www.australianflyingcorps.com (more)
ranomatic : Looks like they scraped a little content off of the old site too.
cam : Randall, I think that is because I have the DNS hosting. That is sticking around and stopping the new one, presumably an ad linked URL from showing. So I have probably accidentally removed the positives of having a URL that is old, well cross-linked and the first in a google search.
ranomatic : Ah! Too bad for them.
Lieutenant Frank Alberry of the Australian Flying Corps

You wouldn't know it to look at him, but Frank Alberry only had one leg. He is also one of two known one-legged aces in World War I. Alberry was born in Hobart and grew up in Port Arthur and as a young man worked his way from Burnie, to Melbourne, to Bendigo, to England and Edinburgh. Eventually he ran out of work and joined the English Regular Army. In 1911 while on leave he got the opportunity to return to Australia on a ship - he reconciled his desertion by telling himself if war broke out he would return.

Three years later that event happened and he turned up at an Australian recruitment station and was given the option of returning to his English unit or joining the Australian Army; he chose the latter and posted to the 1st Division's 8th Battalion. In July 1916 the 8th Battalion were involved in the Somme offensive at Pozieres, Alberry was awarded a Distinguished Conduct Medal in the battle but a bullet shattered his kneecap and his leg was amputated above the knee. (more)
sharon berry : Thank you for a most interesting article about my great-uncle Frank. I learnt more from your article than from my family about him.
How to Dive an SE5a
Charles Copp was a flight commander with No.2 Squadron AFC. He ended the war with four victories and a huge number of flying hours amassed over the front lines. But every ace pilot has to learn first, and Copp learnt from fellow Australian Arthur Conningham. (more)
The RE8 in Australian Service
The RE8 was the most widely used of the Corps and Army squadrons in the British and Australian services through 1917 and 1918. Despite its less than scintillating performance, the aircraft was workman-like and used effectively by the aircrew who manned it. The Australian Flying Corps used the RE8 in No.1, No.3 and No.7 Squadrons. (more)
This is an extract from the now out of print autobiography of Lt Colonel Louis Strange, "Recollections of an Airman". Strange commanded the 80th Wing RAF with which the two Australian Flying Corps scout squadrons were attached, 2 Sqn AFC and 4 Sqn AFC. In this extract he describes the Australian squadrons in the air and on the ground and the techniques he used to get the best out of the Australian pilots. Strange is probably best known for hanging from a jammed Lewis gun drum in an upside down spinning Martinsyde. He survived by kicking his way back into the cockpit, in doing so smashing the instruments and putting the seat through the floor. (more)
This is an extract from the now out of print history of 4 Squadron Australian Flying Corps, "Australian Airmen" by E.J. Richards. This is one of the Appendices of the book on the topic of aerial fighting by Captain Arthur H. Cobby. (more)
History of No.2 Squadron Australian Flying Corps
No.2 Squadron was mobilized from No.1 Squadron AFC and the Lighthorse in Egypt. The squadron trained in England before equipping with Airco DH5 aircraft and heading to France in September, 1917. They were involved in the hectic campaigns surrounding the Battle of Cambrai, earning a name for their effectiveness and courage. The squadron re-equipped with the SE5a and began the high altitude sweeps that would bring them success through-out 1918 whether operating as a squadron or a wing. The squadron finished the war operating with 80 Wing alongside No.4 Squadron AFC and taking part in the big wing raids. The squadron was demobilized in February of 1919. (more)
Cam Riley: South Sea Republic. Freedom, liberty, equity and an Australian Republic.