did pilots and observers train at the same camps?

where were british observers trained in aerial photography? Thanks.

this site's page on RFC training indicates that:
"Before 1916, a transferee might go directly to a front-line squadron if he was transferring as an observer."
but what about after 1916?

I'm still looking into post-1916 observer training. After ground school, that is; most of an observer's training would have been accomplished at one of the universities or other locations used as ground schools.

I'm fairly confident, though, that the answer to your main question is "no." There'd have been no need to train observers at a training squadron, since the sole purpose of those units was to teach pilots to fly. Observers would have been taught such skills as wireless, aerial interpretation (for lack of a better word for "learn to discern between a haystack and a machine-gun emplacement) and the artillery-spotting clock code. Oh, and aerial gunnery, of course.

My guess is that observers who transfered in while in France would have been sent to St. Omer, while direct entrants would have gone to ground school at Oxford or someplace similar. This is, of course, just a guess at this point.

[Testerchild]

Hi,

A very good question, and one that I would also like a definitive answer to. While not disagreeing with anything Michael has put in his reply, maybe I can add the following, for what it's worth. I have been researching 20 squadron for some time now, the first officially designated “Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron” in the RFC, and one of the most detailed observer officer’s service records to have survived (in terms of training) is that of Lt. Cyril John AGELASTO. Not that it is very detailed! He was posted as follows:

No2 School of Aeronautics 14.08.1916
7 Reserve Squadron 23.09.1916 (instruction)
‘C’ Reserve Squadron 11.10.1916 (Higher instruction
55 Squadron 27.11.1916 (instruction in aerial observation)
59 Squadron 27.01.1917
50 Reserve Squadron 03.05.1917
1 School of Aerial Gunnery 18.05.1917 (Hythe in Kent was the usual place, although other schools were set up later – but I don’t have a list of them)
Overseas, to 20 Squadron 17.06.1917

None of the actual geographical locations are listed, and there is no specific mention of a school of aerial photography. That leads me to assume that particular training was carried out during the observers course, and possibly during the postings to 55 & 59 squadrons, which I believe were in reserve in the UK at this time.

As to postings straight into squadrons from other branches of the army: this happened sometimes with other ranks who volunteered as air gunners in times of acute shortages, but they were not regarded as observers! It also appears that infantry or artillery officers might be attached to a reconnaissance squadron for a short time in the name of mutual co-operation, before either returning to their original units or transferring into the RFC to train as observers. But this does not seem to have been very common, most of the officer observers being trained before they went to their squadrons.

I gather from other documents at Kew that before qualifying to wear the observer’s badge officers had to complete both the Observer course and the Aerial gunnery course, AND complete six weeks active service at the front, being designated as ‘on probation’ until they had done so. Other ranks Observer’s (and there were some) had to complete the same two courses and survive eight overseas trips. In the documents I looked at I could find no definition of what a ‘trip’ actually meant, or how long it should last. And again, I have not yet found any references to courses specifically teaching aerial photography. It may well have been a case of some instruction in the UK as part of the observer’s course, and more in France with one’s squadron. BTW, 20 Squadron’s usual system seems to have been that only one or two of the aircraft in a patrol of 4, 5 or 6 carried cameras: the other aircraft providing the escort. So maybe not all observers had to be good at photography?


However, I hope to add to my scanty knowledge on this subject on my next trip to PRO/NA at Kew at the end of May, or failing that in the first half of July. So if time is not too pressing an issue with you, I’ll try to get back to you after that with any new info I get. Hopefully some other forumites can add to this.

All the best!

Hey thanks! And no, time isn't too much of an issue.
- Elva

[Vin]

3AFC commenced training in the UK at South Carlton, Lincolnshire (23 rd Training Wing RFC) in January 1917. The training program lasted 8 months and observers trained with pilots. In common, pilots and observers were trained in the construction of machine guns, shooting from the air, compass navigation, distinguishing ground objects, photography from the air, battrey ranging and spotting.