Flight facts

You presented a great photo of the unveiling ceremony of the Vimy Memorial in 1936 (Currents, JuneJuly 2021). The caption for the photo includes, “Shown here, RAF pilots fly First World War-era biplanes....”

To be accurate, in 1936 the Royal Air Force, and the Royal Canadian Air Force, for that matter, were still flying only biplanes on all squadrons. I believe the RAF sent four operational squadrons with “modern” aircraft to the ceremony. The photo is a bit unclear, but I believe the aircraft pictured are possibly Armstrong Whitworth Atlas or Gloster Gauntlet aircraft. The RAF entered the Second World War with many biplanes still on strength.

The days of the monoplane military aircraft were just on the horizon. The Bristol Blenheim became operational with the RAF in March 1937 (and with the RCAF in November 1939), the Hawker Hurricane became operational with the RAF in December 1937 (February 1939 for the RCAF), and the Supermarine Spitfire’s first flight as a prototype aircraft was only in March 1936.

David MacLellan Woodview, Ontario