"R.N.A.S. uniforms?" Topic

I am looking for a guide to the uniform of the R.N.A.S. in the First World War. Did they wear the standard uniforms like the B.E.F. or naval stuff? Can anyone out there point me in the right direction?
Any suggestion will be gladly appreciated.

They wore navel uniforms, and if I remember correctly, were all officers.

picture

Link to a site with image of Raymond Collishaw, Canadian WW1 Ace in R.N.A.S. uniform, scroll down a page.

constable.ca/colishaw.htm

@ wrgmr1: Great link, thank you!
@ Plynkes: Interesting picture. And interesting mix of uniforms as well. Were they all officers on that picture? Some appear to be POs or ratings. Since I plan to convert a Lledo Rolls Royce into an armoured car (well, the first R.N.A.S. pattern…) for 28mm, I couldn't imagine that those early armoured cars were crewed only by officers.

If you're thinking of gaming Cmdr Samson's exploits with the Eastchurch squadron in Belgium/Northern France in 1914, then the RNAS pilots were officers and wore the appropriate uniform. Ground crew were POs and ratings. They cooperated with a brigade (I think) of Royal Marines. On their armoured car forays the personnel were a mix of officers, ratings/POs and marines.

Samson's book 'Fights and Flights' will give you the details, but is hard to find. The Official history of the War in the Air (WWI), volume I, also has a chapter on the activities of the RNAS armoured cars -which were, yes, just ordinary RR tourers with boiler plate bolted on (one of the first two cars was a Mercedes).

Sgt Barnes: Don't know the answer to that, I'm afraid. But I agree, they don't all look like officers. It's a pic I found on the net a while back. If my memory is correct they are from an airship station.

It's fair to say that in a large part the RNAS were responsible for developing the tank, which is kind of bizarre when you think about it. Okay, so they were landships, but not flying landships.

This book might be just the thing. I think I will have to go for the book first. AbeBooks seems to have it for a reasonal price. I don't need the (understandable expensive…) 1930 first edition.
I stumbled across the whole thing after reading B.T. Whites 'Tanks and other A.F.V.'s 1900-18' which is IMHO a goldmine even after almost 40 years…
So thanks a lot for this hint!

Plynkes: The picture is still offering a lot of inspiration for miniature-conversions, so thanks!

If you are talking about RNAS armoured car squadrons they wore both naval and army uniforms at varying points of the war.

Early photos at Dunkirk show both naval and army uniforms. Most of the early UK based shots seem to show naval rig, in particular those associated with AA duties.

By the time they Locker Lampson had deployed to Russia it's all army kit.

I'd strongly recommend picking up David Fletcher's 'War Cars British Armoured Cars in the First World War'. It's packed with contemporary photos.

A quick survey shows

Wearing Naval Uniform:

RNAS with MG armed tourer in Flanders circa 1914 (p13)

Talbot (undated but presumably late 1914 early '15) in mostly naval uniform (p15)

3pdr lorry photographed at Dunkirk (p16)

HMS Aniche, modified Admiralty Talbot (p17)

Rolls Royce of No2 Squadron RNAS at Southwold Fire Station (p20)

Seabrooks at Portholme Aerodrome Company, Huntingdon. (p22)

Seabrook with a mix of Army and Naval rig on p23. The naval officers are wearing Army tunics with RN rank insignia, The POs appear to be wearing straight naval kit.

Scottish Lothian and Durham Churchill AA trucks at the RN dockyard at Forth ( both p32)

Most of the rest show army uniform with a few mixed items including one of an early Wolesley in Flanders with it's crew in army uniform. There is an interesting photo of an RNAS Rolls Royce pom pom at the Barlby Road depot of the RNAS and this shows the crew in army uniform.

There are various photos of RNVR UK based AA units all show naval uniform. (p 61, 62, 63)

All of the photos of I've seen of Locker Lampson's Russian Armoured Car Division show Army uniform

Hope that helps.