23 August 1878 – first British military aircraft performs its maiden flight

On 23^rd August 1878, the first British military aircraft, the Pioneer, performed its maiden flight at Woolwich Arsenal.

The first British military balloon trials are as old as 1862. That year, Lieutenant George Grover proposed the War Office to use balloons as a platform for reconnaissance and observation. His idea was received coldly but the British military authorities allowed Grover to perform some evaluation flights. The balloon pioneer was assisted by Captain Beaumont and an English aeronaut and professional balloonist, Henry Tracey Coxwell. After some flights they performed at Aldershot, the idea was shelved for fifteen years.

In 1878, two officers of the Corps of the Royal Engineers, James Lethbridge Brooke Templer and Sir Charles Moore Watson, opened the first British military balloon school at Woolwich Arsenal. Both were amateur aviators, and their school began its activity with only one aircraft, owned by Templer and named the Crusader.

However, the two balloon pioneers managed to convince the British government to allocate £150 of military budget for purposes of the school. It was the first official British military aviation expense and approximately half of it was spent to build another balloon.

The aircraft was named the Pioneer and performed its maiden flight on 23^rd August of 1878. Therefore, the balloon became the first official British military aircraft. An interesting fact is that the amount of £71 spent by Templer and Watson to build the Pioneer, means currently an equivalent of just approximately 10,600 GPB.

Shortly after, Templer was officially appointed Instructor in Ballooning to the Royal Engineers and then took command of its balloon branch. The balloon corps started its activity in 1880 and basic training included both observation from a tethered balloon and free flights.

In 1883, the British balloon corps acquired its first operational aircraft, named Heron. Next year, it was used for observation and reconnaissance in South Africa and then in Sudan.

In 1889, the balloon unit for the first time took part in the Army Manoeuvres at Aldershot. It performed so well that the British military authorities decided to establish the official Balloon Section of the Royal Engineers, led by Lieutenant H.B. Jones and supported by Templer´s balloon school and aircraft factory. Soon afterwards, the balloon troops were used in combat, during the Boer War in South Africa.

Cover photo: A pen and ink line drawing of balloon reconnaissance at the Royal review at Aldershot, this was the first balloon flight there (source: IWM, RAE-O 871). All IWM photos used under the IWM Non-Commercial Licence.