211 Badge
Hawker Audax & Hind

Hawker Audax and Hawker Hind

Origins: the Hawker Hart family
From 1919 to 1932 the RAF and the British aircraft industry eked out an existence, tightly budgeted under the comfortable assumption that the RAF would not be expected to fight within the next decade.

If Government parsimony in the “Ten Year Rule” era slowed innovation, it did so without quite stifling it altogether. The Warren-truss tubular metal construction developed by Fred Sigrist and Sydney Camm at Hawker Aircraft was readily manufactured, robust in service and greatly simplified the rigger’s task compared with the wire-braced spruce and birch structures it replaced.

Hawker Hart I K2442: B Flight, 33 Squadron, 1932 (Crown Copyright)

Camm’s 1929 Hawker Hart was the first of that long line of beautiful silver-winged biplanes that equipped the RAF throughout the 1930s. The performance of the in-line engined “all-metal construction” two seat light day bomber was such that this and related Hawker designs were to dominate RAF equipment almost until the declaration of war.

The Hart lineage led in turn to other multi-seat variants (the Audax, the Hind, the Demon for example), and to single-seat fighter designs (principally the Fury and the Nimrod). The ultimate descendant of this family of biplane designs was the first RAF monoplane fighter, the Hawker Hurricane (which Camm was mulling over by 1933). Through numerous variants, its strong Warren-truss fuselage contributed to its survival in the front line throughout the war.

Hawker Audax
In response to the Air Ministry Specification 7/31 for close support duty at home and abroad, Hart K1438 was put forward for evaluation. With some minor modifications including tail wheel, extended exhaust manifolds to obviate flame dazzle for the pilot, and a message hook (“An ‘Art wiv an ‘ook”, they said), an initial order for 40 aircraft was quickly placed. The first Audax, K1995, flew in late December 1931 with aircraft entering RAF service in 1932.

Constructed in quantity by Hawkers (265) and by AV Roe (244), smaller numbers were also produced by a number of the other major manufacturers. Under the press of expansion, production continued until 1937. By the time production ceased, 718 aircraft had been built (including prototypes and foreign orders).

The Audax served the RAF well for nearly a decade. Operating mainly in the training role and later as glider tug for the Hotspur at home, in the Middle East the Audax saw service at the sharp end, whether in operational or training units. Audaxes took part in the both the 1940 East African campaign and the 1941 defence of Habbaniya in Iraq.

When 211 Squadron re-formed at Mildenhall in June 1937, it was equipped with the Hawker Audax for the initial working-up period from July to October 1937. By August, Hinds were already being taken on charge.

211 Squadron Audaxes
A unique photo from the collection of
Geoff Grierson, thanks to Mike Grierson.

Hawker Audax, 211 Sqdn
211 Squadron Hawker Audax (G Grierson)
A brace of Audax, K3689 leading. Geoff Grierson also records K3708 as on 211 Squadron charge, at Mildenhall. This photograph may have been taken there, or later at Grantham.

The brackets under the wing tips are fittings for the Holt flare, a spectacular pyrotechnic then used for night landing. The mounting is in the form of a pendant arm with claw and ball arrangement at the lower end. So mounted, the flare once ignited hangs a respectable distance below the fabric under surface of the lower wing until, its duty done, the sputtering ball is released.

The 1935 Gaumont-British film titled "RAF" includes a short, stunning sequence of a Supermarine Southampton flying boat so equipped, executing (by the cinematographer’s art) a "night" landing with the underwing flares lit. Towards the end of the landing run, the still-burning flares drop free into the water.

Specification

General

Army co-operation. Single-engined, single-bay biplane, all metal construction with fabric covering

Crew

Pilot; Observer/Rear Gunner

Engine

Rolls-Royce Kestrel IB of 525hp

Armament

One fixed, synchronised forward-firing .303” Vickers machine gun. One Scarff-ring mounted Lewis .303” gun in the rear cockpit

Bomb load:

Wing racks for 4x20lb practice bombs or 2x112lb supply containers

Endurance
Stalling speed
Maximum speed

3 hours
55mph
170mph at 2,400 feet

Hawker Hind
It is far easier to announce rapid expansion of a branch of the Armed Services than it is to create it. Men cannot fly without training, and cannot train without aircraft. It is perhaps not surprising that the Air Staff turned to the conventional in the first stages of expansion. The period is well described by Terraine and others, and Hawkers’ response to it by Mason.

The Hawker Hind thus entered RAF service from late 1935 as an interim day bomber replacement for the Hart, to equip the rapidly expanding bomber force pending development of the Blenheim and Battle.

In responding to Air Ministry Specification G.7/34, Hawkers put forward the Hind design. Compared with the Hart, improvements were made for the Observer/Gunner in both the bombing position and in the deep cutaway of the Scarff-ring gun mounting (for slipstream protection and a better field of fire). The Rolls-Royce Kestrel V at 640hp offered more power than the 525hp Kestrel IB of Hart bombers in RAF service. In a concession to modernity, Audax and Hind alike rejoiced in possession of a tail wheel rather than the Hart’s tail skid. A considerable number of Hinds were converted to dual-control trainers.

Battles and Blenheims were already entering RAF service in 1937. By April that year, the RAF had 338 Hinds on charge in 20 Squadrons, a further 114 aircraft serving in the Auxiliary Air Force. No Hinds remained in front line service in Home commands when war was declared.

211 Squadron Hawker Hinds
Taking its Hinds on charge from August 1937, 211 Squadron initially received K6851-K6855 and L7174-L7181, and later K6632 and K6633.
Geoff Grierson’s log extracts record many Hind flights, and others are readily identifiable in his photographs. Taking these sources together, the following aircraft saw service in 211 Squadron:

    Mildenhall & Grantham
    K6851-K6855, L7174-L7181, K6632, K6633
    Grierson’s flights: K6851, K6853, K6855, L7175, L7177, L7179 and L7181

    Middle East
    K5409, K5430, K5457 (AO-M), K5620, K6618, K6642, K6696, K6833 (211, later AO-N), K6851, K6853, K6854, K6855, L7174

EL Cooper and JE Fryatt also include Hind references. The following photographs are from the Grierson collection. Original captions in italics.

Hawker Hind 211 Sqdn Grantham 1938
211 Squadron Hind Grantham (G Grierson)
K6853 in flight, no Squadron number, though other 211 Hinds photographed by Geoff in the UK wore them.

211 Squadron unloading
211 Squadron unloading (G Grierson)
K5620, an ex-103 Squadron Hind, arrives off-ship.

211 Squadron Ramleh 1938
211 Squadron Ramleh (G Grierson)
At Ramleh in Palestine. Four 211 Squadron aircraft line up. The leading machine is K6833, with its rather dark (red) ‘211’, is probably of ‘A’ Flight. Lined up behind are L7174; K6854 and K6642.

Hawker Hind 211 Squadron  AO N K6833
211 Squadron Hind October 1938 (G Grierson)
Hind K6833 AO-N with plenty of underside detail. Bomb-aiming hatch open, underwing racks empty, and the new post-Munich identification letters clearly displayed.

Hawker Hind 211 Squadron AO M K5457
Hind formation El Daba October 1938 (G Grierson)
211 Squadron AO-M K5457 in formation. Both aircraft in shot wear the AO code. See Mike’s comments below and
Geoff Grierson’s log extracts for further confirmation. Very close inspection of the line-up of 9 Hinds on the ground at Daba also dated October 1938 (see Middle East) also shows the AO code in use. From the serial numbers and Grierson’s log, there is no doubt at all that these are 211 Squadron aircraft.

Mike’s comments
“The line up of Hinds at El Daba is dated on the back of the photo: Oct 1938, that predates the move there and does not appear to show any letters [sic - see remark above]. The airborne shot was right next to it, and appears to have been processed in the same batch, it has an identical sepia appearance, again it is dated Oct 1938 on the back, and the aircraft have letters.

The shots of El Daba again appear to be from the same batch and are dated Oct 38. The shot from below K6833 is in a different Album, the picture is stuck in so I can't check the back however all other photos on the page are dated 1938 and it clearly states 211 Sqn Hind.”

Here for the first time we see clear evidence of the use of a pre-war codes AO on uncamouflaged 211 Squadron aircraft in the Middle East from October 1938 (shortly after Munich). Squadron codes are more difficult than one might think, as no coherent primary record of the allocations remains. 211 Squadron’s other identification codes (LJ pre-war and war-time UQ) have both been misreported or misrepresented at various times. To find evidence of an earlier pre-war set is really quite startling. The Squadron’s use of various unit markings is discussed in the Squadron summary under the heading Squadron unit codes.

Specifications

General

Light day bomber. Single-engined, single-bay biplane, all metal construction with fabric covering

Crew

Pilot; Observer/Rear Gunner

Engine

Rolls-Royce Kestrel V of 640hp

Armament

One fixed, synchronised forward-firing .303” Vickers Mark II or V machine gun, 600 rounds. One Scarff-ring mounted Lewis .303” gun in the rear cockpit with five 97-round drums

Bomb load:

Up to 510lb, comprised of 230lb, 112 lb, 25lb or 20lb bombs or 3.45” flares

Range
Maximum speed

430 miles
186mph at 16,400 feet

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Created 15 Apr 2001

Updated 27 Jul 2003

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Created 10 Jan 2003

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