News / Blog Items

Crash of 6 Squadron BE2d Serial 6241 March 1917 near Polygon Wood

WW1 Bases on the Western Front for 6 Squadron Royal Air Force

The Mystery of Sergeant Gray and Lieutenant Halliday

For those interested in the original (provisional) design and perimeter boundary of the Hinaidi Cantonment that was drawn up in 1932, I have added it to my website under the 'RAF Hinaidi' tab. I have also included a 2019 Google Maps aerial photograph which shows that most of the roads still exist despite the changes made to the air base since its control was handed over to the Iraqi Air Force in 1961. I have also indicated the location of the Hinaidi RAF Peace cemetery, just

Map of the Western Front with allied aerodromes marked, taken from Steve Buster Johnson's book Over the Western Front

Mystery solved of the deaths of Sergeant Gray and Lieutenant Halliday, who served and died with 6 Squadron RAF on the 7th June 1917, the first day of the Battle of Messines

By sheer good fortune, and thanks to David Weekes who offered me some of his photographic collection from WW1, I have become the custodian of an official document produced by 6 Squadron Royal Flying Corps shortly after the Battle of Messines in June 1917. The document (unique as far as I know and only recently come to light after almost 100 years) comprises some 86 aerial photographs of the area around the Messines ridge, taken between December 1916 and the days immediately p