RAF in Camera: 1950s

Introduction

Following the end of the Second World War, the immediate task of the Royal Air Force was to return to normal, peacetime conditions and the RAF was faced, for the second time in its history, with the problems of adjusting to peace after a major war. At the conclusion of the war, the total strength of UK service personnel totalled almost 5 million and the RAF contingent was estimated at around 1.3 million. Various statistics are available, each providing variations, but one RAF source document suggests that the total number of aircraft held on strength (including aircraft held in storage) amounted to 61,584.

Abroad, the RAF played its part (alongside the British Army, the Royal Navy and other Allied forces) in the vast clearing-up operation in Europe, the Middle East and the Far East.

At home, the RAF had to demobilise its huge forces as quickly and as smoothly as possible. The rundown of the RAF was more orderly and gradual than it had been in 1919 but, even so, discontent at poor conditions and the seemingly slow rate of repatriation led to a strike by airmen at RAF Seletar in Singapore and other disturbances at RAF Drigh Road, Karachi. By 1947, just less than a million men and women had been demobilised and the overall strength was down to less than 300,000. Aircraft held on strength had reduced drastically to 20,430.

Although Britain had ended the Second World War as one of the victorious Allies, the country was almost bankrupt after the vast outlay of national resources during the war. The first years of peace were blighted by rationing and austerity which exceeded those of the war years. Severe financial problems, coupled with the debilitating effect of nearly six years of war, made the task of redirecting the nation’s war-making capacity to meet civilian peacetime needs very difficult.

By the end of the Second World War the jet, missile and nuclear age had arrived. The problems for the British Government and the RAF were whether Britain should develop its own atomic weapons and, if they were to be developed, what type of aircraft would be required to drop them. The Labour Government of Clement Attlee, which came to power in June 1945, decided that the United Nations was not strong enough to enforce any international control over atomic energy (and weapons) development. If the USA was not to have a monopoly of the new weapons, Britain had to develop its own nuclear weapons in order to safeguard its own security. After much political soul-searching and despite strong opposition by some members of the Labour Party, that decision was made on 8 January 1947.

Interestingly, the Air Staff had anticipated the decision by issuing a requirement for an atomic bomb in August of 1946. They had also issued – in November 1946 – a draft requirement for a new bomber that could deliver the atomic bomb. The specification was for a four-engined bomber with a greater range, twice the speed and twice the height over the target of any existing bomber.

On 9 January 1947, the day after the government’s decision to develop an atomic bomb, the leading aircraft manufacturers were invited to design and build the new bomber. These two decisions, along with the doctrine of the strategic air bombardment, were the foundations of a strategic nuclear deterrent force – the V-force of Bomber Command – whose creation and deployment was the single most important and costly activity of the RAF between 1945 and 1969.

Bringing a strategic nuclear force into operation took nearly ten years after those decisions were made. During that time the Western deterrent was in the hands of the strategic air forces of the United States and the political leaders of the West were primarily occupied with the possibility that the Cold War could escalate into a third world war. The confrontational situation in Europe at the time of the Berlin Airlift had already been apparent. It led to USAF B-29 Superfortress bombers being deployed to the UK as well as the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1949. Along with the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, it also led to the largest ever peacetime UK defence budget to provide for an expansion of men and equipment: £4,700 million was to be spent over three fiscal years between 1951 and 1954, compared with less than £800 million spent annually before 1950. In addition, the recall of reservists and the extension of National Service to two years gave an active strength of nearly 900,000 for the three services; RAF strength was over 270,000, of which around one-third was National Servicemen.

Even with the expansion and attempts to speed up the development of the new jet bombers, the RAF had a serious gap in its front-line aircraft in the early 1950s. The swept-wing fighter was slow to come into service with the RAF. This was because a decision had been made (mistakenly as it turns out) that supersonic aircraft were ‘too dangerous to warrant further research’. In 1946, the Director General of the Scientific Research (Air) said, ‘The impression that supersonic aircraft are just around the corner is quite erroneous … the difficulties will be tackled by the use of rocket-driven motors. We do not have the heart to ask pilots to fly the high-speed models, so we shall make them radio-controlled.’

To bridge the gap, 430 Canadian-manufactured F-86 Sabres equipped Fighter Command and squadrons in Germany between 1950 and 1955, with Canada funding the airframes and the US providing the engines and other equipment. In addition, and by arrangement with the United States under the Atlantic Pact mutual arms aid agreement signed in Washington on 27 January 1950, 88 B-29 Superfortresses (renamed Washingtons) came into service with Bomber Command between 1950 and 1953. Fifty-two maritime reconnaissance Neptunes were also delivered for operations by four Coastal Command squadrons between 1952 and 1953.

After the Second World War, Britain constantly seemed to be involved in a conflict somewhere in the world. Just as the Berlin crisis broke, and the airlift began, Britain became deeply committed to a campaign in the Far East that was eventually to become a model for conducting counter-insurgency warfare. During the Japanese occupation of Malaya during the Second World War, the Allies had supplied arms, equipment and a few men to support the resistance war waged against the Japanese by the (mainly Chinese) Malayan Communist Party (MCP). At the end of the war, the communists had begun to exploit nationalist feelings throughout colonial South-East Asia and the MCP refused to hand back their weapons, retreating instead into the jungle to plan their next campaign. This was to free Malaya from British colonial rule. The MCP controlled a field army of insurgents, the Malayan Races Liberation Army (MRLA). The MRLA struck in 1948: terrorist attacks were made on rubber plantations and tin mines (the foundations of the Malayan economy), government property and civilians – both British and Malay. A state of emergency was declared and Britain became involved in a campaign that would eventually run for twelve years – until 1960.

Operation Firedog was a civil and military campaign aimed at isolating the communist insurgents from the local support, which was vital to their survival. The very nature of this type of counter-insurgency warfare was exacerbated by the climate and terrain of Malaya, 70 per cent of which consists of jungle-covered mountains sparsely inhabited by indigenous peoples and linked only by jungle track and river. A variety of aircraft and helicopters were deployed to the area. In all thirty-one different basic types of aircraft in thirty-six versions were engaged in Operation Firedog.

Gradually the hold of the insurgents was broken and more and more areas were declared safe. Malaya became independent in 1957, although the emergency did not end until 1960. Operation Firedog finally brought peace and independence to Malaya and sustained its friendship with Britain.

Because of commitments in Malaya, Britain made only a limited contribution to the Korean War. The United Nations, largely at the instigation of the United States, decided to provide military support to the South Koreans when North Korea invaded them in June 1950. The North Koreans were defeated, but in the winter of 1950/51 Chinese communist army and air force intervention led to a bitter struggle and a stalemate around the 38th parallel (38° N latitude) until an armistice was agreed in July 1953. The RAF element of the British forces involved was limited to three squadrons of Sunderland flying boats for maritime reconnaissance patrols against seaborne incursions and movements around the coast. In addition, Hastings aircraft were involved in troop movements and casualty evacuations.

While the Malayan Emergency remained in progress, the RAF was called upon to participate in the emergency created in Kenya by the Mau Mau rebellion from 1952 to 1956. The RAF operated in a very similar role to that utilised in Malaya, but on a much-reduced scale. So scarce were RAF resources to support the ground troops that ageing Harvard trainers were equipped with Browning machine guns and eight 20lb antipersonnel bombs to go into action against the Mau Mau. The Harvards were successful and continued to play an important role throughout the four years of the emergency. They were supplemented by Bomber Command Avro Lincolns and ground-attack Vampire jets from Aden.

Having had a long-term interest in Egypt, the British withdrew forces in 1955, retaining stocks and an agreement for the use and defence of the critical Suez Canal. Under President Nasser, Egypt looked to the West for arms, but they refused. The Soviet Union stepped in, with a deal brokered by Czechoslovakia. As a consequence, the West withdrew its financial support for the construction of the economically essential Aswan High Dam. On 26 July 1956, Nasser nationalised the Suez Canal, which provided an economical route from Europe to the Far East, both in terms of time and money. In 1950, shipping was still the main method of moving supplies around the world.

On the day the Suez Canal was nationalised, the British Prime Minister, Sir Anthony Eden, asked the Chiefs of Staff to plan for a military intervention. Shortly afterwards, the French Prime Minister, Guy Mollet, suggested a joint operation and planning continued. Operation Musketeer, a British and French seaborne invasion supported by parachute forces to occupy the Canal Zone, was launched from Malta and Cyprus at the end of October. The RAF’s task was to attack Egyptian airfields and prevent the Russian-built MiG-15 fighters and Il-28 bombers of the Egyptian Air Force from interfering with the invasion. Within two days, the Egyptian Air Force had effectively been put out of action. Canberras and Valiants were used for high-altitude precision bombing, while Canberras, Venoms and French fighter-bombers completed the destruction from low-level.

Both the seaborne and airborne assaults were successful. RAF Hastings and Valletta aircraft were used to drop British paratroops on to El Gamil airfield.

After seven days, a ceasefire was announced and United Nations forces took over in the Canal Zone. While the military operations were successful, they too had shown deficiencies in bombing techniques and base facilities; they had also emphasised the need to expand the air transport force.

Cyprus, as well as providing the main base for the launching of the Suez operations, was itself torn apart by a campaign of violence launched by EOKA guerrillas led by Colonel Georgios Grivas which started in 1956. The objective of EOKA was the unity of Cyprus with Greece. As in the Malayan conflict, the helicopter proved its worth in Cyprus – proving invaluable in supporting the ground forces hunting EOKA in the mountains. Sycamore helicopters from 284 Squadron pioneered the techniques of night flying and landing troops by abseiling down ropes from a hovering helicopter. In addition, the helicopters dropped food and ammunition, as well as providing casualty evacuation. The emergency ended in December 1959.

The 1950s was a period of immense technological advancement. At the beginning of 1950, the RAF was still utilising Second World War-era Avro Lincoln bombers, while Fighter Command still had propeller-driven Spitfires in its inventory. Jet fighters were on strength (and had been since 1944) but were limited to around 400mph by their straight wings and the relatively under-powered 1,700lb static thrust produced by the Welland 1 engine. By way of comparison with the jet performance, the propeller-driven Hawker Tempest II could still manage 440mph at 15,000ft while the Griffon-powered Spitfire PR.19 was good for 448mph at 26,000ft.

By 1959, things had changed dramatically. In just ten years Bomber Command had the Valiant, Vulcan, Victor and Canberra jet bombers in its inventory; some equipped with atomic weapons. The Avro Lincolns were long gone!

Transport Command had the ugly but effective Beverley and by 1959, the beautiful Bristol Britannia in its fleet.

Fighter Command had the Gloster Javelin, Supermarine Swift and Hawker Hunter – the latter pair capable of supersonic speed only in a dive. On 4 August 1954, the English Electric P.1A aircraft made its first flight at Boscombe Down with Wing Commander R.P ‘Bee’ Beaumont at the controls. Within one year the aircraft had completed more than a hundred further test flights at supersonic speed. The P.1A was significantly re-engineered and re-engined with a pair of Rolls-Royce Avon 200 engines, providing a total thrust of over 20,000lbs. The P.1B, as the modified aircraft was designated, made its first flight on 4 April 1957. On 25 November 1958, XA847 became the first British aircraft ever to fly at Mach 2.0. The first full production aircraft entered service with the Central Fighter Establishment at Coltishall in December 1959, providing a fitting end to the decade. By the end of 1959, RAF strength had reduced to around 165,000 people (at 1950 it had been 193,100) and the total aircraft on strength had dropped to 5,194 (from 9,941 in 1950).

The 1948 inaugural ‘Flying Display and Exhibition’ was organised by the then Society of British Aircraft Constructors (SBAC) and accommodated nearly 200 exhibitors in two of the famous ‘black sheds’ at Farnborough. It succeeded eight SBAC meetings at other airfields near London. The first of these was in 1932, when the Royal Air Force allowed the ‘New Types Park’ (an enclave for prototypes) at its annual Hendon pageant to stay in place an extra day to enable foreign visitors to inspect the aircraft.

An innovation at the first Farnborough show in 1948 was public admission on two extra days to watch an enhanced air display. There were rows of aircraft parked on the north side of the current runway. British manufacturers were responsible for exhibiting the world’s first civil jet airliner (the Rolls-Royce Nene-powered Vickers Viking), the first four-engined turbine-powered airliner (Vickers Viscount) and the first turboprop military trainer (Boulton Paul Balliol). They were all parked alongside the de Havilland 108, Europe’s first supersonic jet.

In 1950, the SBAC adopted the show’s current layout, with the crowd south of runway 07/25 (now 06/24) while the exhibition was moved to the end of runway 29, where today’s static display begins. The show was an annual event and rapidly became the place to debut the latest aircraft. In the austere post-war years, celebrity status was afforded to Britain’s test pilots, including Neville Duke, who came to the 1951 show in the Hawker P.1067 prototype just five weeks after its maiden flight at Boscombe Down on 20 July. The P.1067 became the successful Hunter fighter and ground-attack aircraft. Duke provided what one commentator described as ‘the fastest flypasts ever seen by the British public’ while displaying it.

Throughout the 1950s the SBAC Show at Farnborough produced surprises, many of which are documented and illustrated in the following chapters. British manufacturers showcased their latest civil and military designs at the show and it was usually the public’s first sighting of the very latest aircraft – whatever the aircraft, it just had to be seen at Farnborough. The RAF also showcased their new in-service types and provided a suitable formation display team each year.

All images in this book have been provided from the archives of the Air Historical Branch – probably one of the best-kept secrets in aviation. Indeed, I am deeply indebted to Lee Barton, the branch’s assistant photo archivist, who guided me through the various image archives and then provided much of the caption information from the branch’s extensive and detailed records. The branch’s individual image reference has been quoted in each case.

Sadly, little colour film existed in the early 1950s and what was available was expensive and often unreliable! As the years progressed, the availability of colour film increased, the price reduced and the amount of colour images created – many by the various RAF station photographers – increased significantly. That said, many of these priceless black and white images are historically significant and the lack of colour does not detract from their inclusion in this book.

Future volumes are planned in this series where colour illustrations will provide the very large majority of illustrations, especially for the post-1960 decades.

Keith Wilson

Ramsey, Cambridgeshire

September 2014

The Boulton Paul P.111 experimental aircraft pictured at Pendeford airfield in May 1950. The aircraft was built to test the properties of delta-wing aircraft and could be fitted with a variety of wing-tip configurations for flight. The aircraft was completed at Boulton Paul’s Wolverhampton factory but, as the grass runway at Pendeford was not suitable for operating the P.111, the aircraft was then dismantled and moved to Boscombe Down for flight testing (see also page 47). (Crown Copyright/Air Historical Branch image ATP-19260b)

At the beginning of 1950 and despite emerging from the Second World War as part of the victorious Allies, Britain was still enduring a period of rationing and severe austerity measures. The rationing of meat and all other foods would eventually continue until finally abolished on 4 July 1954.

On 23 February 1950 a General Election was held in the UK. The Conservative Party campaigned on a manifesto of ending rationing as quickly as possible; however, the Labour Party was returned with its majority badly slashed. On 26 May rationing of petrol finally ended.

The Royal Air Force was continuing to downsize – both in terms of people and aircraft – after its wartime efforts. At the conclusion of the Second World War, statistics indicate the RAF headcount stood at around 1.3 million, while the total number of aircraft held on strength (including aircraft held in storage) was 61,584. By the start of 1950,