Clayton Shuttleworth and the Sopwith Triplane

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Clayton & Shuttleworth and the Sopwith Triplane In July 1916, Clayton & Shuttleworth of Lincoln received orders to build 166 Sopwith Triplanes for the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and 40 for the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). However, the order from the RFC was subsequently cancelled and only the RNAS aircraft were built. A newly-built Triplane (serial number N5420) was sent from Sopwith's works at Kingston-on-Thames to Lincoln and this aircraft was used as the pattern to assist with the assembly of the Clayton-built machines (numbered N5350-5389). Production was soon underway and the first aircraft to be completed in Lincoln was delivered to the RNAS on 2nd December 1916. The Triplanes were built in the eastern half of the Titanic Works and, when completed, were moved outside the huge building for preliminary engine tests. Once any problems had been rectified, the aircraft were then partially dismantled and taken by road to Robey's airfield at Bracebridge Heath. At Bracebridge the aircraft were test flown before being delivered to the RNAS for frontline service. An additional batch of 6 Triplanes (numbered N533-8) was ordered from Clayton & Shuttleworth in September 1916. These aircraft were fitted with a twin Vickers machine gun, rather than the usual single mounting. One of these machines (N533) was briefly flown by the Canadian fighter ace Raymond Collishaw, who was the highest scoring Triplane pilot of the war (Collishaw shot down 34 enemy aircraft flying Triplanes, out of his final tally of 60 victories). Clayton & Shuttleworth also built a very small of order of 3 aircraft (numbered N541- 3) for the French Government. These aircraft were subsequently delivered to a unit of 18 Sopwith Triplanes which flew with the French Naval Air Service from an aerodrome near Dunkirk. A Clayton-built Sopwith Triplane at Bracebridge Heath, November 1916. A pre-war view of the Titanic Works in Lincoln, where Clayton's Sopwith Triplanes were built. Document reference: 18 MLL 6. Detail from a Clayton & Shuttleworth publication of 1918. When Triplane production ended, the company began building the latest Sopwith fighter, the Camel. Over 500 Camels were built at the Titanic Works between 1917 and 1919. Document reference: 18 MLL 7/1. .

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