham, eds., A Thirst for The Sea: The Sailing Adventures of Erskine Childers (London: Standford Maritime Limited, 1979), p. 20. 261 Jones, ‘Ashore, Afloat and Airborne’, p. 46. 262 Ian Burns, ‘Woman of My Heart - The Story of Ben-My-Chree, Part II,’ in CCIJ, vol. 7, no. 1 (Spring 1976), p.