KITS 08/2022

B7190, Capt. Walter G. R. Hinchliffe, C Flight, No. 10(N) Sqn RNAS, Téteghem, France, March 1918

"Hinch", as Walter Hinchliffe was called, scored six kills

during World War I, all when at controls of a Camel. He

shot down his second and third victims on the one of

serial number B7190. Hinchliffe served with the artillery

at the start of the Great War, only joining the ranks of

the RNAS (Royal Navy Air Service) in 1916. He completed his pilot training and served as an instructor at the

RNAS base at Cranwell afterwards. There he clocked an

incredible 1,250 flight hours in thirteen months. It was

not until January 1918 that he joined No. 10 Sqn RNAS. He

scored his first kill on February 3 when he shot down an

Albatros D.V., his last one occurred on May 19. On June 3

he suffered serious head and facial injuries after a crash

and lost his left eye. After the War he flew as an airline

pilot. In 1928 he attempted to fly across the Atlantic. He

took off from Cranwell Airport on March 13 with co-pilot

Elsie Mackay. They have not been seen since... “Hinch's”

Camel bore a striking livery with blue and white stripes

on the nose and a blue fuselage spine. There was a drawing of a devil on the wheel discs, the German word DONNERWETTER behind the cockpit, possibly on both sides,

and a symbol, which was, according to the only known

photo of this part of the aircraft, probably stylized combination of the letters W and H on the ridge of the aft

fuselage. Upper and sides were probably in PC10 color.

Camel B7190 was built by the Clayton & Shuttleworth

company and was powered by a Bentley B.R.1 engine.

B6212, FSL William John MacKenzie, No. 13(N) Sqn RNAS, Dunkerque, France, February 1918

Camel B6212 was manufactured at the Sopwith parent

factory and delivered to No. 11(N) Sqn RNAS on August

22, 1917. However, as early as September 2, it was

sent to the Dunkerque Air Park, from where it went

to the Seaplane Defence Squadron (SDS) on October

22, where it was given the code designation M in very

ornate lettering. The aircraft was assigned to Flight

Sub-Lieutenant W. J. MacKenzie, who named it “Black

Prince” and crashed it at Bergues on February 19, 1918.

At that time the unit was already designated No. 13(N)

Squadron. The damaged aircraft went for repairs and

was eventually assigned to No. 203 Sqn RAF (formerly

No. 3(N) Sqn RNAS). William J. Mackenzie, a native of

Memphis, USA, joined the ranks of the Royal Naval Air

Service in Canada in April 1917 and, after moving to

Britain and training, he was transferred to the SDS on

November 30. From there he went to No. 9(N) Sqn on

March 1 and was one of the pilots who took part in the

fateful dogfight in which Manfred von Richthofen was

shot down on April 21, 1918. MacKenzie was wounded

in this combat and, after recovering, returned to his

original unit, now being No. 213 Sqn RAF, on October

8. He flew a total of 250 operational hours during the

war and achieved eight aerial victories.

B6401 F/Cdr. Leonard H. Rochford, No. 3(N) Sqn RNAS, Dunkerque, France, January 1918

Camel B6401 was built at the Sopwith factory and was

sent to No. 3(N) Sqn on November 20, 1917. Here it was

decorated with the symbols of the rising sun on the

elevator and vertical fin, also playing cards (King of

Spades) were painted on the upper side of the bottom

wing and a royal crown in a maple leaf on the back

ridge of the fuselage. Leonard W. Rochford attempted

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INFO Eduard

to join the RNAS ranks at the start of the war, but as he

was not yet 18 years old, he was rejected. So, he learned to fly at the Royal Aero Club and began his university studies. However, by May 14, 1916, he was already

confirmed at the rank of Flight Sub-Lieutenant as an

RNAS pilot and assigned to No. 3(N) Sqn. Here he scored

his first three victories flying the Sopwith Pup, and by

the end of the war he had added 26 more in fifteen

different Camels. He flew this aircraft during January

and February 1918, scoring two kills, which were his

sixth and seventh. Later this aircraft was also flown at

the No. 213 Sqn by its most successful pilot, Canadian

Lt. George C. Mackay, who shot down one of his eighteen victims with it on August 12.

August 2022