The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 was a British single-engine tractor two-seat biplane designed and developed at the Royal Aircraft Factory. Most production aircraft were constructed under contract by various private companies, both established aircraft manufacturers and firms that had not previously built aircraft. Around 3,500 were manufactured in all. Early versions of the B.E.2 entered squadron service with the Royal Flying Corps in 1912; the type continued to serve throughout the First World War. It was initially used as a front-line reconnaissance aircraft and light bomber; modified as a single-seater it proved effective as a night fighter, destroying several German airships.
4145
1915 Built with RFC Serial 4145 the 76th of 150 Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c aircraft built under license by the British & Colonial Aeroplane Co Ltd in their UK factory at Filton, Gloucestershire UK. Built to Contract No.A3243 dated 1915 in the Serial Range 4070 to 4219 with construction number 696.
08Oct15 Taken on charge by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) for acceptance checks by the Aeronautical Inspection Department at RFC Station Farnborough, Hampshire. Fitted with a 90Raf engine.
10Dec15 Dismantled and crated then dispatched by sea to X Aircraft Park (XAP), Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) at Kantara, Suez Canal Zone, Egypt for assembly and testing.
13Jun16 Issued for use to HQ No.67 (Australian) Sqn, 40th (Army) Wing, Palestine Brigade RFC at RFC Station Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt
1916-17 Detailed operational history with 67 Sqn is unknown.
02Mar17 Issued for repair and/or servicing to XAP at Kantara.
01May17 Issued to No.20 Reserve (T) Wing at RFC Station Aboukir, Egypt. Issued for use to No.58 Reserve Sqn at RFC Station Suez, Egypt.
08May17 The aircraft entered a right hand spin and at some stage during the turn the aircraft burst into flames before crashing near the airfield. Solo pilot Lt A. Drey was killed in the crash.
RFC pilot Lt Adolphe Drey (23) of Withington, Manchester UK (on attachment from the Army Service Corps) is buried in Grave B.25 of the Suez War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt.
Suez, Egypt
4312
1915 Built with RFC Serial 4312 the 13th of 300 Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c aircraft built under license by G & J Weir Co Ltd in Glasgow, Scotland. Built in the Serial Range 4300 to 4599 to Contract No.A3101dated 1915.
00Aug15 Taken on charge by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) for acceptance checks by the Aeronautical Inspection Department at RFC Station Farnborough, Hampshire. Fitted with a 90Raf engine.
00Sep15 Received for use by RFC No.14 (AC) Sqn at RFC Station Gosport as part of 5th (Corps) Wing, RFC.
00Nov15 Dismantled and crated then dispatched by sea to Egypt when 14 Sqn was moved to Egypt as part of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF)
14Nov15 In use with 14 Sqn at RFC Station Heliopolis, Egypt.
00Jun16 Allocated to No.67 (Australian) Sqn, EEF, 5th Wing, Middle East Brigade RFC at Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt.
04Jun16 Received by No.67 (Australian) Sqn, issued to B Flight.
16Aug16 Moved with C Flight from Kantara to Port Said airfield.
27Sep16 Moved with C Flight from Port Said to Kantara airfield.
11Nov16 One of ten 67 Sqn machines [nine BE.2c and one Martinsyde G100] that departed Kantara and Mahemdia airfields for the largest aerial attack yet undertaken by 67 Sqn or any other RFC Squadron on the large German airfield complex at Bir Saba near Beersheba, Palestine.
17Dec16 Moved from Kantara to Mustabig airfield, 8km west of El Arish, Sinai on the Sabkhet el Mustabig saltpan just west of the Bir el Mazar Oasis when 67 Sqn moved forward with the Palestine Brigade advance toward Jerusalem.
14Jan17 Moved from Mustabig to Km143 airfield near El Arish, Palestine when 67 Sqn was relocated.
07Mar17 New tail unit fitted at Unit. During the subsequent Test Flight on 09 March an engine failure caused a forced landing on a beach near the Base. The port wheel collapsed on touchdown resulting in the port lower wing digging in and causing serious damage to the cross braces. A salvage crew from the Unit recovered the aircraft back to Base where the aircraft was repaired.
23Mar17 Moved from Km143 airfield to Rafa airfield, Palestine when 67 Sqn was relocated.
28Mar17 CPT D.W Rutherford and Lt W.R Hyam departed Rafa on an Artillery Observation sortie over the British front lines in the early morning. While on station they were attacked from below by an Aviatik scout which wounded both crewmen and seriously damaged the machine. Rutherford managed to crash land near the front lines and both crew were rescued by an Army patrol. Hyam’s wounds were serious and he was immediately taken the nearby Army Hospital Train where he sadly succumbed to his injuries two days later. A ground crew from 67 Sqn recovered the downed machine back to Rafa where it was repaired and returned to service some days later.
AFC Observer Lieutenant William Raymond Hyam (27) single a fruit grower from Gippsland VIC is buried in Grave B.176 of the Kantara War Memorial Cemetery beside the Suez Canal, 160km north-east of Cairo, Egypt. He is also remembered at Location 9 in the Commemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT.
From diary of William Raymond Hyam
El Arish, Egypt. c. 1918. Grave and headstone of Lieutenant William Raymond Hyam, 13th Australian Light Horse Regiment (13ALH) and Australian Flying Corps, in the military cemetery. He died of wounds on 1917-03-30.
15Jun17 Moved from Rafa airfield to Deir-el-Belah airfield when 67 Sqn was relocated.
BE2c 4312 at Deir-el-Belah c.1918
10Jul17 MAJ R. Williams and No.18 2/Air Mechanic H.F Lord delivered urgent messages to a Light Horse column.
17Sep17 Moved from Deir-el-Belah airfield to Weli Sheikh Nuran airfield 19km SSE of Deir-el-Belah when 67 Sqn was relocated.
08Oct17 MAJ R. Williams flew a captured German Albatros pilot to Deir-el Belah airfield, 15km SW of Gaza.
18Oct17 Maj R. Williams flew the 20min trip to 5th Wing HQ at Rafa aerodrome. On that day and the next Williams flew Brigadier General W.G Salmon to inspect the battlefield between Esani and Beersheba.
12Nov17 On a flight from Deir-el-Belah to Weli Sheikh Nuran the aircraft experienced fuel problems and when trying to make an emergency landing near Khan Yunis the machine stalled close to the ground and crashed. The Observer Lt Frederick Harvey was seriously injured in the crash and later died from his wounds. The Pilot 2nd Lt Leonard Thomas Edwin Taplin was injured. The aircraft was extensively damaged.
Observer Lt Frederick Harvey (21) single of Kings Park, Adelaide SA is buried in Grave B.75 of the Deir El Belah War Cemetery, Deir El Belah, Israel. He is also remembered at Location 187 in the Commemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT.
16Jan18 Wreckage struck off charge.
4468
1916 Built with RFC Serial 4468 the 169th of 300 Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c aircraft built under license by G & J Weir Co Ltd in Glasgow, Scotland. Built to Contract No.A3101 dated 1915 in the Serial Range 4300 to 4599.
00Mar16 Taken on charge by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) for acceptance checks by the Aeronautical Inspection Department at RFC Station Farnborough, Hampshire. Fitted with a 90Raf engine.
06Apr16 Allocated to the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF).
00Apr16 Issued to Ascot Air Park, Berkshire to prepare for shipment and dispatched to Egypt.
00May16 Received for allocation by X Aircraft Park (XAP), 5th (Corps) Wing RFC in Abbassia, Cairo Egypt
00May16 Received for use by 5 Wing RFC at Heliopolis airfield in Cairo.
00Jun16 Allocated to No.67 (Australian) Sqn, 40th (Army) Wing, Palestine Brigade RFC at RFC Station Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt.
04Jun16 Received by 67 (Australian) Sqn, issued to A Flight.
00Jun16 Moved with A Flight to Kantara airfield on the Suez Canal 22km south of Port Said.
07Jul16 10 min test flight flown by CPT R. Williams and No.293 Air Mechanic R.W Harding at Suez airfield
08Jul16 An 8min test flight flown by CPT R. Williams and No.293 Air Mechanic R.W Harding at Suez airfield.
An 80min ferry flight from Suez to Heliopolis flown by CPT R. Williams and No.293 Air Mechanic R.W Harding
00Jul16 Issued to C Flight after repairs completed.
19Jul16 CPT R. Williams and No.276 SGT W.A Coates flew to Salmana to drop messages to the Camel Corps.
20Jul16 CPT R. Williams and Lt R. Ross flew two test flights.
1916 Aircraft returned to XAP sometime between July and December 1916.
00Jan17 Received for use by No.58 Reserve Squadron at Suez airfield.
22Apr17 2nd Lt T.E Shimmin (RFC) lost control when sideslipping at 50ft and entered a vertical nosedive. The pilot was killed in the subsequent crash and aircraft destroyed.
6295
1916 Built as 6295 the 68th of 100 Royal Aircraft Factory BE2d aircraft built in the Serial Range 6228 to 6327 under license by Ruston, Proctor & Co. Ltd in their UK factory at Lincoln, Lincolnshire UK. Built to Contract 87/A/156 dated 08 October 1915.
00Sep16 Taken on charge by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) for acceptance checks by the Aeronautical Inspection Department at RFC Station Farnborough, Hampshire. Fitted with the.
00Oct16 Dismantled and crated then dispatched by sea to X Aircraft Depot at Alexandria Egypt for assembly and testing.
00Dec16 Received for allocation preparation by X Aircraft Park (XAP), 5th (Corps) Wing RFC at Kantara, Suez Canal Zone, Egypt.
20Jan17 Received for use by No.67 Sqn, 5th (Corps) Wing RFC, Palestine Brigade at the advance airfield at Kilo 143 (so called because it was that distance from the Canal) when 67 Sqn moved forward with the Palestine Brigade advance toward Jerusalem.
24Jan17 CPT Eric Glendower Roberts and Lt George Newnham Mills were on a Photo Reconnaissance of Beersheeba airfield and surrounds when they were heavily struck by AAA fire. Lt Mills received severe wounds to the right arm and only prevented fatal blood loss by applying a ligature above the wound. CPT Roberts was also wounded but managed to fly the damaged machine back to Km143 where he made a successful crash landing. Lt Mills was pulled unconscious from the aircraft and rushed to the British Army Hospital Train where he was stabilised before evacuation back to Cairo.
(left: BE2 6295 at Kilo 143 airfield Jan1917
00Feb17 90Raf Engine No.E39590 replaced by 90Raf Engine No.E921.
09Mar17 294 Lt Leonard Walter Heathcote departed Mustabig airfield near El-Arish, Sinai as part of an eight aircraft attack on Junction Station in Palestine. After a successful bombing mission the engine failed and he was forced to land near Turkish trenches outside Gaza City and was posted as MIA.
(right: Lt Heathcote next to his downed aircraft guarded by his Turkish captors.)
On 19 March a Turkish Aeroplane dropped a letter at El-Arish which stated the Lt Heathcote was a POW of the German Flying Corps at Ramleh in central Palestine. A further letter was dropped on 14July stating that he was now a POW in Turkey and was incarcerated at the Kedos POW Camp in Western Anatolia.
16Mar17 Aircraft struck off charge.
7133
1916 Built as 7133 the 76th of 200 Royal Aircraft Factory BE2d aircraft built in the Serial Range 7058 to 7257 under license by the Vulcan Motor & Engine Co. Ltd. in their UK factory at Southport, Merseyside UK. Built to Contract 87/A/124 dated 16 October 1915.
00Sep16 Taken on charge by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) for acceptance checks by the Aeronautical Inspection Department at RFC Station Farnborough, Hampshire. Fitted with a 90Raf engine.
00Nov16 Dismantled and crated then dispatched by sea to X Aircraft Depot at Alexandria Egypt for assembly and testing.
00Jan17 Received for allocation preparation by X Aircraft Park (XAP), 5th (Corps) Wing RFC at Kantara, Suez Canal Zone, Egypt.
25Jan17 Received for use by C Flight, No.67 Sqn, 5th (Corps) Wing, Palestine Brigade RFC at Kilo 143 airfield near El Arish, Sinai.
23Feb17 CPT R. Williams and Lt A.J Morgan flew a local 1hr 35min Wireless Jamming test flight
25Feb17 CPT R. Williams departed Kilo 143 at 0400hrs with Lt Drummond and Lt Baillieu for an attack against the German airfield at Ramleh. The three aircraft attacked at first light and reportedly caused significant damage.
28Feb17 CPT R. Williams chased Lt Tunbridge’s machine which had lost a wheel on take-off. Williams had a large sign that read ‘LOST WHEEL ON T/O’
05Mar17 CPT R. Williams departed Kilo 143 leading a mixed force of six British and Australian machines, each armed with 2 x 112lb HE Bombs, to attack retreating troops around the Tel El Sheria Railway station. Williams led the force in at 3,000ft on the assumption the enemy Flak Units would be covering the main Turkish force at Weli Sheikh Nuran.
Unfortunately his assumption was wrong and the flight came under heavy and very accurate Flak which tore large holes in his port wing. Another salvo burst all around Lt Adrian Cole [Martinsyde A1583] holing his petrol tank and damaging his machine causing him to abort and head for home but he ran out of petrol and crash landed soon after crossing British lines. William’s machine was badly damaged by AAA and ground based machine gun fire when he descended to less than 500ft after his engine cut out when an engine control switch was inadvertently turned off.
13Mar17 CPT R. Williams with Observer Lt Smith carried out a reconnaissance of Auja and Bir Sabra. After returning Base several small calibre bullet holes were found in the machine.
10Apr17 Moved with 67 Sqn from Kilo 143 airfield to Rafa aerodrome on the Sinai/Palestine border some 35km SW of Gaza. The 30min ferry flight was flown solo by CPT R. Williams.
12Apr17 CPT R. Williams departed Rafa with another 16 aircraft from 67 Sqn and 14 Sqn RFC for a bombing raid on the Tel El Sheria Railway Station. During the raid AAA fire shot a hole thru the reserve fuel tank and holed the lower wings. No injury reported and Williams recovered safely back to Rafa.
15Jun17 Moved with 67 Sqn from Rafa to Deir-el-Belah airfield, Palestine.
13Jul17 2nd Lt A. H Searle, with passenger Lt G.L Paget (17th Northumberland Fusiliers), departed Deir el Belah airfield at 0930 hrs for a reconnaissance of the area between Beersheba and Irgeig. When in the vicinity of Bir Ifteis, Palestine, the machine was attacked by a German Scout and the pilot of the accompanying B.E.2c, Lt Reg Baillieu, saw the port wing fold up and 7133 crash to the ground.
The following day a German Albatros flown by Oberleutnant Gerhardt Felmy of FlAbt 300 dropped a message on the Deir el Belah airfield stating that they had shot down the B.E.2c and both officers on-board had died in the crash.
AFC Pilot 2nd Lieutenant Archibald Henry Searle (29) married of Hampton, Melbourne VIC of has no known grave and is commemorated on Panel 60 of the Jerusalem Memorial, Jerusalem War Cemetery, Israel. He is also honoured at location 187 in the Commemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT.
Jerusalem Memorial
Northumberland Fusiliers officer Lieutenant Gerald Lewis Paget (34) married of Sussex UK has no known grave and is commemorated on Panel 9 of the Jerusalem Memorial, Jerusalem War Cemetery, Israel. He is also remembered on the Eastbourne War Memorial in Sussex, UK.
20Jul17 Aircraft struck off charge.
A1368
00Dec16 Built as A1368 the 8th of 50 Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c aircraft built in the Serial Range A1361 to A1410 under license by Denny Bros in their factory at Dumbarton, Scotland. Built to Contract 87/A/601 dated 06 June 1916.
00Feb17 Taken on charge by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) for acceptance checks by the Aeronautical Inspection Department of No.6 Aircraft Acceptance Park at Renfrew, Scotland. Fitted with a 90Raf engine. No.933WD5035
00Mar17 Allocated for use to No.69 (Australian) Sqn at RFC Station South Carlton near Lincoln, Lincolnshire UK.
00Apr17 Received by 69 Sqn.
16Jun17 2nd Lt T.W Bartle was flying a solo training mission when he collided with Armstrong Whitworth F.K3 A1508 at 5,000ft over Scampton aerodrome. In the collision the tail skid of A1508 speared the upper mainplane of A1368 and ripped the complete wing off the aircraft, soon after the lower mainplane also collapsed and tore free. The fuselage of A1368 then spiralled down and crashed onto the aerodrome killing Lt Bartle instantly. A1508 RFC pilot 2nd Lt H.H Wilson managed to land his aircraft without further mishap.
AFC pilot 2nd Lt Thomas William Bartle (22) single of Castlemaine VIC is buried in Grave F.29 of the Lumb-In-Rossendale (Providence) Baptist Chapelyard, Lancashire UK. He is also remembered at Location 187 in the Commemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT.
A1807
00Dec16 Built as A1807 the 16th of 100 Royal Aircraft Factory BE2d aircraft built in the Serial Range A1792 to A1891 under license by the Vulcan Motor & Engine Co. Ltd. in their UK factory at Southport, Merseyside UK. Built to Contract 87/A/530 dated 05 July 1916.
A report claims this aircraft was fitted with BE.2b wings but Andrew Willcox points out in a message to our Helpdesk that the BE2b was a wing warper and would have been unsuitable because of the amount of modifications that would have had to have been done. Also all these aircraft would have been scrapped by then. He suggests the report should be "e" type wings were fitted. (thanks to Andrew Willcox for this).
00Feb17 Taken on charge by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) for acceptance checks by the Aeronautical Inspection Department at RFC Station Farnborough, Hampshire. Fitted with a 90Raf engine.
1917 Dismantled and crated then dispatched by sea to X Aircraft Depot Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) at Alexandria Egypt for assembly and testing.
08May17 Received for allocation preparation by X Aircraft Park (XAP), 5th (Corps) Wing RFC at Kantara, Suez Canal Zone, Egypt.
21May17 Received for use by No.67 Sqn, 5th (Corps) Wing RFC at Rafa airfield Palestine.
30May17 Aircraft departed Rafa on a Tactical Reconnaissance mission with Lt G.C Stones (pilot) and Lt J.A Morgan (an attached British Officer from the 9th King’s Shropshire Light Infantry). Near Deir-el-Belah the aircraft was shot down by entrenched Turkish AAA and SA fire. Both airmen were killed and the machine destroyed.
AFC pilot Lieutenant Gerald Cunliffe Stones (34) single of Wisbech, Cambridgeshire England is buried in Grave F.32 of the Kantara War Memorial Cemetery beside the Suez Canal, 160km north-east of Cairo, Egypt. He is also remembered at Location 4 in the Commemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT.
Kantara War Memorial Egypt
2nd Lieutenant Joseph Anthony Morgan (19) of Berkeley Square London England is buried in Grave D.163 of the Kantara War Memorial Cemetery beside the Suez Canal, 160km north-east of Cairo, Egypt.
A1836
00Dec16 Built as A1836 the 45th of 100 Royal Aircraft Factory BE2d aircraft built in the Serial Range A1792 to A1891 under license by the Vulcan Motor & Engine Co. Ltd. in their UK factory at Southport, Merseyside UK. Built to Contract 87/A/530 dated 05 July 1916.
A report claims this aircraft was fitted with BE.2b wings but Andrew Willcox points out in a message to our Helpdesk that the BE2b was a wing warper and would have been unsuitable because of the amount of modifications that would have had to have been done. Also all these aircraft would have been scrapped by then. He suggests the report should be "e" type wings were fitted. (thanks to Andrew Willcox for this).
00Feb17 Taken on charge by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) for acceptance checks by the Aeronautical Inspection Department at RFC Station Farnborough, Hampshire. Fitted with a 90Raf engine.
1917 Dismantled and crated then dispatched by sea to X Aircraft Depot Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) at Alexandria Egypt for assembly and testing.
01Jul17 Received for allocation preparation by X Aircraft Park (XAP), 5th (Corps) Wing RFC at Kantara, Suez Canal Zone, Egypt.
21Jul17 Received for use by No.67 Sqn, 5th (Corps) Wing RFC, EEF at Deir-el-Belah, Palestine.
27Aug17 Issued for servicing and reallocation to XAP at Kantara.
00Sep17 Received for use by Palestine Brigade HQ Cairo, Egypt. Issued to the 50th Balloon Section, 5th Wing.
13Oct17 The aircraft was flying at low altitude when it entered a steep climbing turn and tried to turn downwind in preparation for landing. The pilot turned off the engine prior to landing and aircraft stalled and crashed. Both occupants were killed: pilot Captain Bryan Grogan Langley Ellis (26) on loan to the RFC from the Royal Guernsey Artillery and his passenger 2nd Lt Gordon Stanley Sawyer (24) from the Indian Army Reserve of Officers.
23Oct17 Aircraft remains struck off charge.
B6176
00Feb18 Built as B6176 the 26th of 50 Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2e aircraft built under license by British Caudron Co Ltd in their UK factory at Alloa, Clackmannanshire, Scotland. Built to Contract AS15178 dated 25 October 1917 in the Serial Range B6151 to B6200.
Note: The Serial Block B6151 to B6200 was originally allocated to the Sopwith 2F.1 Shipboard Camel but was changed in Oct 1917 to the B.E.2c.
00Mar18 Taken on charge by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) for acceptance checks by the Aeronautical Inspection Department of No.6 Aircraft Acceptance Park at Renfrew, Scotland. Fitted with a 90Raf engine Serial No.954/WD5105.
00Mar18 Received for dispatch by J&B Weir Co Ltd Glasgow Scotland.
23Mar18 Received for use by No 19 Training Squadron at Camp Curragh, Kildare Ireland.
18Apr18 Received for acceptance checks by Aircraft Repair Squadron (ARS), 1st Wing, Australian Flying Corps (AFC) at RAF Station Leighterton, Gloucestershire UK.
20Apr18 Received for use by No 7 Training Squadron, 1st Wing AFC at RAF Leighterton.
23Apr18 The aircraft departed Leighterton airfield at 1010hrs for a routine solo training flight and at 1031hrs was seen by several witnesses to enter a spin and crash close to the airfield. The Court of Inquiry found that the pilot caused the machine to undergo excessive strain when recovering from a spin which in turn caused the rear upper main spar to break apart in the air. Cadet G.F Needham was found dead in the cockpit of the wrecked machine.
AFC 27571 Cadet George Francis Jack Needham (29) single of Parkside, Adelaide SA Buried with full Military Honours in Grave No.4 C of E Section of the Leighterton Church Cemetery, Leighterton, Gloucestershire UK. Needham is also remembered at Location 187 in the Commemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT.
Leighterton Church Cemetery, UK
PMcG 2020-01-17
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning we will remember them. - Laurence Binyon
All site material (except as noted elsewhere) is owned or managed by Aircrew Remembered and should not be used without prior permission.