After the end of the war with the Bolsheviks, the British made every effort to strengthen the armies of the Baltic states. Among other things, Latvian aviation was reinforced.
The Sopwith Camel in Latvian Service
In early 1920, Sopwith Camel fighters entered service: four on January 11 and three on March 26. Despite the wear and tear of the material, these fighters served for a considerable time and were only retired in the summer of 1927, after two crashes. In total, three crashes occurred with the Camels during their eight years of service.
Records indicate that #6 (N.8137) was lost in an accident on February 2, 1920. #7 (N.8136) made an emergency landing on April 25, 1920, and was written off after a crash on June 16, 1921. #9 (N.8187), from the air group of HMS Vindictive, was written off after a catastrophe on August 6, 1927, in which pilot Eduards Lumbergs perished while attempting to fly under a bridge.
British Support for Estonia
During the Estonian War of Independence (1918-1920), the British government provided assistance to the Baltic region. Specifically, a group of British aviation advisors operated in the country, including R.F.C. Lieutenant Claude Scudamore Emery and Charles Gerhard, David Binnie Kydd, William Lehmkuhler, and John Granville Clay.
These advisors arrived in Estonia aboard the Estonian steamer “Svanholm” on April 25, 1919. A few days later, on April 28, Lieutenant Emery (who remained as a military advisor until 1926) and Estonian Captain Jüri Ots arrived with a cargo of military aid aboard the cruiser “Caledonia.”
Estonian Sopwith Camel Operations
From the British warship, a consignment of aircraft was unloaded, including a Sopwith Camel 2F.1 (N 6616), previously part of the H.M.S. Vindictive air group, as well as two B.E.2.e and two Norman Thompson N.T.2B. The Camel immediately had Estonian identification marks and tactical number 5 painted on it.
However, the aircraft had a short service life and was written off after an accident on February 21, 1922, with pilot Aleksander Vernik at the controls.