WesWorld

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January 10
Vickers announces an order for 72 3.7in anti-aircraft guns for Bulgaria.

January 14
The Hawker Henley today has officially entered service with the RAF with a special ceremony and flypast by 20 Squadron. Twelve aircraft made the flypast and these are from the first batches of 250 ordered last year. Also today the Air Ministry signed an order for 200 Henley Mk II bombers armed with four 20mm cannon based on Hurricane Mk II wings; this latter fighter is very close to conducting armament and handling trials.

January 15
The Irish Army has placed orders for four Vickers Gun Carrier No.1 Mk I, four Cruiser Mk III (A13) Tanks, and one Matilda II, for delivery from mid-1937.

January 20
Today ‘Mutt’ Summers took the first Supermarine Type 323 research aircraft up for a tentative first flight. Two Type 323 aircraft are being built as variable incidence wing research and the second aircraft is nearing final completion. Based on a torpedo-bomber design to Spec S.24/35 this two-seat aircraft has a fixed undercarriage and a high-mounted variable incidence wing which can be altered in flight and the chosen engine is the 1,030hp RR Merlin I. Dimensions are 50/ 40/ 12.8/ 319.5 sq ft; maximum speed is estimated at 217mph and service ceiling will be 24,000ft.

January 25
Today the Admiralty made an official announcement that the current destroyer flotilla organisation has been altered. Now all destroyer flotillas will consist of eight destroyers and the former destroyer flotilla leaders are now superfluous and have been transferred to the RAN. HMS Mackay, Malcolm, Stuart, Montrose, Campbell, Bruce, Douglas are the ships to be transferred alongside five old S Class destroyers.

Quoted

Originally posted by Hood
January 10
Vickers announces an order for 72 3.7in anti-aircraft guns for the Republic of Ireland.

Erm, I think that should actually be Bulgaria, not Ireland.

February 4
RAE Farnborough today officially announced that their new 24ft high speed wind tunnel is now completed and operational. Designed to explore the latest aero dynamical problems it can fit a complete single-seat fighter into its test section.

February 6
The War Office announced that it is supplying Carrier Machine Gun No.1 Mk Is to the Royal Egyptian Army which will form two further motorised MG Companies (for a total of eight). Another twelve Carrier Machine Gun No.1 Mk I will also be delivered to the Armoured Car Regiment of the Royal Iraqi Army. Also funds have been released so that during 1937 the Royal Egyptian Air Force will re-equip with twelve Hawker Hurricane fighters and six Miles M.14 Magister trainers.

February 8
Today marks the first flight of the revolutionary Blackburn B.20 flying boat. Developed to meet Spec R.1/35 the Blackburn B.20 Boston is an all-metal six-seat reconnaissance flying boat with an all-up weight of around 35,000lb and armed with a twin .303in MG nose turret and a quad .303in MG tail turret and is capable of carrying 6,000lbs of bombs or depth charges. 50 are on order for service entry in 1938. The main innovative feature of this flying boat is the hydraulically retractable planing bottom and retractable wingtip floats which offer optimum take-off characteristics and cuts drag in flight.

February 11
Today the Admiralty officially announced that Gunnery Director Radio Location Type 281 equipment has been installed on its warships but declined to say which ships and nor were any specifications of any such equipment released.

February 12
At a large ceremony today Southern Railway introduced Bulleid's new powerful Pacific Class locomotives onto its major express routes to major cities as the first stage of a major modernisation programme.

February 18
The Maybury Report by a committee led by Brigadier-General Sir Henry Maybury into civil aviation in Britain has been published today. Amongst the recommendations are; the siting of a ‘central junction aerodrome’ between London and Manchester with radial routes to other English cities, Belfast and Glasgow (Birmingham airport, now in the planning stages fits this recommendation well); that local authorities should provide aerodromes for private and club flying; that aerial displays should be replaced by practical flying demonstrations to encourage more responsible flying and to promote aircraft ownership and the current fourteen internal air service operators should be merged into a single company.

February 20
Mr Leopold Amery (former Dominions Secretary 1925-29) has left London with a delegation of Colonial Office officials for a general census and inspection of Burma pending a report on the political future of the Colony.

February 24
The leader of the Jewish Agency, David Ben-Gurion, today officially announced they would continue to work with the British authorities in Palestine and would accept the Peel Report in full. Meanwhile British demands that the remaining units of the Haganah be disbanded have so far not been answered and the splinter group of Haganah B (which has now broken up) known as Irgun has continued its attacks on Arabs and British targets. The British Administration has vowed to destroy both terrorist organisations in order to keep law and order and to end the cycle of Arab and Jewish warfare unless they voluntarily disband.

March 4
A Handley Page Heyford is being used in a series of Aerial Interception tests under the supervision of Dr E.G. Bowden. Modified Radio Location and extra generator equipment has been installed by RAE Farnborough and these tests, aimed at testing the feasibility of aerial radio location stations, will be conducted off the Suffolk coast for the next three months.
Dr E.G. Bowden is responsible for Britain’s aerial radio location programme under supervision from Watson-Watt. Watson-Watt wants equipment to throw out a long, narrow beam with short wavelengths and so far the AI. Mk. I uses a 6.8m wavelength but Dr Bowden feels he will soon be able to produce equipment able to produce a 1.5m wavelength which will be better suited to the intended role.

March 6
Vickers-Supermarine and Rolls-Royce today confirmed that both companies are working on integrating the Spitfire with the new 1,100hp Merlin IV for an undisclosed foreign customer. Both firms declined to comment on whether the RAF will soon order a similar variant.

March 10
The Infantry Tank Mk II (A12) has entered full-scale production with Vickers after successful trials and will shortly enter frontline service with the Army.

March 14
In a serious air accident today the Shorts C-Class flying boat Capricornus operated by Imperial Airways on their Southampton- Alexandria service has crashed over French Alps in poor weather. Reports so far indicate that only the radio operator has survived.

March 22
The Duchess of Bedford, the ‘Grand Lady’ in her Gipsy Moth disappears after leaving Woburn Abbey on a routine 80 mile flight to gain her 200th solo hour

Bowen's book "Radar days" is pretty good if you can get hold of it. There's lots of a details on airborne radar development in the UK.