Mesopotamian Half Flight
| Mesopotamian Half Flight | |
|---|---|
Members of the Half Flight gather around a Short 827 seaplane
|
|
| Active | 1915–1916 |
| Country | Australia |
| Branch | Australian Flying Corps |
| Part of | No. 30 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Henry Petre |
The Mesopotamian Half-Flight (MHF), or Australian Half-Flight, was the first Australian Flying Corps (AFC) unit to see active service during World War I. Formed in April 1915 at the request of the Indian Government, the half-flight's personnel were sent to Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) where they were equipped with a small number of outdated and barely serviceable aircraft. They later operated in the Tigris Valley in support of British and Indian forces under the command of Major General Charles Townshend. The unit's operations came to an end in December 1915 and the following month the flight was subsumed into other units of the AFC which were being formed in Egypt. It was officially disbanded in October 1916.
At the start of World War I, the air forces of the Allied forces were small and primitive. Most of the available aircraft and pilots were assigned to the Western Front. This meant that the Indian Army, which was attacking the Ottoman Empire in Mesopotamia, had no air support. On 8 February 1915, the Australian government received a request for air assistance from the British Government of India. The AFC was still in its infancy and could provide enough aircrews and ground staff for only half a flight: the unit therefore became known as the Mesopotamian Half-Flight, or Australian Half-Flight and Captain Henry Petre was appointed commander.
The Mesopotamian Half-Flight was formed at the Central Flying School on 1 April 1915. Upon establishment, the unit consisted of four officers and 41 enlisted personnel. The personnel assigned to the Half-Flight included four of the seven trained pilots in Australia at the time. The Australians were to be augmented by personnel from the Indian Army and New Zealand. The AFC contingent sailed for Bombay, and on 20 April it left for Basra.
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