Sopwith’s most famous fighter earned its reputation in hard fought aerial combats. Andrew Thomas documents the wartime use of the legendary biplane
First flown in 1916, the potential of Sopwith’s new F1 scout was quickly recognised by the Admiralty, which placed its first orders in January 1917. With its distinctive ‘hump’ fairing housing two Vickers machine-guns, the type soon acquired the name ‘Camel’.
At the beginning of June 1917, the first deliveries were made to 4 Squadron, Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS), the squadron commanded by B S Huskisson. Based near Dunkirk, ‘Naval 4’ was tasked with intercepting twin-engined Gothas to prevent them bombing London.
Action was not long in coming: on June 4, Flt Cdr Alexander Shook in N6347 attacked a German aircraft over the sea, but it dived into thick haze and disappeared. The following evening, Shook spotted about 15 enemy machines along the coast towards Ostend, his fire sending down an Albatros D.III to crash on a beach. Ten minutes later, he confronted a ‘C-Type’ two-seater and sent it out of control to achieve his fifth ‘kill’. The new fighter had been ‘blooded’.
But it was not all success. Naval 4 sustained its first Camel loss on June 13 when Flight Sub-Lieutenant (FSL) La…
