On 21st August 1916 this RNAS Home Defence Flight aeroplane was damaged on landing at Redcar aerodrome.
Pilot - FSL Gerald Ewart Nash RNAS.
Gerald Ewart Nash was born on 12th May 1896 in Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada. He enlisted for RNAS service on 3rd February 1916. He appears to have undertook pilot training at White City and was then posted to RNAS Redcar on 25th April 1916. He was posted away from Redcar on 25th August 1916. In early 1917 he joined No.3 Wing, then received a posting to 10 Naval Squadron and joined the all Canadian crewed "B-Flight", flying Sopwith Triplanes. All aeroplanes in this Flight were painted with black noses and his aircraft carried the name "Black Sheep". He was credited with a total of six enemy aircraft as shot down but on 25th June 1917 he was shot down behind enemy lines in Belgium in Sopwith Triplane 5376 and became a PoW. In 1919 he returned to Canada. In WW2 he served in the RCAF and rose to the rank of G/Cpt, he was Commanding Officer of No.3 Training Command in Montreal. He died in Welland, Ontario on 10th April 1976.
Bleriot 3231 was built by Bleriot's and was transported to the UK where it arrived at RNAS Scarborough Home Defence Flight on 5th July 1915. It first flew on 26th July 1915 and was then subjected to a major overhaul and was tested successfully on 13th October 1915. It was to be moved between RNAS Atwick and RNAS Scarborough on a regular basis serving with the Home Defence Flight, ending up at Scarborough for the final time in
early December 1915. On 17th March 1916 it was transferred up to RNAS Redcar Home Defence Flight. Following damage sustained at Redcar on 21st August 1916 it was not repaired and was deleted some time later on 4th May 1917.
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