RCAF Aviation History: Air Vice Marshal Raymond Collishaw, CB, DSO &Bar, OBE, DSC, DFC, RAF
Air Vice Marshal Raymond Collishaw, CB, DSO &Bar, OBE, DSC, DFC, RAF
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, PA-2788).
Squadron Commander Raymond Collishaw in a Sopwith F.1 Camel aircraft, Allonville,France, 1918.
Air Vice Marshal Raymond Collishaw, CB, DSO & Bar, OBE, DSC, DFC, RAF (22 November1893 – 28 September 1976) was a distinguished Canadian fighter pilot, Squadron leader, and commanding officer who served in the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) and later the Royal Air Force. He was the highest scoring RNAS flying ace and the second highest scoring Canadian pilot of the First World War. He was noted as a great leader in the air, leading many of his own formations into battle. As a member of the RAF during the Second World War, he commanded No. 204 Group (which later became the Desert Air Force) in North Africa.
Raymond Collishaw was born at Nanaimo, British Columbia, on 22 November 1893. His father was John Edward Collishaw from Wrexham, Wales and his mother Sarah “Sadie” Jones from Newport, Wales but raised in Pantygog, Garw Valley. At the age of 15, he joined the Canadian Fisheries Protection Services as a cabin boy. He was a lower-class sailor on board the Alcedo when it sailed into the Arctic Circle in search of the Stefansson expedition. Unfortunately for the expedition, it turned out that the expedition was too late to rescue the Karluk.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4063168)
1st contingent of No. 3 Wing. L to R, Lee, R. Collishaw, G.S. Harrower, K.G. MacDonald, C.E. Burden, St. Edwards, McGregor, Pearkes, Dallison, Donnes, F.C. Armstrong, J.A. Glen LCdr. RNVR, J.E. Sharman, L.E. Smith, Alexander, Newberry. Sitting: Capt. Elder and W/C. R. Bell-Davies.
When war broke out in 1914, his first idea was to join the Royal Navy in England, and he crossed the Atlantic at his own expense for that purpose. By 1915, he had worked his way up to first officer. Toward the end of 1915, Collishaw joined the Royal Naval Air Service. He qualified as a pilot in Jan 1916. He spent eight months patrolling the British coast then, on 2 Aug 1916, he joined the RNAS’s 3rd Wing, which was operating at Ochey, in France, flying British Sopwith 1½ Strutters.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4542676)
Sopwith 1½ Strutters, No. 3 Wing, Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS),Luxeuil, France, Sep 1916.
(RAF photo)
Royal Flying Corps or Royal Air Force Sopwith 1-1/2 Strutter in 1917-1918 period.
No. 3 Wing, RNAS, was commanded by Capt. W.L. 'Daddy' Elder, and contained a large proportion of Canadian pilots, not because of any conscious decision to do so, but because the large contingent of Canadians that had joined the RNAS were just now coming out of flying school and were available for service.
Some of the Sopwiths were equipped as bombers, while others were designed as two-seat fighters. “Collishaw’s first recorded victory came while he was flying escort on the Wing’s first large-scale raid into Germany, on12 October 1916. The raid was against the Mauser Rifle Factory at Oberndorf, in Germany. The bombers had nearly reached their target when they were attacked by six German Fokkers. Collishaw got into position to allow his observer to fire on one, and he evidently damaged it. Collishaw then turned, gained height, and fired a burst with the front gun. The Fokker dived out of control, and, according to the British crews, crashed to the ground, a total wreck. According to the German authorities, they lost no aircraft during the engagement, but it was not unheard of for combatants to attribute their losses to accident rather than enemy action.
Collishaw‘s next two victories were properly witnessed by thousands of French troops. He was ferrying a new aircraft from Wing Headquarters when six enemies dived out of the clouds and attacked him. It was six to one, and the Germans had the advantage of height. Collishaw, like Barker and McKeever, was happiest when close to the ground in such a spot. He went down. At tree-top level the advantage of numbers meant much less. In two quick bursts, he sent two Albatrosses crashing into the trees, after which the others flew off. The flight so impressed the French that they awarded him the Croix de Guerre.
On 27 December 1916, while returning from a raid on the steel works at Dillingen, Collishaw‘s machine was damaged in flight; he only just succeeded in gliding back over French lines near Nancy, France, where he crashed, and his plane was a total wreck. It was the first of a number of crashes, and Collishaw on that occasion set the pattern which he followed throughout. He stepped out of the wreckage grinning, and ready to fly again.”
In February 1917, Collishaw was posted to No. 3 Naval Squadron, which was operating with the army near Cambrai. During his two months there, Collishaw was employed as escort to the Corps Squadron bombing planes, downing one German machine in the process. In April he returned to the coast, being transferred to No. 10 Naval Squadron, engaging in mainly coastal patrols.
By the end of May, the British Flying Corps was badly in need of reinforcements, much due to the after-effects of Bloody April. As a result, Collishaw was posted to his previous No. 10 Naval Squadron, as a Flight Commander. Collishaw‘s “B” Flight would be composed entirely of Canadians. Although British commanders had highly discouraged pilot’s painting their planes, Collishaw‘s flight painted their Sopwith Triplanes dead black, and called themselves the All-Black Flight, later known more simply as the Black Flight.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3390963)
Sopwith Triplane (Serial No. N5438), ca1918.
The Sopwith Triplane first entered RAF service in 1917. Only about 140 were built and most went to the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). The aircraft equipped the famous “Black Flight” of Canadians in No. 3 (Naval) Squadron, RNAS, led by Raymond Collishaw, from April 1917. The Triplane was powered by a 130-hp Clerget rotary engine and dominated the skies of the Western front for seven months. The Sopwith F.1 Camel superseded it in November 1917.
The Triplane’s fuselage and empennage closely mirroredthose of the earlier Sopwith but constructed with three narrow-chord wings to provide the pilot with an improved field of view. Ailerons were fitted to all three wings. The Triplane was initially powered by the 110hp Clerget 9Z nine-cylinder rotary engine, but most production examples were fitted with the 130 hp Clerget 9B rotary. The prototype Triplane, serial N500, first flew on 28 May 1916, and proved to be easy to control and within three minutes of takeoff, the pilot startled onlookers by looping the aircraft three times in succession. The Triplane was very agile, with effective, well-harmonised controls. By using the variable incidence tailplane, the aircraft could be trimmed to fly hands-off. The introduction of a smaller eight ft span tailplane in February 1917 improved elevator response.
In July 1916, N500 was sent to Dunkirk for evaluation with “A” Naval Squadron, 1 Naval Wing. It proved highly successful. The second prototype, serial N504, was fitted with a 130 hp Clerget 9B. N504 first flew in August 1916 and was eventually sent to France in December. This aircraft served as a conversion trainer for several Squadrons.
Production commenced in late 1916 with 147 aircraft being produced. No. 1 Naval Squadron became fully operational with the Triplane by December 1916, but the Squadron did not see any significant action until February 1917. No 8 Naval Squadron received its Triplanes in February 1917, and Nos. 9 &10 Naval Squadrons equipped with the type between April and May 1917. The only other major operator of the Triplane was a French naval Squadron based at Dunkirk, which received 17 aircraft.
The Triplane’s combat debut was highly successful. The new fighter’s exceptional rate of climb and high service ceiling gave it a marked advantage over the Albatros D.III, though the Triplane was slower in a dive. The Germans were so impressed by the performance of the Triplane that it spawned a brief Triplane craze among German aircraft manufacturers, resulting in at least 34 different prototypes.
The Triplane was famously flown by No. 10 Naval Squadrons “B” Flight, better known as “Black Flight.” This all-Canadian flight was commanded by the ace Raymond Collishaw. Their aircraft, named Black Maria, Black Prince, Black George, Black Death and Black Sheep, were distinguishable by their black-painted fins and cowlings. Black Flight claimed 87 German aircraft in three months while equipped with the Triplane. Collishaw himself scored34 of his eventual 60 victories in the aircraft, making him the top Triplane ace.
For a variety of reasons, the Triplane’s combat career was comparatively brief. In service, the Triplane proved difficult to repair. The fuel and oil tanks were inaccessible without substantial disassembly of the wings and fuselage. Even relatively minor repairs had to be made at rear echelon repair depots. Moreover, spare parts became difficult to obtain during the summer of 1917, and No. 1 Naval Squadron’s complement was reduced from 18 to 15 aircraft.
The Triplane also gained a reputation for structural weakness because the wings sometimes collapsed in steep dives. This defect was attributed to the use of light gauge bracing wires in the 46 aircraft built by a subcontractor. Several pilots of No. 10 Naval Squadron used cables or additional wires to strengthen their Triplanes. Another drawback of the Triplane was its light armament. While contemporary Albatros fighters were armed with two guns, most Triplanes were armed with a single synchronised Vickers Machine-gun. Efforts to fit twin guns to the Triplane met with mixed results. Clayton & Shuttleworth built six experimental Triplanes with twin guns. Some of these aircraft saw combat service with Nos. 1 and 10 Naval Squadrons in July 1917, but performance was reduced, and the single gun remained standard.
In June 1917, No. 4 Naval Squadron received the first Sopwith F.1 Camels and the advantages of the sturdier, better-armed fighter quickly became evident. Nos. 8 and 9 Naval Squadrons transitioned to the Camel between early July and early August 1917. No. 10 Naval Squadron converted in late August, turning over its remaining Triplanes to No. 1 Naval Squadron. No. 1 operated Triplanes until December, suffering heavy casualties as a consequence. By the end of 1917, surviving Triplanes were used as advanced trainers with No. 12 Naval Squadron. (Wikipedia)
“The aircraft of the All-Black Flight were christened with suitable names. Ellis Reid, of Toronto, flew Black Roger; J. E. Sharman, of Winnipeg, flew Black Death; Gerry Nash, of Hamilton, called his machine Black Sheep; and Marcus Alexander, of Toronto, christened his plane the Black Prince. The flight commander, Collishaw, flew a machine which gloried in the name Black Maria.”
During their first two months they claimed a record 87 German aircraft destroyed or driven down - which, strangely enough, brought Collishaw and the unit no wide publicity. Collishaw later claimed that this was because officials in the regular British Flying Corps were loathe to give credit to the naval pilots. He was the first Commonwealth pilot to claim six victories in one day (6 July 1917). There have been claims that Collishaw shot down German ace Karl Allmenröder, but this has been disputed.
“Their first loss came when they had achieved an aggregate of fifty victories. On 26 June, the All-Blacks found themselves engaged with Richthofen’s Jagdstaffel 11. Gerry Nash found that he was fighting two German pilots single-handed. One of the Germans was Lieutenant Karl Allmenröder, victor in some 30 air battles, and second only to Richthofen among the German pilots then in action. Nash’s other opponent was Richthofen himself.
Faced by the two deadliest German pilots, Nash fought a tremendous battle. He twisted and turned, looking foropenings, but at last Allmenröder got in a telling burst, and Nash’s controls were damaged. He fell out of the fight and managed to land safely - but behind the enemy lines, where he destroyed his plane before he was captured.
The four survivors were bitterly grieved by the loss, for they had grown into a band of brothers, and they swore to keep a sharp eye out for the Albatrosses of Richthofen’s Squadron which had brought down Nash. At the same time, they thought that Nash was dead. On the morning of 27 June, they met the Richthofen Staffel near Courtrai, and thistime Collishaw found himself engaged with the bright-greenAlbatros of Allmenröder - though he was not aware at the moment that he was fighting the conqueror of Nash. It was one of the classic dogfights of the war, like Barker against Linke, like Hawker against Richthofen - two skilled and experienced fighters, who knew every trick, had met.
They met head-on, then they went into the “waltz” (dogfighting), but at last Collishaw found an opening, and Allmenröder went down out of control, to crash to his death near Lille. Nash, lying in a cell, heard a church bell tolling that afternoon, and learned from his guard that it was the funeral of Allmenröder, who had shot him down. Allmenröder, the guard said, had been shot down by the leader of the Black Triplanes.”
In August, Collishaw returned to Canada for two months leave, then the British Empire’s second-highest scoring living ace. He was virtually unknown, in stark contrast to the grand reception given to the top-scoring living ace, Billy Bishop, when he returned on leave at about the same time. At this point, he had been awarded two British decorations during the summer: the Distinguished Service Cross, and the Distinguished Service Order. Returning to the war late November, he was given command of No. 13 Naval Squadron, which was operating from Dunkirk, doing escort duty with the Channel Patrol.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No.3214137).
Maj. Raymond Collishaw speaking with Capt. A.T. Whealy, both pilots, with a Sopwith F. 1 Camel aircraft of No. 203 Squadron, RAF, Izel-le-Hameau (Filescamp), France, 12 July 1918.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No.3214136).
Pilots with Sopwith F. 1 Camel aircraft of No. 203 Squadron, RAF, Izel-le-Hameau (Filescamp), France, 12 July 1918. (Left to right): Maj. Raymond Collishaw, Capt. A.T. Whealy.
“His most amazing experience on that tour of duty was an air battle between his Squadron and a formation of German Scouts in which no shot was fired. The Squadron was providing protection for an observation machine, which was ranging guns for a fleet firing on Zeebrugge. The German formation approached, and Collishaw led his pilots to the attack but found that his guns had jammed, owing to the congealing of the oil in the low temperature. Several times he turned to attack the Germans, and each time they withdrew, until the navy’s shoot was finished. Then Collishaw learned that all the Squadron’s guns were jammed- possibly all the guns of the German Scouts as well.”
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3522194)
Major Raymond Collishaw and pilots with Sopwith F. 1 Camel aircraft of No. 203 Squadron, RAF. on the occasion of an inspection by King George V, Izel-le-Hameau (Filescamp Farm), France, 12 July 1918.
Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3522198)
Major Raymond Collishaw, DSO, DSC, DFC, Commanding Officer, and Officers of No. 203 Squadron, R.A.F., Izel-le-Hameau (Filescamp Farm), France, 12 July1918.
On 23 January 1918, Collishaw returned to the embattled area of the Western Front to command of No. 3 Naval Squadron, which were equipped with the more deadly British Sopwith F.1 Camel fighters. On 1 April, the RNAS and the RFC merged and 3 Naval Squadron became No. 203 Squadron Royal Air Force. Collishaw remained in command with the new rank of Major, that serving as a Commanding Officer took up a great deal of his time with “paper work”. But he was able to be available for flying, and by the end of the summer he had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and a bar to his Distinguished Service Order.
Collishaw had quite a few close escapes during the war. He was shot down out of control and crashed several times. Once, lost in a fog, he landed on a German aerodrome, and was actually taxiing to the tarmac when he saw German insignia on the grounded planes, and German troops rushing out to arrest him. He opened his throttle wide, took off, and escaped. On another occasion, his goggles were shattered by an enemy bullet. He once had his controls disabled by German machine gun fire from the ground and had to ride out the flight until the aircraft crash-landed – luckily near the British front trenches.
In total, during the First World War, Collishaw was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Distinguished Service Order with bar and the French Croix de Guerre. He scored 60victories, consisting of 28 and one shared “destroyed”, 28 and two shared “out of control” and one “driven down.”
Collishaw was in England working on the formation of the RCAF when the Armistice was signed. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel during this time. He took some leave in Canada in December before returning to England. He was planning on attempting to fly across the Atlantic using a long-range bomber, but his plans were interrupted by events.
(RFC Photo)
Airco DH.9A - The type Collishaw's forces flew in Russia in 1919.
The decision was made to send a Squadron to help General Denikin’s White Russian forces in the Russian Civil War and Collishaw was chosen to be in command. His Squadron found itself fighting against the Bolsheviks, who had skilled German pilots manning some of their planes. This campaign initially went well but eventually turned into a retreat then a rout during which the Squadron was withdrawn. Collishaw added another victory to his total during this conflict, as well as managing to sink an enemy gunboat with a bomb dropped from his Sopwith F.1 Camel.
After No. 47 Squadron was withdrawn from Russia, Collishaw was sent to Egypt to command No. 84 Squadron. The Squadron was moved to Persia, which was made a British protectorate after the war, to defend against the Russians. In the 1921 New Year’s Honours List, Collishaw was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.
In 1935 and 1936, during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, Collishaw commanded No. 5 Wing. During the Second World War, Collishaw attained the rank of Air Vice Marshal following distinguished service commanding the No. 204 Group in North Africa; he was awarded a Companion of the Order of the Bath during this time. He was then posted as AOC No. 14 Group RAF in the north of Scotland. He retired, involuntarily, from the RAF in July 1943 and spent the rest of the war as the Civil Defence Regional Air Liaison Officer.
His memoirs were titled Air Command, A Fighting Pilot’s Story and were published in 1973. Collishaw died on 28 September 1976 in West Vancouver, British Columbia at the age of 82.
As early as the 1950s, there has been debate over whether his kills had been understated, due to the Royal Naval Air Service receiving less credit than the Royal Flying Corps. Some historians credit him with 81 (unofficial) kills, which would place him at the top of First World War flying aces, ahead of the “Red Baron” and top British Empire ace Billy Bishop. If the application of stricter victory verification was applied, however, his score would invariably be considerably less (as with all RAF, RFC and RNAS aces’ scores in the First World War).
“A man who flew with him claimed that he would often “give” a victory to a new, green pilot, just to bolster his confidence. The new pilot would be taken out by the renowned Collishaw to “bag one”. Anxiously following the leader, he would find himself diving on the tail of a German reconnaissance plane. Trying to control the machine, so that the nose would stay still, he would find his gunsight wobbling all over the sky. He would press the firing button, spraying bullets like a lawn sprinkler. Then suddenly Collishaw would appear alongside; there would be a short, deadly burst, and the new pilot would turn sick as he saw the enemy plane catch fire and plunge to earth. He would fly back to the aerodrome, where the flight commander would clap him heartily on the shoulder and insist “You got one! Grand show, old boy!” The new pilot, unable to speak, would nod timidly, and thereafter he would fly into battle with Collishaw anywhere. That was -according to the story - part of Collishaw’s great quality of leadership. Royal Canadian Air Cadets No. 205 Collishaw Squadron, named after him, is in his home town of Nanaimo. On 2 October 1999, the terminal at Nanaimo Airport was named the Nanaimo-Collishaw Air Terminal in his honour. (Wikipedia)
