Despite being largely overlooked today, the RFC rightly called the observers ‘the eyes of the army’. This talk will provide an overview of the Observer’s role on the Western Front and the difficulties they faced in terms of promotion, pay, prestige and life expectancy.

Peter Rowbottom is a retired History teacher with an interest in aviation. He has written and spoken about the RFC and WW2 including for the Great War Group and Commonwealth War Graves Commission. He enjoys visiting both First and Second World War sites, watching football and attending concerts by old punk and Indie bands.