Comments on: Out of (West) Africa http://airminded.org/2005/10/15/out-of-west-africa/ Airpower and British society, 1908-1941 Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:01:47 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Brett Holman http://airminded.org/2005/10/15/out-of-west-africa/#comment-67 Brett Holman Sun, 16 Oct 2005 07:57:45 +0000 http://airminded.org/?p=59#comment-67 Yes, I'm sure you're right (although Trenchard was a keen polo player, surely that had to count for something!) Fuller might be another example. But given their ambition, they still needed the imagination and perhaps the faith to see that planes (and tanks) were weapons of the future that would offer significant opportunities for advancement. Otherwise they'd be stuck in dead-ends, careerwise. Worked out very well for Trenchard and Sykes, not so well for Fuller (at least within the service). Yes, I’m sure you’re right (although Trenchard was a keen polo player, surely that had to count for something!) Fuller might be another example. But given their ambition, they still needed the imagination and perhaps the faith to see that planes (and tanks) were weapons of the future that would offer significant opportunities for advancement. Otherwise they’d be stuck in dead-ends, careerwise. Worked out very well for Trenchard and Sykes, not so well for Fuller (at least within the service).

]]> By: Chris Williams http://airminded.org/2005/10/15/out-of-west-africa/#comment-64 Chris Williams Sat, 15 Oct 2005 18:52:38 +0000 http://airminded.org/?p=59#comment-64 I get the impression that both Sykes and Trenchard were, as junior officers, outside the loop. They weren't Guards material, that's for sure. Rather than work their way up the hierarchy, they kept an eye out for the conveyor-belts that would get them to the top of their profession, gambling on taking part in all the small wars, going on courses, learning to fly - anything to give them an edge. This kind of unorthodox soldiering led them to the RFC: others like Swinton ended up in the Tank Corps. The British Army had quite a few of these guys - Capper was another one. Ob History book: Terraine _White Heat_ I get the impression that both Sykes and Trenchard were, as junior officers, outside the loop. They weren’t Guards material, that’s for sure. Rather than work their way up the hierarchy, they kept an eye out for the conveyor-belts that would get them to the top of their profession, gambling on taking part in all the small wars, going on courses, learning to fly - anything to give them an edge. This kind of unorthodox soldiering led them to the RFC: others like Swinton ended up in the Tank Corps. The British Army had quite a few of these guys - Capper was another one.

Ob History book: Terraine _White Heat_

]]> By: Brett Holman http://airminded.org/2005/10/15/out-of-west-africa/#comment-63 Brett Holman Sat, 15 Oct 2005 01:10:31 +0000 http://airminded.org/?p=59#comment-63 Oh, thanks, I have it, but didn't think to look at it! It does add a bit of weight to the "adventurer" angle: eg Sykes turned up hoping to fight in a small war that was brewing in Nigeria (Calabar). Might be that timing was a factor too - officers who had decided to stay on after the Boer war and make a career of the Army might naturally be funnelled through West Africa, if there was unrest there at that time. Oh, thanks, I have it, but didn’t think to look at it! It does add a bit of weight to the “adventurer” angle: eg Sykes turned up hoping to fight in a small war that was brewing in Nigeria (Calabar). Might be that timing was a factor too - officers who had decided to stay on after the Boer war and make a career of the Army might naturally be funnelled through West Africa, if there was unrest there at that time.

]]> By: Chris Williams http://airminded.org/2005/10/15/out-of-west-africa/#comment-62 Chris Williams Fri, 14 Oct 2005 19:56:54 +0000 http://airminded.org/?p=59#comment-62 Run, don't walk, to your nearest online bookshop and buy James' _The Paladins_. Bookfinder has it in Oz for 18 dollars, though I suspect that they might be US ones. Run, don’t walk, to your nearest online bookshop and buy James’ _The Paladins_. Bookfinder has it in Oz for 18 dollars, though I suspect that they might be US ones.

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