When the First World War ended the then recently established Royal Air Force was awash with aircraft of all descriptions. More surprising, perhaps, was the fact that despite an ongoing cull of obsolescing types, on the last day of 1919, the RAF still possessed 9,122 non-obsolete aircraft, with a further 1,100 more assigned to the Fleet Air Arm.
Whilst the famous SE.5A and Sopwith Camel had by this time largely been consigned to history, the...