18 May 1914

On 18th May 1914, First Sea Lord Winston Churchill called for a ‘war squadron’ of ‘ten fighting aeroplanes’ to be created at Eastchurch for the aerial defence of the Chatham Dockyard. He said that the ‘design of these aeroplanes should be reconsidered in the light of the latest experience. They should all be identical in pattern, should all come from one maker, and should have all their parts interchangeable. ... These machines should be kept quite separate from the practice and school machines, and eight of the ten should always be ready to fly.’