Major Gilbert W Murlis-Green, fresh from a long and successful period of active flying duties with No 17 Squadron over the Salonika front, no doubt viewed with some dismay his appointment to command No 44 Squadron at Hainault Farm. Aged 22, victor of many air combats and holder of the DSO and Bar, MC and two Bars, the sight of a few Sopwith 1½ Strutters scattered around the airfield did not appear to indicate a hectic future. These elderly two-seater fighters were now considered unsuitable for operational use on the Western Front and had been withdrawn to Blighty. However, Murlis-Green did know that Camels would soon replace the ‘1½s’ and this could alter the picture.

No 44 Squadron was formed on the 24th July 1917 at Hainault Farm, near Ilford in Essex, under the command of Major T O B Hubbard AFC. England had suffered under night bombing attacks by Gotha aircraft and was now having to endure daylight raids. Heavy attacks on the 29th May, 5th June and 13th June 1917 had resulted in Nos 56 and 66 Squadrons being recalled from France to reinforce the Home Defence squadrons until additional squadrons could be formed. No 44 was one of those new squadrons.

Now under the command of Major Murlis-Green, the Squadron quickly attained a high level of operational efficiency. He had joined the Army in August 1914 and transferred to the Royal Flying Corps as an Observer a year later. After returning to England in April 1916 to train as a pilot, he joined No 17 Squadron in Salonika in August 1917 where he eventually became Flight Commander. His skill in air combat resulted in the award of the MC, a Bar to it six weeks later, the DSO, a second Bar to the MC and a Bar to the DSO - and all before the end of 1917. He was one of the few pilots to gain victories flying the staid BE 12. A contemporary opinion of this remarkable man is expressed by Lieutenant, later Air Marshal Sir Gerald Gibbs MC, who was acquainted with Murlis-Green while on 17 Squadron.

“I suppose most young men have a hero and we were no exceptions. Our hero was Murlis-Green, a Flight Commander who was some years older than we were and had done some successful fighting on BE12s. What makes a hero for most men I don’t know. Murlis-Green had guts, of course, and was a good pilot and a successful fighter - those were the necessary components for hero-worship. But he had a lot more than that and on further consideration I think that the further essential characteristics which he had were a tough appearance, an amusing tongue and a strong personality. In fact he was a born leader.”

“We would sometimes be asked to do ‘bait’ for Murlis-Green and we were most delighted to do it. We would sit in a BE 2C at about 8,000 feet a few miles over the other side of the lines and he would sit in the sun a couple of thousand feet above us. Very often indeed an enemy fighter would come along and try to take the bait and as we saw him, we would beetle off as fast as we could for our lines. Murlis-Green never let us down: he didn’t always get the Hun but the Hun never got us. He used to call us his ‘Tigers’ and we would swell with pride - frightened little rabbits that we were.”

“Another thing he taught us to do was to unspin. He appeared back again with the Squadron from England in 1917 and demonstrated that he could not only spin when he wanted to, but could also recover. Up until then we had all thought of the spin as pretty lethal; and we had no parachutes in those days, they were only carried by those in balloons. I had got out of a spin once, but I didn’t know how. The magic trick which he demonstrated was to centralise the rudder and push the stick forward until you got into a steady dive and then to pull out gently. Unless you knew that, the instinctive thing was to try and pull the nose up as soon as it went into a spin. And that, of course, was the end!”

On the 2nd September the Gothas of Kampfgeschwader 3 began a series of night attacks on London. Since August 44 had been equipping with Camels and Murlis-Green was given permission to try the Camel as a night fighter. Up to this time Murlis-Green’s repeated requests to operate the Camel at night had been refused, since with its powerful 110 hp Clerget rotary engine and extremely small control surfaces, the Camel was considered too tricky to fly at night. Now something had to be done to counter these attacks.
The following night, as the September moon rose over the Essex flats, an air raid warning sounded. Most of the Squadron pilots were in the town, as a relief against the discomforts of the farmhouse in which they were quartered. However, Major Murlis-Green, Captain C J O Brand and Lieutenant G C Banks flew a 40 minute patrol. None of these aircraft were fitted with instrument lighting or navigation lights but all returned safely. Although no contact was made with the enemy, this action showed that the Camel could be operated at night. All three of these pilots were to survive the war and serve again with distinction in the RAF during World War II.

The following morning feverish activity pervaded the Squadron. Tenders rushed off to aircraft depots and returned with instrument lighting installations which were hurriedly fitted in the machines. All pilots were instructed to make practice night landings and in twenty four hours the Home Defence Squadron ceased to be looked upon as anything but night fighters.

Pilots stood by in shifts, thus enabling those off duty to make the most of the delights offered by nearby London. Among these pilots were some who would become well-known. One was Captain C J Quentin Brand who, before joining No 44 Squadron had seen active service on the Western Front with No1 Squadron. On leaving 44 he took over as Commanding Officer of No 112 (Home Defence) Squadron and it was while with them that he shot down a Gotha on the night of 19/20th May 1918. During World War II he was to rise to the rank of Air Vice Marshal and command No 10 Group.

Another personality serving with the Squadron at this time was Captain D’Arban Victor Armstrong. His skill and daring as a brilliant exponent of the Camel’s manoeuvrability have become one of aviation’s legends. The youngest son of G S Armstrong of Zululand, South Africa, he had previously served on the Western Front flying Morane Scouts as a Lieutenant with No 60 Squadron. He was known throughout the RFC and RAF for his skill in aerobatics, including flick rolls and loops at ground level. Major Murlis-Green took him with him to No 151 Squadron and it was while with this unit in France that the Camel’s spin claimed his life while stunting.

The author and broadcaster Cecil Lewis was also a member of the Squadron at this time. He joined the unit after a brief period of convalescence, having been wounded on the Western Front. He became Flight Commander and then left to join No 61 Squadron which was being formed for Home Defence. It was equipped with SE 5s, a type which he had already flown operationally in France.

On the night of 30th September 1917 Captain W H Haynes of 44 Squadron fired 300 rounds at an enemy bomber over Lambourne but lost sight of his quarry when the gun flashes destroyed his night vision. This problem was to prove extremely irksome to the early night fighters, as was the risk of firing explosive and incendiary ammunition through the propeller. It was eventually overcome by mounting two Lewis guns on parallel Foster mountings above the centre section. The guns could fire forward over the propeller or upwards to 45 degrees. To enable the Foster mountings to be fitted to the Camel, the cockpit was moved aft and the fuel tank moved forward under the centre section. A head rest was fitted behind the cockpit and the cut-out in the centre section considerably enlarged to improve visibility. Major Murlis-Green had the lower wing roots of his Camel cut away behind the rear spars.

The last German incendiary raid on London took place on the night of the 18th December 1917. Major Murlis-Green engaged one of the Gotha bombers. He attacked the enemy aircraft on the outskirts of London, firing in short bursts to get round the problem of flash blindness. After making several attacks he saw a bomb drop from the aircraft, but felt fairly certain that one engine had stopped. On returning to Hainault Farm he did not claim the aircraft destroyed. In fact the Gotha was in serious trouble: the pilot had indeed lost one engine and was just able to cope with the difficult task of maintaining control. He set a rather shaky course for the French coast but then became aware that his aircraft was losing height steadily. Over the Channel the second engine stopped and he turned back to England in an attempt to force land. He fell short and came down in the sea off Folkestone. The aircraft remained afloat and the crew were saved, but while being towed ashore the aircraft exploded and sank.

On the night of 19/20th May 1918 Captain C J Quentin Brand, now with 112 Squadron, shot down a Gotha in flames over Faversham. So close was he to his victim that the flames scorched his face and burned off his eyebrows. Another 44 Squadron success came on the night of 11th June 1918 when Captain C C Banks shot down another Gotha in flames near Wickford, for which action he received the MC.

On the 11th June 1918 Major Murlis-Green left 44 to join No 151 (Night Fighter) Squadron. This squadron was equipped with the night fighter version of the Camel which he was so instrumental in developing. His successor as Squadron Commander was none other than Major A T Harris who, as Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris, was destined to direct operations not only of 44 but all the squadrons of Bomber Command in the greatest aerial assault in history as they bombed the German homeland in World War II. He remained Squadron Commander until the 19th December 1918 when he was succeeded by Major T N F Gerrard. Three months later Major C J Quentin Brand returned to 44 and assumed command. The Squadron moved to North Weald on the 1st June 1919. Finally, having received the thanks of the House of Commons for its work in Home Defence, it was disbanded on the 31st December 1919.

With acknowledgements to:
Sagittarius Rising by Cecil Lewis
A Survivor’s Story by Sir Gerald Gibbs MC
Air Pictorial
No 44 Squadron History by Ray Leach MBE MA MBIM