WEB SPECIAL - The Ballon Buster

NAVAL UNSUNG HEROES - THE BALLOON BUSTER

In the first of a new series of articles on the unsung heroes of recent naval history, Associate Editor Peter Hore considers the life of a Canadian WW1 aviator.

Henry Botterell is both the oldest living Royal Naval Air Service pilot and the oldest surviving pilot of World War 1. Born in 1896 in Ottawa, Ontario, Botterell’s sister worked for Admiral Kingsmill, one of the first leaders of the Royal Canadian Navy and it was through her that he was recruited, sent to England and commissioned into the Royal Naval Air Service as a Probationary Flight Officer aged 20. Having already taken flying lessons in Canada, Botterell received his wings on August 15 1917. In September he joined No. 8 Naval Squadron, which, when it was sent to France, became one of the first naval squadrons to be used directly in support of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC). In the squadron, universally known as ‘Naval 8’, were a number of Canadians, including R.E. Goodfellow, E.A. Kenny, C. H. Living, H.J. Philip, C.G. Swanell and G.A. Wightman, and at least one American. Botterell’s immediate boss was also a Canadian, the air ace Flight Commander James White, DSC, RNAS also a native of Ontario. The squadron was commanded by yet another air ace, Squadron Commander Chris Draper, RNAS, who later, with his RAF rank of major (the RAF temporarily used Army ranks in 1918) became known as the ‘Mad Major’ and twice flew under the bridges of London. Botterell flew a variety of planes, including the Sopwith Pup and Sopwith Snipe, the RE8, the Graham White and the Morris Farman.

On September 18 1917, and on only his second operational flight in a Sopwith Pup, the engine failed on take-off and Botterell suffered head injuries, a fractured femur and broken teeth. He spent six months in hospital, first at Calais, then Chatham and finally at Peebles, after which he was invalided out of the service. He was due to be re-patriated to Canada, when he met some of his old chums from Naval 8, who had flown over to London for a high-spirited weekend, in the course of which they persuaded Botterell to re-enlist. There was a shortage of pilots and, by the end of March 1918, Botterell had requalified. However, when he rejoined his old squadron, the RNAS and the RFC had been incorporated on April 1 1918 into the newly formed Royal Air Force. Field Marshal Haig acknowledged this event by telling the Admiralty that the pilots of the RNAS “...have shown energy, gallantry, and initiative, and have proved themselves capable of standing hard work and hard fighting ... and helped largely towards the success of the aerial fighting which has taken place in front of the British Armies in France.” Despite their change of service, on all special occasions the former ex-RNAS aircrew and groundcrew wore their blue naval uniforms “to the last” and a photograph taken in late 1918 shows Chris Draper, the CO of 206 Squadron RAF, and Henry Botterell, wearing naval uniforms.

Botterell was to serve with 208 Squadron in France from May 11 to November 27 1918, flying patrols and fighting over northern France, and artillery spotting.

Ever since Guy Warneford, also of the RNAS, had won the VC for being the first pilot to down a Zeppelin, it had become something of rite of passage for young pilots to shoot down their own balloon. Botterell’s chance came on the morning of August 29 1918. Flying from northern France, his mission was a raid, carrying four bombs, on the railway station at Vitry, well within enemy occupied territory. Half an hour into his mission, and flying at around 100mph and 12,000 feet, he noted a German observation balloon being used for artillery spotting near Arras.

Having dropped his bombs, Botterell returned to Arras where he saw the ground crew frantically winching down the balloon. Anti-aircraft guns heavily defended balloon installations and, though aware of the danger, Botterell could not resist the attack. Putting his Camel into a dive, he fired some 400 rounds, setting the balloon on fire. At about 1,000 feet, the German observer leapt from his basket pulling the rip chord on his parachute. In the traditions of gallantry that still prevailed, even at that late stage of the war, Botterell saluted the defenceless balloonist and then, near to the end of his fuel, headed for home. Other aircraft had also appeared and he did not know if these were friend or foe. The new RAF squadron number of ‘Naval 8’ was 208, and it has been in nearly continuous existence ever since. Back in the final days of WW1, 208 Squadron had returned to France from a period of rest in England just in time for the German offensive of Spring 1918. The enemy’s initial success was such that Draper was forced to order the burning of 16 of 208’s own aircraft to prevent them being captured on the ground by the advancing German army. But the tide of war soon turned the Germans back.

The Sopwith Camel was a highly successful fighting machine, whose pilots were credited with 1,294 enemy aircraft ‘kills’.

However, it was also dangerous to its pilots. It took its name from the humped faring over its twin machine guns, but like the real camel it could be vicious and bite. Nearly 400 hundred Camel pilots died in accidents while flying the aircraft. It was deliberately designed to be unstable in the air and thus very manoeuvrable, characteristics which it gained from its short wingspan and high torque, but this, and the gyroscopic effect of the engine, gave it a tendency to flip into a spin at slow speed, especially on take off and landing. In the old ‘Naval 8’ it had been reckoned that a pilot “... need not necessarily be an extremely accurate pilot with regard to landings etc., but at an early stage of his flying career he must show an aptitude for throwing his machine about ...”

On September 19 1919, two years and a day since his major accident, Botterell flipped his Camel, the brand new E7222. This time, however, he was lucky and his diary records that the next day he played rugby. After a year as part of the occupation forces in Germany, 208 Squadron returned to the UK and was temporarily disbanded at Netheravon, in November 1919, and Flight Lieutenant Botterell RAF, as he now was, returned to Canada.

Henry Botterell has proved to be a remarkable survivor, and recently celebrated his 106th birthday at his home in Canada.

For subsequent profiles in this series, buy WARSHIPS IFR magazine.