The Imperial Aircraft Flotilla

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Following Great Britain’s declaration of war on Germany on 4 August 1914, a surge of fundraising ‘patriotic’ associations emerged across the empire. The most notable campaign began in London in early 1915, known as the Imperial Aircraft Flotilla, which sought contributions for aircraft production from the British Empire. Communities that raised enough funds for an entire ‘aeroplane’ could have it named after them, with the promise that the name would transfer to a new aircraft if the original was lost. Margaret Hall explores the Imperial Aircraft Flotilla as a significant aspect of imperial history, analyzing fundraising efforts in diverse regions including Canada, Newfoundland, the Zanzibar Protectorate, Fiji, Mauritius, the Caribbean, Hong Kong, the Malay states, West Africa, Southern Rhodesia, Basutoland, Swaziland, the Union of South Africa, the Indian empire, Burma, independent Abyssinia, Siam, the Shanghai International Settlement, the British community in Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand. This detailed examination discusses the propaganda and counter-subversion roles of the Imperial Aircraft Flotilla, revealing what support for the imperial war effort indicates about contemporary national and regional identities and aspirations.