In the TV comedy Blackadder Goes Forth, they were comically nicknamed the ‘Twenty Minuters’ – and remarkable letters from one early member of the Royal Flying Corps would appear to show why.
The late Rik Mayall’s chauvinistic character in the show, Lord Flashheart, gave his First World War squadron the label because 20 minutes was the average time new pilots spent in the air before they were killed.
Now the letters home from air ace Lieutenant Edgar Taylor have come to light to reveal the tongue-in-cheek tag used in the BBC series wasn’t far from the truth in reality.
Letters home from Royal Flying Corps air ace Lieutenant Edgar Taylor have come to light which show just how dangerous it was to be a pilot during the First World War
His correspondence home to a woman friend known only as Ruby are being sold by auctioneers Henry Aldridge and Son of Devizes, Wiltshire. The ‘archies’ mentioned above refer to artillery guns
The 21-year-old was born and raised in Rhode Island; both his parents were British. He wrote of the life-or-death sorties he undertook during the four months he spent in the RFC before he was tragically killed
Lt Taylor was almost killed when he crashed his plane while covered head-to-toe in aviation fuel. He wrote: ‘The next machine I took up, the engine failed me. When I started for home, a petrol pipe burst, it was a wonder it didn’t catch fire’
Lt Taylor’s luck finally ran out on August 24, 1918 when his biplane – a Sopwith Dolphin (file photo, above) was shot down by ground fire during an attack by him on a German balloon
The 21-year-old wrote of the life-or-death sorties he undertook during the four months he spent in the RFC before he was tragically killed.
Once such mission occurred in June 1918 when a fellow pilot crashed into his Sopwith dolphin biplane at 15,000ft.
Lt Taylor wrote: ‘I have had several narrow escapes recently, the narrowest of all was over Hunland.
‘A fellow did a climbing turn and crashed into me from below, I thought I’d been hit by an Archie [artillery gun] at first but I soon saw the other plane.
He had one of several brushes with when, in August 1918, his biplane was riddled with German machine-gun fire while attacking an observation balloon. He wrote (above): ‘I went as fast as my engine could carry me and immediately attacked the first balloon’
Lt Taylor joined the RFC in 1917, having trained in Canada before moving to Scotland
‘We separated and I started back to our lines, gliding all the way. The Hun Archies saw I was crippled and tried to finish me off – however they did not hit me.’
He added that he crash-landed in No Man’s Land and had to stay there for the night with German shells firing at him.
He added matter-of-factly: ‘It was all rather interesting.’
Lt Taylor was almost killed again in horrific circumstances days later when he crashed his plane while covered head-to-toe in aviation fuel.
He wrote: ‘The next machine I took up, the engine failed me. When I started for home, a petrol pipe burst, it was a wonder it didn’t catch fire.
The letters were described by the auctioneers as ‘real Biggles stuff’
‘I was covered in petrol and I was unable to find a place to land, I crashed into a hedge wrecking my machine completely. Beyond a few bruises I wasn’t hurt.’
His third brush with death came in August 1918 when his biplane was riddled with German machine-gun fire while attacking an observation balloon.
He wrote: ‘I went as fast as my engine could carry me and immediately attacked the first balloon.
‘The defending machine guns opened up in me something awful but I shook their accuracy by dropping a couple of bombs which I put aboard for that purpose.
‘The bombs did the trick, the Huns fired wildly in all directions, I then returned and attacked the balloons.
The Royal Flying Corps – which was the Army’s flying service – and the Royal Naval Air Service were amalgamated in 1918 to form the Royal Air Force
‘At last I closed in and put a long burst of machine gun fire into it at close range. It commenced to smoke and burst into flames, needless to say I was wild with delight.
‘I looked above to see if all was clear but was startled to see a bunch of machines. They followed me back to the line and you can imagine my joy when I saw they were my pals.
‘They came over close and waved congratulations. I landed at once and was congratulated by my C.O. He was very pleased.’
Lt Taylor also wrote of the death of a colleague he had trained with.
He stated: ‘One of the fellows who was at Stackbridge with me was killed. He was a splendid fellow. He went down in a spin over Hunland after a fight.’
Lt Taylor’s luck finally ran out on August 24, 1918 when his biplane was shot down by ground fire during another attack by him on a German balloon.
Right up until the end of the war, the various nations’ air forces were evenly matched, suffering similar numbers of losses
He is commemorated on the Arras Memorial in France.
The son of English parents, Lt Taylor was born and raised in Central Falls, Rhode island.
He joined the RFC in 1917, having trained in Canada before moving to Scotland.
His letters home to a woman friend known only as Ruby are being sold by auctioneers Henry Aldridge and Son of Devizes, Wiltshire.
The archive is valued between £4,000 to £6,000.
‘The letters give a rare and unedited snapshot into the life of a WWI ace,’ said the auctioneers
Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said: ‘This is an extremely rare archive of letters written by a Royal Flying Corps pilot dating from April 1918 to shortly before he was killed in action on August 24 whilst he attacked a German observation balloon.
‘The letters give a rare and unedited snapshot into the life of a WWI ace.
‘The reason these letters have a pre-sale estimate of between £4,000 to £6,000 is because you don’t see that much correspondence relating to the Royal Flying Corps.
‘The content of these letters is quite superlative, it is real Biggles stuff.’
From unarmed scout planes to heavy bombers: How aviation developed in the First World War
At the outbreak of hostilities, warring nations had limited air forces which flew slow and unarmed reconnaissance planes into enemy territory.
But aerial warfare was quickly developed by both Britain and Germany, initially with bombs being dropped by hand and pistols being used on occasions.
Machines guns were mounted to the front of planes as well as being fitted to observers’ platforms on two-seaters and intense battles commenced.
The German air force pioneered the use of ‘flying wings’ – large numbers of aircraft patrolling into enemy territory together.
Aerial warfare was quickly developed by both Britain and Germany, initially with bombs being dropped by hand and pistols being used on occasions. Above, a biplane fires its machine gun at a ground target at Biggin Hill RAF Station during a display
Manfred von Richthofen, the celebrated ace known as the Red Baron because of the colour of his Fokker triplane, led such ‘flying circuses’ and became a hero among German soldiers.
In Britain, the Royal Flying Corps – which was the Army’s flying service – and the Royal Naval Air Service were amalgamated in 1918 to form the Royal Air Force.
By this stage of the war, advanced planes such as the Bristol Fighter were flying as high as 18,000ft and achieving speeds of 123mph.
In October 1918, the heaviest bomb of the war was dropped by a Handley Page at 1,650lb, an unthinkable weight at the beginning.
Right up until the end of the war, the various nations’ air forces were evenly matched, suffering similar numbers of losses.