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IN THE SPACE OF JUST OVER TEN YEARS, from the first heavier than air powered  ight by the Wright Brothers, the aircraft found itself entering into the war to end all wars. There is little wonder, considering how new the concept of powered aircraft was, that the flying-machine as a military weapon was not taken particularly seriously by commanders outside of aviation in August 1914. During the early stages of the con ict the usefulness of the aircraft was recognised as a reconnaissance machine and artillery spotter, both of which were particularly dangerous roles. At the beginning air forces on all sides were small with machines being counted in the tens and low hundreds, but by 1918 all could call upon thousands of aircraft capable of performing a variety of roles. The pressure of being at war accelerated the pace of development dramatically, engines more than doubled in horsepower, structures doubled in strength and weapons either increased in calibre or were more e ectively employed. Bomb loads rose from a few pounds to thousands of pounds while overall performance and manoeuvrability evolved to produce  ghting machines that were more challenging and fearsome to the enemy. Production of these early aircraft introduced a huge range of new manufacturers, some of whom would become well known pioneers of aviation development in their own right after the war. The relative simplicity of aircraft during this period meant that large amounts of unskilled and semi-skilled labour could be employed by companies, who in peacetime, were more likely to have plied their trade by selling furniture, musical instruments or components for the motoring industry. Little training was needed and generally a single pattern aircraft was supplied to each sub-contractor, who re-drew a set of plans and then set about building the required number to meet the contract.