page_title: Royal Flying Corps
section_title: Trenchard in command in France
hierarchical_section_title: Royal Flying Corps / First World War / Trenchard in command in France
caption_attribution_description: This image is a digitized photograph of Hugh Trenchard. Trenchard is shown in the uniform of the Royal Flying Corps which means that it was taken before 1 April 1918. The image was taken from http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/line1780.html which bore the copyright notice: Crown Copyright 2003 and © Deltaweb International Ltd 2003. Deltaweb International Ltd's web site (http://www.deltaweb.co.uk/) states that they first formed in 1993, some 75 years or more after this photograph was taken, and so the extent of their copyright claim cannot cover this photograph; it presumably relates to the design of the page in which this photograph sat. Therefore this photograph is now in the public domain.
context_page_description: The Royal Flying Corps was the air arm of the British Army before and during the First World War, until it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force. During the early part of the war, the RFC supported the British Army by artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance. This work gradually led RFC pilots into aerial battles with German pilots and later in the war included the strafing of enemy infantry and emplacements, the bombing of German military airfields and later the strategic bombing of German industrial and transport facilities.
  At the start of World War I the RFC, commanded by Brigadier-General Sir David Henderson, consisted of five squadrons – one observation balloon squadron and four aeroplane squadrons. These were first used for aerial spotting on 13 September 1914 but only became efficient when they perfected the use of wireless communication at Aubers Ridge on 9 May 1915. Aerial photography was attempted during 1914, but again only became effective the next year. By 1918, photographic images could be taken from 15,000 feet and were interpreted by over 3,000 personnel.
context_section_description: Hugh Trenchard was the commander of the Royal Flying Corps in France from August 1915 until January 1918.  Trenchard's time in command was characterised by three priorities.  First was his emphasis on support to and co-ordination with ground forces.  This support started with reconnaissance and artillery co-ordination and later encompassed tactical low-level bombing of enemy ground forces.  While Trenchard did not oppose the strategic bombing of Germany in principle, he opposed moves to divert his forces on to long-range bombing missions as he believed the strategic role to be less important and his resource to be too limited.  Secondly, he stressed the importance of morale, not only of his own airmen, but more generally the detrimental effect that the presence of an aircraft had upon the morale of opposing ground troops.  Finally, Trenchard had an unswerving belief in the importance of offensive action.  Although this belief was widely held by senior British commanders, the RFC's offensive posture resulted in the loss of many men and machines and some doubted its effectiveness.
caption: Trenchard in the uniform of the Royal Flying Corps
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