Formation

During the summer of 1916, the major Allied offensive took place across the River Somme, aiming to divert German armour from Verdun, to the south. General Trenchard needed now to divert air activity from the Somme front and so arrangements were made with Wing Captain Lambe for the Royal Naval Air Service to carry out bombing raids in the northern area. The Royal Naval Air Service was in the process of re-equipping with new aircraft, many of which came from the factories of Mr T O M Sopwith, and which were highly superior to those manufactured by the 'official' Aircraft Factory at Farnborough, in which the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) had pinned its faith. In the autumn of 1916, the RFC was being heavily pressed by the Germans and the RNAS agreed to loan one scout squadron for work with the RFC on the Somme, with the specific task of supporting the Army in the field. A letter from the Admiralty to the Admiral commanding the Dover Patrol carried the news: 'The Admiralty have decided, on the urgent representation of the Army Council, to detach at once a squadron of eighteen fighting aeroplanes from the Dunkirk Command for temporary duty with the British Expeditionary Force.' However, none of the Naval Wings 1, 4 and 5 (which were actually squadrons) had sufficient aircraft, so a new unit, numbered '8', was formed by taking a flight of aircraft from each of the existing wings. In early October, Wing Captain Lambe summoned a 25-year-old recently-promoted officer, one Squadron Commander Geoffrey Rhodes Bromet, to his office at Guston Road Aerodrome in Dover. Squadron Commander Bromet was offered command of this new Squadron, which was to be located at le Vert Galant, near Amiens on the western edge of the battle front, attached to the 22nd Wing, 5th Brigade Royal Flying Corps, a part of the 5th Army under the command of General Gough.

Geoffrey Bromet crossed the Channel to Dunkirk on board HMS Nubian on 25th October 1916 and reported for orders at Headquarters RNAS. He was sent to le Vert Galant airfield, which was vacated by 32 Squadron RFC, to receive his crews and aircraft, accompanied by his second-in-command, Flight Commander B L Huskisson; his Squadron Records Officer, Lieutenant J L d'Albiac; and the newly-appointed Equipment Officer, Second Lieutenant Spurway RFC. These four arrived with a small advance party of men to prepare for the main Squadron's arrival, only to find seven sheds, a farm owned by Monsieur Georges Bossu, and little else: no supplies, no spare parts, little ammunition and no bedding. It was also raining! However, by late afternoon, the rain eased and the aircraft began to arrive. As previously mentioned, Naval 8 Squadron was to be formed from a flight from each of 3 existing wings (squadrons). No 1 Wing was equipped with the Sopwith Scout (or 'Pup' as it was affectionately known). No Type 9400 2-seater (or '1½-Strutter' as it was known because of the double-vee half-struts from the fuselage to the upper wings in addition to the main struts between upper and lower wings). Thus Naval 8 was formed with 3 different types of aircraft. The Nieuports were first to arrive, 5 of which arrived safely before dark. A single Pup arrived a little later, but by then it was too dark to fly safely so the rest waited for the following day.

Unloading some 8 trucks, 5 tenders and a single trailer was left until the following morning, when it might be drier and the men would be less tired. So hammocks were slung in Monsieur Bossu's barn (this was the Royal Navy, after all!) and the vehicles parked up overnight as the new Squadron settled down for a wet night's sleep. The next morning proved that it might have been just as well to unload the trucks the previous day, as the rain was now driving down against the windows and dripping through the roof. The Squadron's first breakfast comprised dry bread and tea and it was decided that the first priority should be to organise a better supply of food. However, there was insufficient time to organise more supplies and equipment before more aircraft started to arrive, so the second day of Naval 8's existence was as busy as the first. This was also the day that the Squadron received its first official visit, by one Major-General Trenchard, who was concerned to know that the Squadron had settled in. Eventually, the Squadron would consist of 24 officers, one Warrant Officer and 120 Chief Petty Officers, Petty Officers and ratings.