The Gloster Grebe was developed by the

Gloster Aircraft Company The Gloster Aircraft Company was a British aircraft manufacturer from 1917 to 1963. Founded as the Gloucestershire Aircraft Company Limited during the First World War, with the aircraft construction activities of H H Martyn & Co Ltd of Chelte ...

from the

Gloster Grouse The Gloster Grouse was a British biplane of the 1920s developed by the Gloster Aircraft Company. Often referred to as the prototype to the Gloster Grebe, the Grouse originally built as an experimental aircraft and then later developed as a tra ...

(an experimental aircraft later developed as a trainer), and was the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

's first post-

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

fighter aircraft, entering service in 1923.

Design

In 1923, Gloster modified a

Gloster Sparrowhawk The Gloster Sparrowhawk was a single-seat fighter aircraft designed and produced during the early 1920s by the British aircraft manufacturer Gloster. It was developed by aircraft designer Henry Folland, who had recently joined Gloster after t ...

fighter trainer with new wings to test a layout proposed by chief designer

Henry Folland Henry Philip Folland OBE (22 January 1889 – 5 September 1954) was an English aviation engineer and aircraft designer. Early years Folland was born on 22 January 1889 to Frederick and Mary Folland at 2 King Street, Holy Trinity, Cambridge.1 ...

, combining a thick, high-lift section upper wing and a thinner, medium-lift lower wing, with the intention of combining high lift for takeoff with low drag.James 1971, p. 89. After the Grouse demonstrated that the new layout was a success, the British

Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of State ...

placed an order for three prototype fighters based on the Grouse (and therefore derived ultimately from Folland's

Nieuport Nighthawk The Nieuport Nighthawk was a British fighter aircraft developed by the Nieuport & General Aircraft company for the Royal Air Force towards the end of the First World War. Although ordered into production before the aircraft first flew, it did ...

fighter of 1919), but powered by a

Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar The Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar was an aircraft engine developed by Armstrong Siddeley. The Jaguar was a petrol-fuelled air-cooled 14-cylinder two-row radial engine design. The Jaguar III was first used in 1923, followed in 1925 by the Jaguar ...

III

radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ...

, as the "Nighthawk (thick-winged)".James 1971, p. 97.Green and Swanborough 1983, p. 2. The first of the prototypes (Gloster built a fourth machine as a company-owned demonstrator), by now known as the Grebe I,James 1971, pp. 97–98. flew during May 1923.James 1971, p. 350. The performance of these prototypes during testing at RAF Martlesham Heath was good, and the Air Ministry decided to order the type into production as the Grebe II, this having a Jaguar IV engine.James 1971, p. 98.Mason 1992, p. 162. Like the

Sopwith Snipe The Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe was a British single-seat biplane fighter of the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was designed and built by the Sopwith Aviation Company during the First World War, and came into squadron service a few weeks before the end of th ...

it replaced, the Grebe was a single-seat, single-engined biplane of fabric-covered wood construction. The

fuselage The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraf ...

had

ash Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...

longerons and spruce stringers joined to plywood formers, while the single- bay wings (which had a considerable overhang outboard of the

strut A strut is a structural component commonly found in engineering, aeronautics, architecture and anatomy. Struts generally work by resisting longitudinal compression, but they may also serve in tension. Human anatomy Part of the functionality o ...

s), had fabric-covered spruce spars and

ribs The rib cage, as an enclosure that comprises the ribs, vertebral column and sternum in the thorax of most vertebrates, protects vital organs such as the heart, lungs and great vessels. The sternum, together known as the thoracic cage, is a semi- ...

. Two synchronised .303 in (7.7 mm)

Vickers machine gun The Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a water-cooled .303 British (7.7 mm) machine gun produced by Vickers Limited, originally for the British Army. The gun was operated by a three-man crew but typically required more men to move and o ...

s were mounted on the fuselage top decking.Goulding 1986, p. 22.

Service history

Grebes entered service with the RAF during October 1923 when a flight of 111 Squadron re-equipped with the new fighter.Thetford 1991, p. 11. The Grebe was popular in RAF service, being much faster than the Snipe that it replaced and was also very agile. One problem with the Grebe was that it suffered from wing flutter, owing to the large overhang outside the interplane struts, which led to all RAF aircraft being modified with additional Vee-struts supporting the outer upper wing. Another problem was the Jaguar engine, which was heavy and unreliable, being prone to catching fire.James 1971, p. 100. A total of 133 Grebes were produced, including the four prototypes, 108 Grebe II single-seat fighters and 21 two-seat dual-control trainers.Mason 1992, p. 163. Grebes were retired from the RAF in 1929,Lumsden and Thetford 1993, p. 50 replaced in part by the

Gloster Gamecock The Gloster Gamecock was a biplane fighter designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Gloster. The Gamecock was a development of the earlier Grebe Mk III, an early interwar fighter procured by the Royal Air Force (RAF). Wor ...

, which was a developed Grebe, (Gloster fighter design, from Nighthawk to

Gloster Gladiator The Gloster Gladiator is a British biplane fighter. It was used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) (as the Sea Gladiator variant) and was exported to a number of other air forces during the late 1930s. Developed private ...

was evolutionary). Two Grebes were modified for suspension beneath the R33 airship on a 'trapeze' for "

parasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has ...

" trials.Thetford 1991, p. 15. The Grebe was developed into the

fighter, which also entered production for the RAF. A Grebe was given to

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

by Sir

Henry Wigram Sir Henry Francis Wigram (18 January 1857 – 6 May 1934) was a New Zealand businessman, politician and aviation promoter. He is best known for his role in developing a public transport system in Christchurch and as a key player in the establishme ...

and another two Grebes were acquired by the

New Zealand Permanent Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) ( mi, Te Tauaarangi o Aotearoa, "The Warriors of the Sky of New Zealand"; previously ', "War Party of the Blue") is the aerial service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed from New Zeala ...

, fore-runner of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, entering service in March 1928 and serving for more than ten years until the mid-1938. The two survivors were used as instructional airframes until destroyed in 1943–44.

Variants

;

: Experimental aircraft. ;Grebe Mk I: Single-seat fighter prototype, 4 built. ;Grebe Mk II: Production single-seat fighter variant with a 400 hp Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar IV engine, oleo-type landing gear and other modifications, 129 built. ;Grebe (Dual): Following a trial modification to Grebe II J7519 a small number of the Grebe II production aircraft were completed as two-seat training aircraft in 1925.

Operators

; *

** Pilot Training School * Royal New Zealand Air Force two inherited from the NZPAF in 1938 ; *

Thetford 1991, p. 16. **

No. 19 Squadron RAF Number 19 Squadron (sometimes written as No. XIX Squadron) is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was the first squadron to operate the Supermarine Spitfire. It currently operates the UK's Control and Reporting Centre from RAF Boulmer. No. 1 ...

** No. 25 Squadron RAF **

No. 29 Squadron RAF No. 29 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was first raised as a unit of the Royal Flying Corps in 1915, and is one of the world's oldest fighter squadrons. The second British squadron to receive the Eurofighter Typhoon, it is currently the Operat ...

No. 32 Squadron RAF Number 32 (The Royal) Squadron (sometimes abbreviated as No. 32 (TR) Squadron) of the Royal Air Force operates in the Very Important Person, VIP and general air transport roles from RAF Northolt in Greater London. Originally formed in 1916 as ...

No. 56 Squadron RAF Number 56 Squadron, nicknamed ''the Firebirds'' for their ability to always reappear intact regardless of the odds, is one of the oldest and most successful Squadron (aviation), squadrons of the Royal Air Force, with battle honours from many of ...

No. 111 Squadron RAF ("Standing by") , colors= , colors_label= , march= , mascot= , equipment= , equipment_label= , battles= , anniversaries= , decorations= , battle_honours= Palestine 1917–1918*, Megiddo, Home Defence 1940–1942*, France and Low Countries 1940, ...

Specifications (Grebe Mk.II)

Gloster Grebe II 3 view NACA Aircraft Circular No

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * Goulding, James. ''Interceptor: RAF Single-Seat Multi-Gun Fighters''. London: Ian Allan, 1986. . * Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. "The Era-Ending Gamecock". ''

Air Enthusiast ''Air Enthusiast'' was a British, bi-monthly, aviation magazine, published by the Key Publishing group. Initially begun in 1974 as ''Air Enthusiast Quarterly'', the magazine was conceived as a historical adjunct to ''Air International'' maga ...

'', Twenty-one, April–July 1983. . * James, Derek N. ''Gloster Aircraft since 1917.'' London: Putnam, 1971. . * James, Derek. "Aeroplane Database. The Gloster Grebe". '' Aeroplane'', August 2009, Vol 37 No 8. pp. 61–73. . * Lumsden, Alec and Thetford, Owen. ''On Silver Wings: RAF Biplane Fighters Between the Wars''. London: Osprey Aerospace, 1993. . * Mason, Francis K. ''The British Fighter since 1912''. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press, 1992. . * Thetford, Owen. ''Aircraft of the Royal Air Force 1918-57''. London:Putnam, First edition 1957. * Thetford, Owen G. ''Aircraft of the Royal Air Force since 1918''. London: Putnam, 6th edition, 1977. . * Thetford, Owen. "On Silver Wings — Part 4". ''

Aeroplane Monthly ''Aeroplane'' (formerly ''Aeroplane Monthly'') is a British magazine devoted to aviation, with a focus on aviation history and preservation. __TOC__ ''The Aeroplane'' The weekly ''The Aeroplane'' launched in June 1911 under founding edito ...