Peter Gunn wrote a history of Bircham Newton (reviewed in 34/1) which I enjoyed, and has produced another excellent book. 206 (or Naval 6 as it then was) was based at the airfield there in its early days, which are well described here. The Squadron, first formed in 1916, took part in the bloody and under researched Battle of Arras in 1917, was reformed in 1918 and had the (dubious) pleasure of being the first to be equipped with the DH9, for what we today would call tactical and strategic bombing. Part of the Occupation Forces after the Armistice, it was disbanded in February 1920. Reformed in 1936 it became part of Coastal Command, an association that, with one brief interlude, as a transport squadron at the time of the Berlin Airlift, continues to this day.

One of its aircraft was the first RAF plane to engage a U Boat. I was interested to read that one of the Squadron’s medical officers, Ian Donald, used his observations of the development of radar and sonobuoys for anti-submarine warfare, to pioneer the diagnostic use of ultrasound in medicine. Although most of the book is understandably about the period from 1936 to the present day, and not the four years of the Squadron’s existence from 1916 until 1920, there is enough, including some rare photographs, for us to enjoy. 

It is a pleasing mix of anecdotes and logbooks, personal interviews and official histories, and is the first comprehensive history of the squadron to be written. Quite a lot of books about the RNAS are in the pipeline, and I am looking forward to more like this one.