In all things First

摘要

As the senior RAF squadron, No.1 has unlikely antecedents in that it can trace its history back to 1878 when the Royal Engineers formed a Balloon Equipment Store at Woolwich. In 1910, the War Office arranged for two privately owned aircraft to be used experimentally during Army manoeuvres. These proved so successful that what had become the Balloon Section of the Royal Engineers was ordered to "afford opportunities for aeroplaning". By January 1911, the Balloon School based at Larkhill had also added four 'heavier than air' machines to its inventory.