SUBMARINES AND SEAPLANES

Evening Star, Issue 23692, 27 September 1940, Page 10

SUBMARINES AND SEAPLANES

FIRST BRITISH-BUILT MODELS DUNEDIN RESIDENT HELFED CONSTRUCT There is resident in Dunedin, Pioneer Sergeant Walker —as he was when he obtained his discharge from the forces —who has a most interesting history connecting him with the first submarines and the first seaplane built in Britain. 'This was away hack in 19011, and Air Walker was an electrical engineer in the employ of the worldfamous firm of Messrs Maxim, Son, and Vickers. These submarines wore really constructed, or fitted together, from sections of what were known as Holland boats —named after the inventor—which had been sent from America. These were the first practical submarines known, and were 75ft to 100 ft long. The British firm then began to build the vessels themselves, first the “ A ” class, which was followed by the Bs, the C’s. and finally the D’s. tho last-named being a two-engined sub. semi-Diesel. The others were fitted with petrol engines until refitted later with Diesels. During the last war it was the " B ” class vessels which were engaged in the Gallipoli operation. It was Air Walker’s main job to look after the ignition of the engines and the coils, and the firm experimented on the various typos for two years. The “D 1 ” was the first type to bo fitted with twin engines. THE FIRST SEAPLANE. It was in 1911 that Air Walker was associated with the first British-built seaplane. Briar to that the Alaxim, Vickers Company had constructed a semi-dirigible on the Hues of the famous RlOl, and named it the “ Mayfly.V Unfortunately', tho Mayfly, shortly after being handed over to tho Admiralty, broke her back, and no more of that type a ero built for a long time afterwards. ' The seaplane, however, was a success, and was, in fact, the forerunner of tho now famous Sunderland flying boat, although, naturally, _ tho latter as a model has greatly improved upon the sprawling, box-liko machine of which the constructor, Lieutenant Roe, and his staff were so justifiably proud. WITH TROOPS IN SAMOA. Air Walker subsequently came to New Zealand, and when the last war broke out he enlisted in the New Zealand Railway Engineers Corps, and was sent to Samoa. There, with a staff of six whites and five Chinese, he built, out of variously acquired parts, a 25h.p. railway engine, this being described in the records as “ a distinct feat of engineering.” Another of the big jobs which punctuated Mr Walker’s routine duties in Samoa was the repairing of tho mast at the Apia wireless station after it had been badly damaged 200 feet from its base when a fly-wheel in the station building burst, crashed through the roof, narrowly missed all the valuable instruments, struck the mast 150 feet from its summit, and bent it back at a dangerous angle. Air Walker ascended the mast and temporarily strengthened it until a new one was sent out. THE DIGGERS’ HAT. Still another innovation in which Mr Walker had a hand was when he, oh his own volition, introduced (while in Samoa) the particular mould which distinguishes the headgear of tlie _ New Zealand infantryman to-day. Prior to that the hats worn by the troops were dented straight down'the centre of the crown 1 , hut this struck Air Walker as being uncomfortable for wearers in a hot climate, so he reshaped the crown so as to allow better ventilation. This new shape was based on the English Boy Scout model, and it was subsequently officially adopted for New Zealand troops IN THE 1914-18 WAR. After securing his discharge from the New Zealand forces Air Walker returned to England with tho intention of joining tho Air Force, but there were then no planes available, so he was persuaded to take service in the Transport Corps as an electrical mechanical engineer, and in that capacity he served in France and Belgium right through tho war and until February, 1919. He had an adventurous time accompanying his three travelling workshops, but came through practically unscathed.