Fascinating photo album reveals the off-duty antics of WW1 flying aces

A fascinating photo album has come to light to reveal how World War One pilots entertained themselves when they were off duty.

When the brave men of the Royal Flying Corps Home Squadron were not risking their lives defending Britain’s skies, they had to find other ways to pass the time.

Some pilots amused themselves by driving around the aerodromes in Suffolk and Norfolk in sidecars while one pilot kept himself entertained by playing the piano.

A dog is pictured with two pilots in the plane is at Swaffham in pose as they hold up their artillery with their mascot in a Vickers plane

One pilot named Saul is pictured passing the time by playing the Dead March on the piano is at an aerodrome in Thetford

One photo captioned ‘Duncan & Observer’ shows two RFC pilots in their full aviation gear as they pose in front of a plane

The photo album includes pictures date back to 1916 and 1917 from Norfolk and Suffolk areodromes and features over 500 images of pilots and planes

Barking orders: A dog peeks and poses for a photo from the cockpit of a Vickers plane in a photo captioned ‘Some mascot’

The wreckage of an FE B2 plane after it was ditched from the sky. The photo shows one man leaning against the side of the crash

They also spent quality time with their pets, with dogs serving as mascots and in some instances joining them in the cockpit.

Occasionally, it appears there really was very little to do as they waited for German air attacks and a group of pilots can be seen lounging in chairs or posing by plane wreckage.

The album dates from 1916 and 1917 and features over 500 images of pilots and planes at a number of Suffolk and Norfolk aerodromes including Marnham, Swaffham and Thetford.

This range of aircraft’s used by the RFC captured in the album with the Vickers, DH Fighter, FE 2B, Avro and BE2C all being illustrated.

The Zeppelin and later Gotha attacks on the UK led to the establishment of a large number of Home based Squadrons being set up with a wide range of aircraft and considerable numbers of pilots.

The album, which includes more than 500 photos, also offers a stark reminder of the dangers these men confronted on a daily basis with numerous snaps of the wreckage of ditched planes.

One such photo is captioned in tongue in cheek fashion ‘a good landing but the wrong way up’.

A wreckage of a Vickers plane at Swaffham aerodrome that has turned upside down is captioned: ‘Good landing but the wrong way up’

‘Damn where’s my hat’: the twisted metal of a crashed FE B2 plane crash is photographed near Swaffham aerodrome

One photograph shows an Avro plane which stands upright after having nose dived into the ground near Narborough aerodrome

The album has been consigned for sale by a private collector with C & T Auctions, of Ashford, Kent, and is tipped to sell for £1,600.

Tim Harper, specialist at C & T Auctions, said: ‘The risks of flying, particularly at night, can be seen by a large number of photographs of crashes in the album, some of which are quite spectacular.

Two men in their full uniform pose as they play around in a sidecar at Thetford aerodrome in a photograph captioned with the word ‘IT’

Lieutenant Burt and Nesbitt can be seen lounging on a wicker chair, smiling and smoking cigarettes at Swaffham aerodrome

Lieutenant Heath pictured with fellow pilots Cropper and Anderson at Thetford aerodrome as they pose against a motorcycle

‘For many pilots it was frustrating waiting for a German air attack and one picture entitled ‘fed up’ showing pilots waiting in their deck chairs for some action sums up the situation rather well.

‘They were often 18, 19 and 20 year olds who got a thrill out of being in the planes and wanted to be in the thick of the action.

‘It is an exceptional collection of photos of historic interest and there is a wonderful human side with the off duty images.’

The sale takes place on September 26.

A group of men pictured grouped around and surveying the wreckage of a ditched plane with the caption ‘Lt. Reeds’

One pilot poses next to the wreckage of a ruined and crashed FE 2B plane which has been ditched- which shows the huge risk of flying

The magnificent men in their flying machines who became the modern RAF: A history of the Royal Flying Corps

The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British military during most of the First World War.

During the early part of the war, the RFC’s responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, and became the eyes of the British Army directing artillery gunfire, taking photographs for intelligence analysis and taking part in dogfights with the German Air Service.

In view of the fact that flying was still very much in its infancy – the first powered flight by the Wright Brothers had been in 1903 – the first aeroplanes used by the RFC were not very robust.

Therefore, the initial work of the RFC in World War One – directing artillery fire, photographic reconnaissance etc – meant that in the early stages of the war, engagement with the enemy was more by accident than design.

This changed when Hugh Trenchard was put in charge of the RFC. He required the pilots to be far more aggressive in their approach but it was costly in terms of men and aeroplanes lost.

However The Zeppelin and later Gotha attacks on the UK led to the establishment of a large number of Home based Squadrons being set up with a wide range of aircraft and considerable numbers of pilots.

The RFC first went into action on August 19 1914, six days after leaving the UK for its base in France. The way the pilots got to their base near Amiens is indicative of just how crude the aeroplanes were then. The pilots flew from Dover to Boulogne and then along the coast to the mouth of the River Somme. They then followed the river inland to Amiens

While the RFC’s aeroplanes were not exactly combat-worthy, they could act as the forward eyes of the Army.

On August 1917, the government received a report from General Jan Smuts that a new air service should be introduced that would be the equal of the Army and Royal Navy but separate from both. The government took on board the views of Smuts and the Royal Air Force was introduced on April 1 1918. Its first commander was Hugh Trenchard.

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