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Arras Flying Services Memorial
In the central courtyard of the Arras Memorial is the Memorial
to the Flying Services, which commemorates by name almost
1,000 Commonwealth airmen of the Royal Flying Corps, the
Royal Naval Air Service, and the Royal Air Force, who died
on the Western Front and have no known grave. Hailing from
several Commonwealth countries and representing many ranks,
they took to the air in all manner of machines, from balloons
to biplanes, reconnaissance aircraft, and combat fighters. The
memorial was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, with sculpture by
Sir William Reid Dick, and was unveiled by Lord Hugh Trenchard,
Marshal of the Royal Air Force, on 31 July 1932.
The Air War on the Western Front Military aviation was in its infancy at the outbreak of war. The
British formed the Royal Flying Corps in 1912, and the Royal
Naval Air Service in early 1914, with aeroplanes that were
unreliable, expensive and fragile. In the earliest battles their main
role was valuable reconnaissance, but as the trench lines of the
Western Front were formed, observation for artillery became
crucial. Tethered balloons were linked to batteries by telephone
cables, and observers in aircraft reported back through
rudimentary radio sets, helping to direct gunners on the ground.
The development of aerial photography provided a vital view of
enemy lines from above.
Vulnerable balloons and slow reconnaissance aircraft had to
be protected from raiders, and pilots began to actively pursue
and attack their enemies with pistols, machine guns and Mills
bombs. In the summer of 1915, the German manufacturer Fokker
perfected a French design enabling front-mounted machine
guns to fire through an aircraft’s propellers, synchronizing with
the turn of the blades. This advantage resulted in what airmen
referred to as the ‘Fokker scourge’ into early 1916, until Allied
technology matched the advance.
During the Somme offensive, Commonwealth pilots sought to
fight over enemy territory and attack infantry troops in the
trenches, and more than 80 of those commemorated on this
memorial were lost between July and November 1916. In the
spring of 1917, during the Battle of Arras, well-organised and
tactically astute German fighter groups, known as ‘circuses’,
caused heavy casualties among the novice pilots who had
replaced those lost the previous year. Nearly 70 of those named
on this memorial were killed in ‘Bloody April’, and more than 380
over the course of the year. Eventually, advances in design and
industrial production created new aircraft, including the S.E.5, the
Sopwith Camel, and the French-built Spad, which helped to give
Commonwealth pilots a numerical and technological advantage
over their German counterparts.
In April 1918, the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air
Service merged to create a new Royal Air Force. By this time,
the battle in the air was being fought ferociously by advanced
aeroplanes operating in large formations, and the RAF eventually
grew to some 4,000 front-line aircraft and over 100,000
personnel. Although their primary role throughout the war was
to support ground forces, pilots on both sides increasingly used
bombs and explosives to attack supply lines, industrial facilities,
and civilians. The majority of those named on this memorial –
more than 500 men – were lost in the final year of the conflict,
and the heaviest losses in a single month marked here occurred
in September 1918, when more than 90 airmen went missing.
Fighter aces were portrayed in propaganda as ‘knights of the air’,
yet their war was physically and psychologically demanding, and
human or mechanical error often had fatal consequences. Flying
was among the most dangerous forms of service, and half of all
Commonwealth pilots had become casualties by the war’s end.
The Commission is responsible for the commemoration of almost 1,700,000 members of the Commonwealth forces who gave their lives in the two world wars. The graves and memorials of these men and
women, who came from all parts of the Commonwealth and who were of many faiths and of none, are found around the globe in 153 countries. For more information about the Commission, our work and how
to search our records online visit www.cwgc.org Enquiries are also welcome at our offices: CWGC Head Office Tel: + 44 (0) 1628 507200
E-mail: casualty.enq@cwgc.org CWGC France Office Tel: + 33 (0) 3 21 21 77 00 E-mail: france.area@cwgc.org
Commonwealth War Graves CommissionFor more information about this location
and some of those commemorated here,
scan the QR code (right).
Photographic plates being handed to the gunner of a DH4 aircraft, Serny airfield,
February 1917
Plaques photographiques en train d’être données à l’artilleur d’un bombardier DH4, au
champ d’aviation de Serny, en février 1917
Ground and air crew with their Handley Page O/400 bombers, Coudekerque field near
Dunkirk, April 1918
Équipages au sol et de bord avec leurs bombardiers Handley Page O/400, champ de
Coudekerque près de Dunkerque, en avril 1918
IWM Q 11980
IWM Q 12033
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