1800's Photo's and illustations
British Balloon Capabilities
Despite the evidence British moves towards balloon acceptance still stuttered. Two officers, Beaumont, and Captain G. E. Grover tried unsuccessfully in 1863 to persuade the British military to recognize the military value of balloons. They failed for two reasons, cost and the operational limitations of not being able to produce hydrogen in the field. However, in 1878, following a change of personnel at the War Office, Captains J. L. B. Templer and H. P. Lee were appointed to the Woolwich Arsenal with the task of constructing and trialing balloons for military use. By 1879 there were five balloons in British military service.
A School of Ballooning was formally established at Chatham in 1888, and was moved to Stanhope Lines, Aldershot in 1890 when a balloon section and depot were formed as permanent units of the RE establishment. The Boer war (1899-1902) saw an expansion in British military ballooning with a further four sections, including a photographic reconnaissance section, being authorised and employed in South Africa. The primary roles for the balloon sections was observing enemy troop movements and directing artillery fire. Some of their most important but less published roles was to improve the very poor maps the British had at the outbreak of war, to sketch Boer camps and battle dispositions and take the earliest aerial photographs. Below is an oblique photograph taken from a British balloon at 1,000 feet. The white patches on the image are smoke from exploding shells.
Despite the evidence British moves towards balloon acceptance still stuttered. Two officers, Beaumont, and Captain G. E. Grover tried unsuccessfully in 1863 to persuade the British military to recognize the military value of balloons. They failed for two reasons, cost and the operational limitations of not being able to produce hydrogen in the field. However, in 1878, following a change of personnel at the War Office, Captains J. L. B. Templer and H. P. Lee were appointed to the Woolwich Arsenal with the task of constructing and trialing balloons for military use. By 1879 there were five balloons in British military service.
A School of Ballooning was formally established at Chatham in 1888, and was moved to Stanhope Lines, Aldershot in 1890 when a balloon section and depot were formed as permanent units of the RE establishment. The Boer war (1899-1902) saw an expansion in British military ballooning with a further four sections, including a photographic reconnaissance section, being authorised and employed in South Africa. The primary roles for the balloon sections was observing enemy troop movements and directing artillery fire. Some of their most important but less published roles was to improve the very poor maps the British had at the outbreak of war, to sketch Boer camps and battle dispositions and take the earliest aerial photographs. Below is an oblique photograph taken from a British balloon at 1,000 feet. The white patches on the image are smoke from exploding shells.
