Claude Hilton Keith
Encyclopedia
Group Captain
Claude Hilton Keith (1884–1966) was an early pioneer of air gunnery who played a central role in the preparation of the Royal Air Force
(RAF) for World War II
. His work as Assistant Director of Armament Research and Development with responsibility for armament led to the establishment of the "Air Fighting Committee" in 1934. His career ended prematurely after championing the rights of RAF personnel posted in Canada.
, Canada
in October 1884of parents from London, his father was an Indian Agent in the Touchwood Hills. He trained as an electrical engineer with Marconi
’s Wireless Telegraph Company and he was present at Dover
in 1909 as Bleriot
landed after completing the first air crossing of the English Channel. In 1910 he to travelled to Fiji to establish three new radio stations. In 1912 he made his first flight with Hubert Spencer in a dual control box kite.
in 1915 and qualified on seaplanes 1916. As a probationary Flight Officer
he was charged with “endangering one of His Majesty’s aircraft” by looping the loop and a year later was teaching this as part of basic training. He became a Seaplane
Group Navigational Officer and after the RNAS was amalgamated with the Royal Flying Corps
in 1918, he was commissioned in the RAF and became a specialist in navigation and armament at the School of Naval Co-operation and Arial Navigation where he drafted the syllabus for the RAF’s first Long Range Navigation course before taking it himself. He was subsequently attached to 230 Squadron in 1922 as a Flight Lieutenant
in 1925. In 1926 he was assigned to 70 Squadron in Iraq
flying Vickers Vernon
& Vickers Victoria
bomber/transport aircraft. Since 1919 the RAF had been engaged in first large scale attempt at colonial control through air power. Lord Trenchard promised that the RAF could control Iraq with air squadrons and a few armoured car squadrons, supported by locally recruited troops led by a few British troops, at a fraction of the cost of a large army garrison. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the RAF was used to quell minor rebellions and tribal banditry by swiftly punishing the culprits from the air. In 1927 he was part of an RAF team on the Trans Oman
Expedition aimed at securing air routes which were viewed as vital in securing communication and control over British Empire
territories.
As Squadron leader he commanded No;6 Squadron
(army co-operation) equipped with Bristol F.2 Fighter
's between 1928/30 operating in Northern Iraq
,. During this time his emphasis on gunnery skills led to the first ever 100% of bullets on target being achieved by Flying Officer C.H. Evans with 11 of 12 pilots in his squadron becoming ‘Hundred- Percenters’ and a letter of congratulations from Lord Trenchard (Chief of Air Staff). The squadron was briefly assigned to Egypt
to quell riots between the Arab and Jewish communities in Palestine
.
. In September 1933 Wing Commander C. H. Keith joined the Air Ministry
as an Assistant Director of Armament Research and Development with responsibility for armament. His role in the arming of the RAF over the next three years led to key decisions that were critical for the success of the RAF in the battle of Britain. In July 1934 after meetings with Air Commodore Arthur Tedder he organised an informal conference to consider air gunnery which led to the formation of the ‘Air Fighting Committee’ on which Keith served till 1936. Keith and his team presented their work showing that future aircraft should carry eight machine guns capable of firing at least 1,000 rounds per minute. Both the number of guns and the rate of fire was seen as revolutionary at a time when many officers thought four guns were adequate and Air Marshal Brooke-Popham is famously quoted as saying "I think eight guns is going a bit far With the support of Air Marshall Arthur Tedder the decision was made.
Further input from Keith and his team led to the decision to replace the English Vickers machine gun
with the more reliable American Browning machine guns and to adapt these to RAF use. The Browning became the main armament for Spitfires and Hurricanes in the Battle of Britain
. Having used slow motion film to record the penetration of bombs it was Keith who arranged the first such evaluation of machine guns. He was also actively engaged in the development and trials of suitable ammunition. These guns used the same bullets as a rifle and the need for a more powerful weapon had long been recognised.
Keith played a key role in the decision to introduce the French designed Hispano 20 mm cannon after a visit to France
in 1936. The Hispano cannon was then made under license in Britain and was first used in 1940. Early trials in Hurricanes and Spitfires found that the gun could jam during combat but after modifications it became standard armament in later fighters. The Hispano proved to be a good ‘tank buster’ and allowed Spitfires and Hurricanes to make effective attacks on ground targets and enemy shipping becoming one of the most used aircraft guns of the 20th Century.
Keith also played a part in the introduction of the Frazer-Nash power-driven gun turret securing the first order of 64 turrets for the RAF. This invention was of immense value as the Second World War approached and fitted with 4 Browning Machine Guns was standard equipment in British bombers. He developed the training strategy of attaching a light to the guns and instructing the trainee gunner to follow an independent light shone against a wall.
He commanded RAF Worthy Down
from September 1936. In 1937 he was promoted to Group Captain and published “The Flying Years” about his early career and his experiences in Iraq. He was subsequently appointed as the RAF member to the Ordnance Board at Woolwich
.
heavy bomber station and aircraft under his command were some of the first to launch raids against Germany. In 1940 he found “An Airman's Letter to His Mother
” written by the young pilot of a Wellington bomber supporting the evacuation of the BEF
at Dunkirk to be sent to his mother in the event of his death. Group Captain Keith was so moved by the letter that, with the mother's permission, it was anonymously published in The Times on 18 June 1940. Published as a small book It went on to sell over 500,000 copies in the first year and was then made into a short a short propaganda film.
He served a short period as President of the Aircrew Selection Board before he was appointed the first Commanding Officers of Picton Gunnery School, Canada In April 1941. This was part of the Commonwealth Air Training Plan providing Canadian and RAF personnel with training bases away from the dangers and restrictions of training in wartime Britain. Unlike the members of the RAF, Royal Canadian Air Force
personnel paid the lower Canadian rate of tax and were let of all tax if they flew more than average time each year. This with other “ hardships”, produced “bitterness” and “dissatisfaction” among the RAF personnel serving in Canada. Keith presented a list of “20 points of hardships” which he felt “should be removed but got no support. He managed to get six of the twenty points cleared up, but then he was recalled to England in April of 1942 despite the Canadian Chief of Air Staff requesting that he be allowed to remain.
He was assigned to command the RAF Central Gunnery School at Sutton Bridge
but after a short period of sickness and a recommendation from the medical officer that he should serve in the South of England he was listed as “supernumerary”.
In the house of Parliament on 3 February 1943 Tom Driberg, M.P asked why Keith had been recalled and why it was proposed to retire him, saying; “is it not a fact that this officer was brought back from Canada after serving eight months, although it had been laid down that he should serve not less than 18 months, and that he was given the highest tributes, officially and unofficially, for his efficiency?“ The Secretary of State for Air replied that a policy had been in place since “the summer of 1941, under which senior officers must give way to younger men when circumstances so require” and deplored that individual officers were named. Tom Driberg responded by saying “Is it not more deplorable that they should be treated unjustly? “ Keith reports first hearing of this after receiving a copy of Hansard
in the post. Within a few months he was retired and subsequently took a post with the BBC
as an announcer. His insistence that hardships for RAF staff in Canada be removed led to two meetings of the Air Council and to a final concession of all the “20 points of hardships” he had raised.
“I Hold My Aim “ is the motto of the Air Gunnery School and the title of Group Captain Keith’s book published in 1946, it gives a fascinating glimpse into the work of a man who, perhaps more than any other individual can be said to have ‘put the fire in the Spitfire’. He writes:-
“I ran my Station commands as a dictator –a benevolent one, I hope – and I built the efficiency of my units through the happy, hard work of my airmen. They knew I should bite them when they deserved it, and fight like hell for them when they merited it. I have always refused to be a ‘Yes Man’ when it affected my doing what I thought to be right for those under me. That is probably why I am in plain clothes, as I write this book.”
Sidelined from the official history except for a footnote as the Commanding Officer of an anonymous young pilot Group Captain Keith died in 1946. He was survived by his wife Gwen (née Dunkerley).
Group Captain
Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above wing commander and immediately below air commodore...
Claude Hilton Keith (1884–1966) was an early pioneer of air gunnery who played a central role in the preparation of the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
(RAF) for World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. His work as Assistant Director of Armament Research and Development with responsibility for armament led to the establishment of the "Air Fighting Committee" in 1934. His career ended prematurely after championing the rights of RAF personnel posted in Canada.
Early life
Claude H. Keith was born in Qu’Appelle, SaskatchewanSaskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in October 1884of parents from London, his father was an Indian Agent in the Touchwood Hills. He trained as an electrical engineer with Marconi
Marconi Company
The Marconi Company Ltd. was founded by Guglielmo Marconi in 1897 as The Wireless Telegraph & Signal Company...
’s Wireless Telegraph Company and he was present at Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
in 1909 as Bleriot
Blériot
Blériot may refer to:* Louis Blériot, a French aviation pioneer* Blériot Aéronautique, an aircraft manufacturer founded by Louis Blériot...
landed after completing the first air crossing of the English Channel. In 1910 he to travelled to Fiji to establish three new radio stations. In 1912 he made his first flight with Hubert Spencer in a dual control box kite.
Military career
He joined the Royal Naval Air ServiceRoyal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
in 1915 and qualified on seaplanes 1916. As a probationary Flight Officer
Flight officer
The title flight officer was a military rank used by the United States Armed Forces where it was an air force warrant officer rank. It was also an air force rank in several Commonwealth nations where it was used for female officers and was equivalent to the rank of flight lieutenant...
he was charged with “endangering one of His Majesty’s aircraft” by looping the loop and a year later was teaching this as part of basic training. He became a Seaplane
Seaplane
A seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are a subclass called amphibian aircraft...
Group Navigational Officer and after the RNAS was amalgamated with the Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
in 1918, he was commissioned in the RAF and became a specialist in navigation and armament at the School of Naval Co-operation and Arial Navigation where he drafted the syllabus for the RAF’s first Long Range Navigation course before taking it himself. He was subsequently attached to 230 Squadron in 1922 as a Flight Lieutenant
Interwar years
He was appointed chief instructor of the first Royal Air Force armament school EastchurchEastchurch
Eastchurch is a village on the Isle of Sheppey, in the English county of Kent, two miles east of Minster.The village website claims "... it has a history steeped in stories of piracy and smugglers".- Aviation history :...
in 1925. In 1926 he was assigned to 70 Squadron in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
flying Vickers Vernon
Vickers Vernon
-See also:...
& Vickers Victoria
Vickers Victoria
-See also:...
bomber/transport aircraft. Since 1919 the RAF had been engaged in first large scale attempt at colonial control through air power. Lord Trenchard promised that the RAF could control Iraq with air squadrons and a few armoured car squadrons, supported by locally recruited troops led by a few British troops, at a fraction of the cost of a large army garrison. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the RAF was used to quell minor rebellions and tribal banditry by swiftly punishing the culprits from the air. In 1927 he was part of an RAF team on the Trans Oman
Oman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
Expedition aimed at securing air routes which were viewed as vital in securing communication and control over British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
territories.
As Squadron leader he commanded No;6 Squadron
No. 6 Squadron RAF
No. 6 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 at RAF Leuchars.It was previously equipped with the Jaguar GR.3 in the close air support and tactical reconnaissance roles, and was based at RAF Coltishall, Norfolk until April 2006, moving to RAF Coningsby until...
(army co-operation) equipped with Bristol F.2 Fighter
Bristol F.2 Fighter
The Bristol F.2 Fighter was a British two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War flown by the Royal Flying Corps. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter or popularly the "Brisfit" or "Biff". Despite being a two-seater, the F.2B proved to be an agile aircraft...
's between 1928/30 operating in Northern Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
,. During this time his emphasis on gunnery skills led to the first ever 100% of bullets on target being achieved by Flying Officer C.H. Evans with 11 of 12 pilots in his squadron becoming ‘Hundred- Percenters’ and a letter of congratulations from Lord Trenchard (Chief of Air Staff). The squadron was briefly assigned to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
to quell riots between the Arab and Jewish communities in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
.
Aircraft armament
From 1930 to 1933 he was in charge of the design of all bombs at the Woolwich ArsenalRoyal Arsenal
The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, originally known as the Woolwich Warren, carried out armaments manufacture, ammunition proofing and explosives research for the British armed forces. It was sited on the south bank of the River Thames in Woolwich in south-east London, England.-Early history:The Warren...
. In September 1933 Wing Commander C. H. Keith joined the Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
as an Assistant Director of Armament Research and Development with responsibility for armament. His role in the arming of the RAF over the next three years led to key decisions that were critical for the success of the RAF in the battle of Britain. In July 1934 after meetings with Air Commodore Arthur Tedder he organised an informal conference to consider air gunnery which led to the formation of the ‘Air Fighting Committee’ on which Keith served till 1936. Keith and his team presented their work showing that future aircraft should carry eight machine guns capable of firing at least 1,000 rounds per minute. Both the number of guns and the rate of fire was seen as revolutionary at a time when many officers thought four guns were adequate and Air Marshal Brooke-Popham is famously quoted as saying "I think eight guns is going a bit far With the support of Air Marshall Arthur Tedder the decision was made.
Further input from Keith and his team led to the decision to replace the English Vickers machine gun
Vickers machine gun
Not to be confused with the Vickers light machine gunThe Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a name primarily used to refer to the water-cooled .303 inch machine gun produced by Vickers Limited, originally for the British Army...
with the more reliable American Browning machine guns and to adapt these to RAF use. The Browning became the main armament for Spitfires and Hurricanes in the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
. Having used slow motion film to record the penetration of bombs it was Keith who arranged the first such evaluation of machine guns. He was also actively engaged in the development and trials of suitable ammunition. These guns used the same bullets as a rifle and the need for a more powerful weapon had long been recognised.
Keith played a key role in the decision to introduce the French designed Hispano 20 mm cannon after a visit to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1936. The Hispano cannon was then made under license in Britain and was first used in 1940. Early trials in Hurricanes and Spitfires found that the gun could jam during combat but after modifications it became standard armament in later fighters. The Hispano proved to be a good ‘tank buster’ and allowed Spitfires and Hurricanes to make effective attacks on ground targets and enemy shipping becoming one of the most used aircraft guns of the 20th Century.
Keith also played a part in the introduction of the Frazer-Nash power-driven gun turret securing the first order of 64 turrets for the RAF. This invention was of immense value as the Second World War approached and fitted with 4 Browning Machine Guns was standard equipment in British bombers. He developed the training strategy of attaching a light to the guns and instructing the trainee gunner to follow an independent light shone against a wall.
He commanded RAF Worthy Down
RAF Worthy Down
Worthy Down Barracks is a British Army barracks near Winchester, Hampshire. It is the headquarters and depot of the Adjutant General's Corps and is part of the Winchester Garrison...
from September 1936. In 1937 he was promoted to Group Captain and published “The Flying Years” about his early career and his experiences in Iraq. He was subsequently appointed as the RAF member to the Ordnance Board at Woolwich
Woolwich
Woolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...
.
World War II
In 1939 he was Commander of RAF MarhamRAF Marham
Royal Air Force Station Marham, more commonly known as RAF Marham, is a Royal Air Force station; a military airbase, near the village of Marham in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia....
heavy bomber station and aircraft under his command were some of the first to launch raids against Germany. In 1940 he found “An Airman's Letter to His Mother
An Airman's Letter to His Mother
An Airman's Letter to His Mother is a documentary-style British propaganda short based on an actual letter from a British bomber pilot to his mother published in The Times in June 1940, which subsequently was published as a pamphlet and received wide distribution in the U.K.-Plot:A Royal Air Force...
” written by the young pilot of a Wellington bomber supporting the evacuation of the BEF
British Expeditionary Force (World War II)
The British Expeditionary Force was the British force in Europe from 1939–1940 during the Second World War. Commanded by General Lord Gort, the BEF constituted one-tenth of the defending Allied force....
at Dunkirk to be sent to his mother in the event of his death. Group Captain Keith was so moved by the letter that, with the mother's permission, it was anonymously published in The Times on 18 June 1940. Published as a small book It went on to sell over 500,000 copies in the first year and was then made into a short a short propaganda film.
He served a short period as President of the Aircrew Selection Board before he was appointed the first Commanding Officers of Picton Gunnery School, Canada In April 1941. This was part of the Commonwealth Air Training Plan providing Canadian and RAF personnel with training bases away from the dangers and restrictions of training in wartime Britain. Unlike the members of the RAF, Royal Canadian Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force
The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
personnel paid the lower Canadian rate of tax and were let of all tax if they flew more than average time each year. This with other “ hardships”, produced “bitterness” and “dissatisfaction” among the RAF personnel serving in Canada. Keith presented a list of “20 points of hardships” which he felt “should be removed but got no support. He managed to get six of the twenty points cleared up, but then he was recalled to England in April of 1942 despite the Canadian Chief of Air Staff requesting that he be allowed to remain.
He was assigned to command the RAF Central Gunnery School at Sutton Bridge
Sutton Bridge
Sutton Bridge is a village and civil parish in southeastern Lincolnshire, England on the west bank of the River Nene in the district of South Holland.-Geography:...
but after a short period of sickness and a recommendation from the medical officer that he should serve in the South of England he was listed as “supernumerary”.
In the house of Parliament on 3 February 1943 Tom Driberg, M.P asked why Keith had been recalled and why it was proposed to retire him, saying; “is it not a fact that this officer was brought back from Canada after serving eight months, although it had been laid down that he should serve not less than 18 months, and that he was given the highest tributes, officially and unofficially, for his efficiency?“ The Secretary of State for Air replied that a policy had been in place since “the summer of 1941, under which senior officers must give way to younger men when circumstances so require” and deplored that individual officers were named. Tom Driberg responded by saying “Is it not more deplorable that they should be treated unjustly? “ Keith reports first hearing of this after receiving a copy of Hansard
Hansard
Hansard is the name of the printed transcripts of parliamentary debates in the Westminster system of government. It is named after Thomas Curson Hansard, an early printer and publisher of these transcripts.-Origins:...
in the post. Within a few months he was retired and subsequently took a post with the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
as an announcer. His insistence that hardships for RAF staff in Canada be removed led to two meetings of the Air Council and to a final concession of all the “20 points of hardships” he had raised.
“I Hold My Aim “ is the motto of the Air Gunnery School and the title of Group Captain Keith’s book published in 1946, it gives a fascinating glimpse into the work of a man who, perhaps more than any other individual can be said to have ‘put the fire in the Spitfire’. He writes:-
“I ran my Station commands as a dictator –a benevolent one, I hope – and I built the efficiency of my units through the happy, hard work of my airmen. They knew I should bite them when they deserved it, and fight like hell for them when they merited it. I have always refused to be a ‘Yes Man’ when it affected my doing what I thought to be right for those under me. That is probably why I am in plain clothes, as I write this book.”
Sidelined from the official history except for a footnote as the Commanding Officer of an anonymous young pilot Group Captain Keith died in 1946. He was survived by his wife Gwen (née Dunkerley).