The latest journal of Cross & Cockade International - Spring 2017, features a photograph of a single bay Sopwith 2FR2 Bulldog. The rear cover features three color profiles of aircraft in the Castellorizo, and the Loss of HMS Ben-my-Chree article. If you check out the web site link above, you can get additional sample pics of the current issue.

Cross & Cockade International is a non-profit UK based group known as the First World War Aviation Historical Society that publishes their journal four times a year. They also provide a free newsletter (sign up on their website) and occasionally publish WWI themed books like the Sopwith Dolphin monograph I reviewed earlier for IPMS USA. This Journal is the sister of the US Journal, Over The Front.

This issue kicks off with Colin Owers’ article on the development of the Sopwith 3F2 Hippo, Sopwith 2FR2 Bulldog, and Sopwith Buffalo. Elimor Makevet does a detailed ‘who-done-it’ investigation of an incident at the Be’er-Sheva railway station on the evening of January 14-15, 1917. A single bomb killed fifteen Jewish workers huddled in a wagon at the railway station. Elimor Makevet looks at the incident from the German, Jewish, and British perspectives, along with biographies and photographs of all the key players involved. Who did it? You’ll have to read the 22 page article to find out!

Paul R. Hare provides an excellent military biography of Lieutenant Colonel C. J. Burke, a military aviation pioneer who learned to fly in 1910 at the Farman school in France. The birth of the RFC saw Burke promoted to Major and in command of 2 Squadron. He lost his command due to a bout with appendicitis, but when he returned to action, the RFC was more interested in him leading the Central Flying School. While he threw himself into this new leadership role, he yearned for battle, eventually leaving for the infantry. Commanding a battalion, Burke lost his life in the Battle of Arras.

Paul Leaman chimes in with a new series on Captured German Aircraft. This first edition sets the stage on how the British processed captured aircraft and starts with aircraft captured prior to the allocation of ‘G’ numbers to the aircraft. Ian Burns and Gunter Hartnagel contribute a page turner on the loss of the seaplane carrier, HMS Ben-My-Chree, at Castellorizo. Their use of personal accounts of the period action really brings the events to life. The standard feature, Logbook, provides an additional eight photographs from David Barnes on the 17 Kite Balloon Section and the ruse that caused the death of von Eschwege.

Mick Davis is up next with Fabric, comprising of three letters and five photographs to the editor. The Bookshelf section is a review of WWI aviation specific books and magazines with this issue totaling fourteen.

Topics:

• Editorial by Mick Davis
• Late War Trio: by Colin Owers
• The "Jewish Pilot" who bombed Be'er-Sheva: by Elimor Makevet [Page 25]
• Lt Col CJ Burke DSO: Flying Corps Heavyweight: by Paul Hare [Page 42]
• Captured German Aircraft, Part One: by Paul Leaman [Page 54]
• Castellorizo, and the Loss of HMS Ben-my-Chree: by Ian Burns and Gunter Hartnagel [Page 59]
• Logbook: Heydemarck Feedback by David Barnes [Page 75]
• Fabric: Queries and Feedback by Mick Davis
• Bookshelf

It’s another great issue from Cross & Cockade and I’m continued to be impressed with the quality. If you are into early / WWI aviation; this journal is an incredible source of information that will have you on the edge of your seat for the next issue. My thanks to Cross & Cockade International and IPMS/USA for the chance to review this great issue.