[Nick Forder]

“Bristol pilots were not considered eligible for fighting instruction at Turnberry or Marske – such as it was,” recalled WFJ Harvey (Pi p56) who was posted to 22 squadron in December, 1917. His instruction was confined to “aimless circling another machine during training, camera gun practice against a level flying target aircraft, and the receipt in 1918 of a pamphlet entitled ‘Fighting in the Air‘ and dated early 1916.”

However, a near contemporary of Harvey‘s, Vivian Voss, a South African who enlisted in Canada, graduated as a Flying Officer on 26 November, 1917. On 9 January, 1918, Voss was posted to Turnberry, “All fighting pilots had to pass through Turnberry before going to France.” (Flying Minnows, Voss p90-1). On 23 January, Voss was posted to the School of Aerial Fighting at Ayr, and was then posted to 48 Squadron.

So, was there a change in policy in late 1917 and/or the re-classification of the Biff ?

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