Former RNAS (RAF) Pulham

 First World War 1914-1918, abandoned / shut down, RAF - Royal Air Force, draw only border

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RNAS Pulham (later RAF Pulham) was an Royal Navy Air Service (RNAS) airship station, near Pulham St Mary 18 mi (29 km) south of Norwich, UK. Though land was purchased by the Royal Navy in 1912 the site was not operational until 1915. From 1918 to 1958, the unit was a Royal Air Force establishment.

History as Airship Station

Until war broke out in 1914, aeroplanes had been viewed as flimsy affairs, suitable only for sport and for fast (85 m.p.h.) scouting behind enemy lines. Engines were unreliable and a breakdown meant forced landings on fields or roadways, or fatally in the sea. At the same time, British shipping lanes were recognised as vital in time of war. Those along the East coast were threatened by German submarines which could cut the links with her French and Belgian Allies, and with neutral Holland and Scandinavia. A 'crash' programme was instituted to protect the coastal regions with a chain of airship stations out of reach of German guns, and Pulham Air Station was suitably situated, being well inland, flat and rather treeless.

In 1912, Thomas Gaze and Son, surveyors and land agents, were given secret orders to acquire land for the establishment of an Air Station for the Admiralty. In Pulham St. Mary and Rushall 500 acres were bought including Upper Vaunces Farm, Brick Kiln and Home Farm. Civilian contractors with the aid of the Air Construction Corps, cleared and levelled the site for the 100 R.N. personnel to move in by 1915. By the end of the World War I, they numbered over 3000.

The Early Airships
Simple small airships were built, filled with hydrogen, to remain aloft like balloons, while recalcitrant engines could be repaired, and to spot submerged submarines or mines, and warn shipping. The first SS (Sea Scouts) consisted of a stream-lined gas-tight envelope with its nose stiffened by canes with an aeroplane fuselage, devoid of wings suspended beneath, carrying the engine and crew of three. Pulham's first operational ship was probably a 'Coastal' twin-engined vessel, larger, clumsier than the Sea Scout. Slow and highly susceptible to wind they were very difficult to manoeuvre. The 'car' consisted of two aeroplane fuselages mounted back to back, providing an engine at each end with a crew of five. These became known as "Pulham Pigs" from their yellowish-buff envelope and this nickname later included all later ships, although their envelopes by then were a silvery colour, coated with dope pigmented with aluminium powder. Their patrol area extended between a line from Margate to Dunkirk in the south and from Mablethorpe to Holland in the North, with the smaller SS types patrolling closer inshore. In mid-1916, German floatplanes operating from occupied Belgium shot down two of Pulham's Coastals and this patrol area was handed over to aeroplanes.

The Pulham base was given a wooden structure, 90 ft. high, strutted and stiffened with steel ropes. Its wooden doors weighed 90 tons and had to be assembled on the ground before being raised into place by 200 men hauling on ropes reeved through pulleys at roof-level. Initially it housed four primitive pre-war ex-army airships, handed over to the navy, and then the first Coastal in September 1915.

In 1917, although a naval base, Pulham was commanded by Colonel Edward Maitland. His early experience included a 1000 mile balloon voyage ending in Russia in 1908. The mixing of army and naval ranks was never quite eliminated until all were transferred to the new RAF in 1918. Then army type ranks were used though naval uniforms were allowed to be worn out. Pulham was the H.Q. for a specialist unit dealing with the construction of airfields. Parachute Experimental Staff were also stationed there and Colonel Maitland, already the first man to descend from an airship, made a successful drop from the "C17" at 1000 ft. over Pulham. This craft was shot down in April 1917 off the N.Foreland by German seaplanes. The C27 was then also shot down near the Belgian coast The C26 was flown over to Holland to search for them, and the crew interned. Pulham next became an experimental station and received two much larger steel-framed sheds to house the new "rigid" ships. It also functioned as a staging post for airships shuttling between the construction at Kingsnorth in Kent and the more northerly stations.

The First 'Rigid' Airships
In September 1917, the No.23 and R26 arrived at the station. The former carried a gun on the hull, and later took part in trials with carrying two Sopwith Camels. In the next year, an Italian-built semi-rigid airship accomplished the first direct flight from Italy to the U.K. This was no mean feat, since it could have been mistaken for a German by the French, and encountered gale-force winds and rain. A fractured oil-pipe made the whole journey extremely hazardous. This SR1 was commanded by Pulham's Captain G. K. Meager, and he and his crew were decorated. With the R26 the SR1 escorted the R.N. ships off Harwich to meet the German submarines when they surrendered on 20th November, 1918 and it took part in the victory celebrations over London. During this flight, complete engine failure nearly ended the life of the SR1.

Pulham had only just received its earliest rigid airships, No.9 and No.23 when one of the latest German Zeppelins, the L33 was brought down relatively intact in North Essex. Colonel Maitland immediately camped out at the site, directing a team of naval architects and engineers to record every detail of her construction. From their drawings, Britain's first really modern "rigid" airship was built at Selby bearing the number R33. Her sister ship was the R34 which arrived at Pulham after the armistice of 1918. By then, Col. Maitland had been succeeded by Maj. A. D. Cunningham and Major G. H. Scott functioned as chief experimental officer.

Major G. Herbert Scott
Under Major Scott, much experimental work in mooring airships to masts was undertaken and Pulham's 120 ft. high mast was the first in Europe. One of his relatives writes "Major Scott was a regular R.N. engineer, transferred from the RNAS. He was an extraordinary man, who had the gift of going to bed with a mathematical problem and waking up with the solution." He married the daughter of Archie Campbell, managing director of Beardmore's shipyard in Clydebank." Pulham played a very important role in obtaining data for the "Imperial Communications" programme of the 1920s, which culminated in the building of the giant airships R100 and R101. It was under his command that the R34 set out from East Fortune to cross the Atlantic in July 1919.

Life on the Station
An army of maintenance staff included large numbers of women employed on the station, many living locally, but others cycling long distances to get to their duties. They acted as messengers, cleaners, cooks, gardeners and clerks. Teams kept the fabric of the balloon in repair, the station being run as a naval airstation, and the women's uniform can be seen in the photo. There was a canteen, officers' mess, sick bay and dental clinic, as well as all the engineering workshops, gas plant and water services involved.

When the arrival of an airship was anticipated, in the two Pulhams, lorries would drive round sounding a klaxon, picking up those willing to assist, from specific points along the route. Docking was a skilled exercise, entailing long hours clinging to ropes and wires, hauling the ships over ditches and hedges. Volunteers were paid five shillings for their pains.

We should remember the problems and difficulties of handling and landing these huge early rigid airships. Some 350-400 people were required to catch and cling to the holding ropes and walk the vessels back to their shed. Steam traction engines with winches were necessary to pull open the doors and shut them, as an alternative to man-power.

The Record Journey of the R34, 1919
The R34 was built at the Beardmore yard on the Clyde and was initially stationed at East Fortune. After making the first East-West Atlantic crossing and the first double flight to America this achievement is the subject of the Pulham Festival. She set off with her crew of 30, commanded by Major G. H. Scott at 1.42 a.m. on 2nd July, to the sound of a bugle, the 'let-go' signal for the handling party. Carrying 4,900 gallons of petrol, and unable to rise without jettison of ballast, passing over the hills of Scotland would have been an anxious time for Major Scott in the dark early hours. By 5 a.m. they were heading towards the Atlantic, and some of the crew could get some sleep in their hammocks slung high in the keel. Weather conditions were good, thick cloud being welcome to avoid over-heating. The navigator, Major Cooke, was able to take observations with a sextant, his head peeping out like a periscope, according to Gen. Maitland's log of the voyage. Well into the Atlantic, William Ballantyne, a stowaway gave himself up. He had been hiding high up above the keel, on one of the girders between the gas bags. Bitterly disappointed at being left off the crew list, his determination brought him a one-way ticket and a reprimand. He was later commissioned as a pilot.

Day 2. The trip was uneventful apart from some trouble with one of the engines, until fog met them 300 miles from Newfoundland. The cold and lack of visibility must have been acutely uncomfortable for the crew who wore their overcoats. Squalls of rain and wind drove through the roof of the forward control car, making a thin film of water over the chart table, and the crew had to shout to make themselves heard.

Day 3. Next morning found the ship in iceberg territory with the sun shining. From 1000 feet, they looked down on a huge iceberg, from the open window of the forward 'Car.' Shortly after midday, the 'log' reports "Land in sight - Hurrah!" A few small rocky islands had been spotted by Major Scott through a break in the clouds. Since leaving the Irish coast on July 2nd and crossing the Newfoundland coast, had taken exactly 59 hours. On the approach to New York the R34 ran into severe electrical storms and temperature variations, causing bumping. The log describes being lifted 400 ft. and dropped 500, with the tail being seen to bend under the strain. With the ship vibrating from stem to stern, all wore parachutes and life-belts were at the ready.

Day 4. By the following day, on 6th July, with a tail wind, they were over Long Island, New York State, making a circuit of the Mineola landing ground. Major Pritchard was landed by parachute to supervise operations. U.S. soldiers and sailors brought the ship down at 9.45 a.m., after 108 hours, 12 minutes.

Homeward Bound
The following Wednesday, at 11.30 p.m., the R34 started on her homeward voyage and by 9 a.m. next day, was "going strongly." Two days later, on Saturday, July 6th she crossed the Irish coast and received orders to proceed to Pulham. The reason for not returning to East Fortune, where a number of wives and sweethearts were waiting was probably because crosswinds might have prevented her being 'shedded' there, whereas she could land to, and be moored at, Pulham's mast until the wind dropped, if necessary, Meteorological charts indicating this, have recently become available.

Nevertheless a great crowd watched at Pulham as Major G. H. Scott brought his ship down, to land with the station band playing. For their part, the crew received some recognition (1 OBE, 4 AFCs, 6 AFMs) the lower ranks being content with silver propelling pencils supplied and presented to them in the USA.

The End of the R34
Soon the airship was moved to Cardington for a refit, and then to Howden for training and operational duties from February 1921. A vivid description of the end of the R34 comes in a letter from an engineer "Mike" (Granville) Watts to his mother. He and his mate were in the forward gondola, keeping watch over the engine, night and day in four hour shifts. They had their meals in the mess deck when off-duty. After leaving the ground, with all engines running, at 1000 ft., all except his were ordered to stop to allow the crew of the control car to hear themselves speak. The engines were run on and off throughout, when needed to increase the ship's speed. "All went well until we were flying at 3000 ft. over Hull, down the Humber towards the coast At 4 o'clock I went on watch, and then I found it began to freeze the water. I asked if I could start the engine so the radiator would not burst, (this was a 10 hour instructional cruise to train officers in navigation). At 4.45 the wireless operator came in and told me we had been recalled owing to a gale brewing. At supper, the lads were saying the navigators did not know where we were, the wind was springing up and we were making little progress with the engines running full out." When he relieved his mate next, he was told that an oil-pipe from the gear box had broken, the water pump was leaking badly too. "There was a crash, the gondola shook and rattled, the water from the radiator and tank rushed onto me. The accumulators and spare gear fell on the engine and the floor. Worst of all the lights went out. The noise was deafening. I pulled out the clutch, jammed on the propeller brake, and switched off the engine in a second. The girders were breaking. Men began to shout. I could not see or move." He got out by the door leading to the control car... "We had struck a hill at 1200 ft., breaking my propeller, the after car going the same and as luck would have it, the midships cars escaped undamaged. None can realise what it was like not knowing our fate. Our skipper kept his head and ordered the ship to a higher altitude." Engineer Watts calmly turned into his hammock, being 'out of work.' After what seemed an eternity, it began to get light, and 'the struggle for home' began, running the two undamaged engines. At 9 a.m. they crossed the coast and could see people waving to them unaware of any trouble. At 2 p.m. it was obvious insufficient progress was being made to get home that night That meant being out all night without any food, very little flying kit, two engines that had been running 26 hours without stopping. "Luckily the gale eased off, and this put new life into the crew. At 4.20 we were over the shed. Our captain handled the ship well, and made a beautiful landing. The landing party held all the guys and started to take us to the shed. The wind caught us and crashed the ship to the ground." This happened several times, and again, when they tried to 'walk' the ship to the mooring post. "It was a dangerous situation with the ship tilting down and the floor slippery with oil, the wind bumping and pulling us about till the ship was absolutely out of control. One minute we were 1000 ft. up, the next we crashed on the ground like a steam hammer. Then General Maitland ordered us to leave." This marked the end of R34's service, on 28th January, 1921. The R24 which had arrived at Pulham in 1919 was dismantled also.

The R33 and Her Adventures
Meanwhile, two giant surviving Zeppelins surrendered to Britain, were delivered to Pulham and housed in the hangars. A British tank is said to have operated the heavy doors. The R33, sister ship to the R34, whose design was based on the Zeppelin forced down in Essex in September 1916, was also housed at Pulham. She had made her first flight in March 1919. The Airship service was dismantled, from lack of funds, early in 1921, so the R33 was deployed to explore the commercial use of airships. She proved to be highly successful. She was the first to use the new modified mooring mast at Pulham. Containing a revolving attachment which allowed the ships to ride into the prevailing wind, far fewer men were required to handle the ground operations, even in winds above 20 m.p.h., and bad weather. It was the brain-child of Major G. H. Scott. Captain T. B. Williams, who had been Chief Officer on the SR1's Italian flight, supervised the system. 120 feet high, it had no lift, and was an arduous climb to reach the top platform and the walk way to the airship. This was at a 45ø angle and must have been daunting for VIP passengers. A large number of successful moorings to the new mast-head were made by the R33. She took part in the RAF Hendon Pageant in July 1921, and was then stored at Cardington, possibly destined for scrapping. But in 1925 she was again at Pulham under Flt. Lt. Irwin for trials. On 16th April, just before 10 a.m. while waiting for a gale to moderate, the vessel broke away from her moorings with severe damage to her nose and cover, carrying away part of the mast with her. Lieut. Booth and twenty men were aboard, her first officer and navigator, and two days of fuel and food supplies.

This was another epic journey, with the whole world following her destiny. She had two heavy gun carriage wheels suspended from her which she also took away with her. She drifted backwards towards the coast, with the crew battling to keep control, watched by thousands at Yarmouth and Lowestoft, and was in constant wireless communication with Pulham, Croydon and Dutch Wireless stations. W/Operator Keeley, worked day and night to communicate her position. It was a commendable feat of airmanship to have gained control and sufficient handling to enable her to return triumphantly after 28 hours struggling over the North Sea. Flt. Lt. Booth reported he had been given many offers of assistance from Norway, Denmark, Holland and Berlin, "which although we did not need them showed a fine spirit of international goodwill." He also reported "once she was over the coast I went up to the roof and examined the damage." With his coxswain, G. W. Hunt they had to ascend to the gun platform, jettison a lot of equipment to obtain even keel, and rig the flapping fabric as best they could. The crew had no need of the proffered assistance and no SOS was ever sent out. She landed at 3.20 p.m.

Intense interest from all newspapers and photographers brought crowds to greet the R33's return to home base. She had to be walked by the handling party towards the shed. Telegrams and congratulations poured from every quarter, and celebratory dinners held, with toasts to ship and crew. The King had sent the following message "Hearty congratulations to Flt./Lt. Booth and his crew on their splendid achievements in skillfully handling the R33 in such exceptionally difficult circumstances and bringing her back safely to Pulham. I am sure the Royal Air Force will be proud of you. George RI Chief of RAF." In a very short time, she was given a new nose and returned to service in October 1925. In 1926 trials were made with carrying and releasing Gloster Grebe fighter planes, which on a later flight were hooked back onto a trapeze under the keel. The R33 was used in design studies for the R100 and 101, and finally scrapped in 1928.

The R36 First British Civil Airship
The letters G FAAF on this ship's side gave her the registration for passenger carrying. She had a control car and a long cabin, and saloons with modest provision for sleep in two-berth compartments. She arrived at Pulham on 2nd April, 1921 and her first flight found her design wanting, with damage to her tail plane in gusty conditions being secured by two brave crewmen. She flew with a number of Members of Parliament on board and also Lord Thomson and Air Ministry officials. She flew again after repairs on 14th June, 1921 with Fleet Street journalists aboard in Ascot Week, who registered a number of complaints after their 12 hour flight. Another demonstration flight was undertaken with forty members of Parliament to Cardington, after a cruise round the coast. She was again damaged on return from a local flight on June 21st, when mooring, and although she was repaired, she never flew again. The economic depression meant that airships were on offer to civil operators or scrapped. The R38 for example, sold to the US Navy, met her end in July 1921, on a trip from Howden to Pulham where she was unable to land or moor. She was wrecked in the Humber after special manoeuvres, with the loss of forty-four men, several being well-known at Pulham.

The Norge Visits Pulham April 11th, 1926
This was an Italian-built ship which shared the hangar with R33. She departed two days later for her famous assignment with the explorer Roald Amundsen's expedition to the N. Pole. This was reached on 12th May, 1926.

The End of the Story
One of the large hangars of Pulham was dismantled and re-erected at Cardington where it was enlarged and can still be seen in use today. The wooden shed's timbers were re-used for the Firs Stadium in Norwich. On the 5th October, 1930, the R101 crashed at Beauvais in France and with it perished many of the men who had been so well-known at Pulham, among them Capt. G. H. Scott. This disaster saw the abandonment of Britain's airship programme, so that the station fell into disuse. But the RAF again took it over for Maintenance Unit work and the area suffered a number of strafing and bombing attacks in World War II, without serious casualties. Now cultivated and brought back into farming, there is little evidence above ground of the intense activity of the self-contained airship station of the 20s and a reminder of those days is the Pulham St. Mary village sign showing the R33 at her moorings. Foundations of all three sheds are intact and the sites of the mooring mast, the silicol plant building, the steam-raising plant and the foundations of the gasholders have been located by members of Norfolk Industrial Archaeological Society, who consider them to be the best- preserved remains of any airship station in Britain.