Bristol Scout

07 RNAS Campaign in Thassos and Bristol Scout 1264 10 Flt Sub Lt ‘Bunnie’ Bremner RNAS 12 Bristol Scout 1264 16 Rebuilding 1264 20 Aviator Watch Brand 22 Special Edition Watch 100 years later the Bristol Scout 1264 aircraft rebuilt… The WWI wrist watch reengineered…

THE VINTAGE ENGINEERED MACHINE A Flight, Thasos, July 1916 Names in C&CI 1974 Vol 5 no 4

24 39' E

Prinos

40 41' N

THASSOS LIMITED EDITION No.01/10.01/10 RNAS Campaign in Thassos and Bristol Scout 1264

Aegean SeaSea In 1916, the Bulgarians occupied Eastern Greece and the Allies occupied the area round Salonika.

So on 30th may 1916, a detachment of No. 2 Wing Royal Naval Air Service flew from the island of Imbros to the newly-prepared airfield at Prinos on the island of Thassos to join a French detachment already there to attack the Bulgarians. They had a varied collection of machines, including big Henri Farman F27 bombers, Nieuport 12 Gunbuses, and single seat Bristol Scouts. All of them were old and had seen extensive service in the Gallipoli campaign. They were worn out and took a good deal of maintenance to keep going. Spares were hard to come by, and many had had unofficial modifications. 06 07 Bunnie’s original map that he used to navigate from one to the other

1 Flt Sub Lt ‘Bunnie’ Bremner RNAS

The first of the British machines to land successfully on 30 may was Flt Sub Lt ‘Bunnie’ Bremner in Bristol Scout Type C, serial no. 1264. The flight from Imbros had taken 90 minutes, and his engine was vibrating badly all the way, so he kept looking at his wristwatch all the way to try and estimate his chances of making it successfully. In the end the two machines who landed first both crashed, so Bunnie was the first to land successfully at Prinos.

Wristwatches were specifically designed for the early aviators, and were an essential flight instrument. Navigation was done by setting a course and speed, and by noting the time you could calculate how far along your track you were, and hence your position. It was also used to calculate when you had to make for home before your fuel ran out.

2 FDHB Portrait 1915 11 Bristol Scout Type C 1916 Scout 1264 starting at Imbros Liddle

Bristol Scout 1264

The Bristol Scout was designed in 1913 as an unarmed single seat reconnaissance machine, but was so fast and manoeuvrable that it pioneered the concept of a single seat fighter. The first VC (Great Britain’s highest award for military valour) for aerial combat was won in a Bristol Scout. It was also the first wheeled machine to be successfully launched from a moving ship and led to the development of aircraft carriers, but was the first aircraft to be launched from another aircraft.

1264 was Bunnie’s favourite machine, and she had a number of modifications. A Lewis machine gun was bolted to the side of the fuselage firing forward, but because there was no synchronising gear, about 10% of the bullets ended up in his own propeller. She also had a small bomb rack fitted just behind the engine. One time, Bunnie dropped the bombs flying too slowly and they bounced off his axle! 14 15 Rebuilding 1264

Today’s 1264 was rebuilt by Theo Willford and Bunnie’s two grandsons, David and Rick, and incorporating the stick, rudder bar and magneto from the original, which Bunnie had brought home in 1916.

She is the only airworthy Bristol Scout in the world, and is exactly as Bunnie flew her 100 years ago, including the original rotary engine, the Lewis machine gun and bombs. The magneto is a German Bosch unit obtained from the French detachment and probably originating from a German machine shot down on the mainland. Bunnie was 1.90m tall and extended the stick by 50mm to help his fist clear his knees.

The markings, which are French, are correct. The Union Flag, originally adopted by the British forces, proved to be easily confused with the German cross, and so the French cockade was adopted as a stopgap measure. 1264 has a Union flag painted underneath the fuselage cockades. Later on the colours of the cockade were reversed to make the more familiar British roundels.

Weather permitting, David and Theo will fly her from exactly the same spot Bunnie did 100 years before.

For more details, check out the blog at www.bristolscout.wordpress.com, or Facebook ‘Rebuilding Grandad’s Aircraft’.

14 17 18 Aviator Watch Brand

Since the dawn of time, humans have dreamt of flying. The history of powered and controlled aviation, which began in the early 1900s, is inseparably connected to that of wristwatches.

As aviators experienced difficulties checking their pocket watches to time their performance during flights, they started to look for a solution. This resulted in the development of men’s wristwatches, which allowed aviators to keep both hands on the controls.

From then on, wristwatches evolved from robust to sophisticated designs, along with the progression of aircrafts from gliders to supersonic planes. The brand Aviator pays tribute to the history of aviation, embodying watches within this amazing story. Each family of watches represents Bristol Scout - 1913 a different era in the development of aviation.

20 21 SPECIAL EDITION WATCH

22 BRISTOL SCOUT Special Edition Watch

Bristol Scout Limited Edition watch honours this pioneering British aircraft and pays tribute to the WWI aviators. Keeping the roots of WWI wristwatch, the timepiece features a distinctive large pocket-style watch casing and a vintage way of strap attachment. In contrast, the unusual lugs welded on the top of the case give the watch remarkable fresh look and firmly attach the timepiece with original leather strap. The classical instrumental design of the dial with big visible field, luminescent high-contrast numerals and hands allows pilots instantly to read the time at any visibility conditions. In addition, the permanent small second hand at “9” o’clock indicates to aviators that the watch is properly working and they can rely on it. The timepiece is secured with 100 m water resistant stainless steel casing and anti-reflecting sapphire crystal to withstand the most extreme conditions of pilots. Powered with Swiss Automatic movement, the Bristol Scout watch ensures excellent performance and becomes the most reliable machine for the wearer.

The watch collection is available in two editions:

The one with back case engraving of Thassos Island and Bristol Scout 1264 commemorating the RNAS WWI missions on the island, limited to 10 pcs. of each reference.

The second with back case engraving of only Bristol Scout 1264 highlighting the legendary aircraft that boosted the development of early fighters, limited up to 150 pcs worldwide of each reference. 25 V.3.18.0.160.4 V.3.18.0.161.4

MOVEMENT Automatic, SELLITA SW 290-1 MOVEMENT Automatic, SELLITA SW 290-1 FUNCTION Hours, minutes, Second counter in form of propeller, Date FUNCTION Hours, minutes, Second counter in form of propeller, Date CASE Steel 45 mm CASE Steel 45 mm WATER RESISTANCE 10 ATM WATER RESISTANCE 10 ATM GLASS TYPE Anti-reflective sapphire crystal GLASS TYPE Anti-reflective sapphire crystal DIAL Black DIAL White 26 27 V.3.18.5.162.4 V.3.18.8.162.4

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