An Air Fighter's Scrapbook (Vintage Aviation Series) by Ira Jones

Author:Ira Jones [Jones, Ira]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: World War I, aviation
ISBN: 9781612001517
Publisher: Casemate / Greenhill
Published: 2013-12-19T05:00:00+00:00

Air Commodore Rumney Samson was a tremendous personality and a fighter to the marrow of his bones. He had a rawer deal in the Service than Kinkead. Professional jealousy of his superior [sic] officers who were in powerful positions, as regards the award of promotion, shamefully succeeded in “keeping him down.” I say without hesitation that there was not a junior officer who flew in the R.A.F. who did not look up to, and admire, this officer of Air Rank who continued to fly the fastest types of machines in peace-time. It was lucky for the Germans in the War that this little dapper figure, with incisive speech, brilliant fighting brain and foresight did not command the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Air Force in France. His practical experience would have used the aeroplanes at his disposal to better advantage. It was on the enemy’s aerodromes and not in the air that air superiority was to be gained. And Samson knew it.

I shall never forget a lecture he gave to the army in Egypt, with the G.O.C., General Haking, in the chair. He spoke of aeroplanes flying at 300 miles per hour; of dive bombing; of machines with eight machine-guns; of spraying gas from ‘planes. The A.O.C. and the company in general —including Air Force officers—listened with much amusement and little intelligence. In fact, there was a distinct touch of sarcasm in the chairman’s final remarks, and the consensus of opinion was that: “Sammy had shot a good line.” To-day, all that he predicted in 1926 is an accomplished fact. No wonder his promotion was retarded: his brain was too clear and too clever for those who dared not the skies in the cockpit of a Service machine. And so the country suffers ... let alone the man.

After his epic flight to the Cape and back he was for some reason—which amazed the Service—placed on half-pay, and was allowed to kick his heels about the country for many months before being re-employed. I place this act of the authorities in the same category as Captain Ball’s transfer from a fighting to an artillery observation squadron.

With the death in 1931 of Air Commodore Rumney Samson, the R.A.F. lost one of its greatest officers. Not for him was the coveted honour of the little bronze cross, but none the less he was one of the pioneers of flying who also had a remarkable War record.

Nicknamed Captain Kettle of the Air, Samson was the most picturesque personality that our Air Service has yet produced. His remarkable green-coloured eyes, and imperial beard will ever be remembered by those who met him.

Samson, who led a life of thrills, was a man of many records. He was the first airman to fly off a ship, the first Service pilot to make a night flight across country, the first to lead a formation, and the first to fly an aeroplane from which a machine-gun was fired.

During the War he set a fine example to his subordinates

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