The Vickers Vimy

Just too late to fight in Word War I, the Vimy bomber gained immortal fame when Alcock and Brown succeeded in flying the Atlantic non-stop for the first time. The Vimy gave long service with the Royal Air Force and made several outstanding long-range flights to distant destinations in the British Empire.

Bearing in mind that ‘strategic’ bombing operations had been in progress since 1915, it was perhaps extraordinary that the British Air Board took no action to sponsor development of a heavy bomber until 1917, the more so as German airships had been paying fairly frequent visits over the UK throughout the war. Even more astonishing was the board’s announcement on 23^rd July of that year cancelling all heavy bombers on order for the Royal Flying Corps, just two months after 30 Gotha G.IV bombers had raided London in daylight, killing 162 and injuring 432 people. In
the face of outraged protest, the decision was reversed and an order for 100 Handley Page 0/400 bombers was reinstated, and prototypes of new aircraft ordered from Handley Page Ltd and Vickers Ltd.

Designed by Reginald Kirshaw Pierson, the Vickers F.B.27 project, of which three prototypes were ordered, was intended to feature two 200 hp RAF 4d air-cooled Vee-12 engines, but these were not ready in time and when flown at Joyce Green by Captain Gorden Bell on 30^th November 1917, the first aircraft was powered by a pair of 200 hp Hispano-Suiza engines.

With a crew of three (pilot, nose gunner/bomb-aimer and midships gunner) the Vimy (named after the famous battlefield of Word War I) was a three-bay biplane with the engines being mounted between the wings, and a twin-finned biplane tail unit and four-wheel landing gear with central nose-mounted skid. After trials at Martlesham Heath in 1919, in which the engines gave persistent trouble, the aircraft returned to Joyce Green to be re-engined, including some other improvements.

The second prototype was flown in February 1919 and each engine nacelle featured its own instruments on the inboard side, where they were visible from the cockpit. This aircraft also introduced a central gun position.

The second Vimy crashed in May following engine failure, and was followed in June by another Vimy with 300 hp engines. The rear upper gun mounting was a twin-Lewis Scarf ring, and the fuel capacity was increased. This aircraft also crashed after the pilot stalled after take-off with a full load of bombs, which exploded. A fourth prototype, which appeared somewhat later, was powered by two 360 hp Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII V-12 engines.

Production was widely subcontracted by Vickers, but the end of the war brought cancellation of most orders. However, Vickers built 12 aircraft at Crayford and 132 at Weybridge (production continuing until about 1924); Morgan & Co, Leighton Buzzard produced about 40 aircraft and Westland Aircraft, Yeovil a further 25.

The Vimy only reached full service status in July 1919 when it replaced Handley Page 0/400s with No 58 (Bomber) Squadron at Heliopolis, Egypt, followed by No 70 (Bomber) Squadron also at Heliopolis, in February the following year. Subsequent service with the RAF continued with deliveries to various bomber and bomber-transport Squadrons – Nos 7, 9, 45, 100 and 216.

Three ambulance aircraft were also produced for service with No 216 Squadron in the Middle East. RAF Vimys gave long and sterling service. The standard aircraft of No 216 Squadron operated the air mail service between Cairo and Baghdad from 1923 until August 1926, reducing the service time from 16 days to two, while at home the Vimys of No 7 Squadron constituted the RAF’s entire home-based heavy bomber force from June 1923 until March 1924.

Three Vimys also served with the Night-Flying Flight at Biggin Hill from 1923 onwards for co-operation with searchlight and gun defences, and during the General Strike of 1926 they were employed to distribute the government’s emergency news sheet, the British Gazette