358:
291:
374:
cameras, which became standard RAF equipment throughout the next war. He was then appointed commander of the RAF School of
Photography at Farnborough. On 1 January 1927 he was promoted to wing commander. Disappointed with the peacetime eclipse of his speciality, Laws was placed on the retired list at
310:
with no credible heavier-than-air capability. The shortage was in optics and cameras as well as aircraft and pilots. Laws and his collaborators first created the A-camera, then later the L-camera (for Laws), which became the standard
British airborne camera, usually fixed on the side of the fuselage
394:
Laws rejoined the RAF as a wing commander at the beginning of the Second World War, and served in the
Photography Section at RAF Headquarters in France until February 1940, when he was appointed Deputy Director of the Directorate of Photography in the Air Ministry. When his American counterpart,
337:
On 1 June 1916 he was appointed an
Equipment Officer with the temporary rank of captain, and on 22 December 1916 he was appointed a Park Commander with the temporary rank of major, and served at the Headquarters of the Royal Flying Corps on the Western Front until the armistice.
318:
Laws went to France with No. 3 Squadron RFC and organized the air reconnaissance sections. In
February 1915 he was posted to the Experimental Photographic Section, 1st Wing, and also qualified as an observer and pilot.
365:
On 1 August 1919 Laws was granted a permanent commission in the RAF with the rank of major (squadron leader), resigning his army commission the same day. He served in the
Directorate of Research at the
230:, but he "had a feeling that he knew more about the subject than did his examiner." Within months, Laws was promoted to sergeant and put in charge of the photographic section of his squadron.
399:, met with Laws in London, Goddard described him as "short in stature, very proper in manner, just as wary and sensitive as I might have been had he come prowling around my laboratory at
1140:
1110:
341:
By the end of the war, Laws was recognized as "the most experienced aerial photographic adviser in
England and possibly the world." On 1 January 1919 he was made an
345:, in recognition of his "...valuable services rendered in connection with the War..." Two weeks later, on 15 January, he married Madeleine Grace Mathews Withers at
312:
1105:
1095:
1135:
407:
171:
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342:
247:
effect when viewed in a stereoscope, thus creating a perception of depth that could aid in cartography and in intelligence derived from aerial images.
207:
and selling them to his fellow soldiers. He later applied for an assignment to the signalling section, mainly in order to obtain access to the unit's
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1130:
1120:
346:
1061:
1042:
966:
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1100:
307:
1090:
378:
In 1933–34, he was expedition leader of the aerial mapping of
Western Australia for the H. Hemmings company, an enormous task using two
218:
Laws returned to
England in 1912, and in December "presented himself for a trade test at the headquarters of the Military Wing of the
167:
1115:
917:
386:
of
Australia up to 1936, doing aerial survey work, and was a director of the camera manufacturers Williamsons from 1937 to 1939.
357:
460:
331:
290:
958:
414:
by the United States of America. Laws reverted to the retired list on 12 May 1946, retaining the rank of group captain.
410:, in recognition "...of services in planning the landings in Normandy..." In October 1945 he was made an Officer of the
275:
274:, Laws was chosen to help form an aerial reconnaissance unit of fixed-wing aircraft, at that time consisting in part of
147:
383:
251:
914:
Shooting the Front: Allied Aerial Reconnaissance and Photographic Interpretation on the Western Front, World War I
1125:
238:
330:, seconded for service with the Royal Flying Corps, and appointed an Assistant Equipment Officer, posted to the
422:
In peacetime, Laws established himself as a leader in commercial air survey. He served as managing director of
423:
396:
315:, another aviation pioneer, Laws built the L/B camera for special situations, introduced late in the war.
263:
259:
1007:
686:
600:
327:
180:
115:
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1080:
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605:
223:
200:
379:
890:
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279:
234:
219:
111:
107:
668:
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1038:
962:
921:
473:
England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858–1995
323:
192:
143:
103:
580:
985:
854:
782:
716:
411:
267:
176:
151:
501:
243:. Laws discovered that vertical photos taken with 60% overlap could be used to create a
989:
278:
biplanes from the Royal Aircraft Factory. This No. 2 (Aeroplane) Company later became
1074:
406:
On 1 January 1944, Laws was promoted to group captain. On 19 September he was made a
203:
until 1912. He supplemented his income by taking photographs with his Kodak Bullseye
196:
160:
93:
294:
Aerial reconnaissance photograph of the opposing trenches and no-man's land between
400:
367:
244:
227:
371:
295:
271:
212:
204:
179:, an aerial surveyor, and the founder and most prominent pioneer of British
208:
44:
299:
211:
facilities, and also experimented with communicating with aircraft by
255:
429:
Laws authored several articles and treatises on aerial photography.
356:
289:
266:. He also conducted camera experiments at the second RFC site at
449:
Great Britain, Royal Aero Club Aviators’ Certificates, 1910–1950
370:
from 1919 to 1923, where he led the development of the F8 and
175:(29 November 1887 – 27 October 1975), was an officer in the
237:
and began to take aerial photographs from the Army airship
426:
and the Photo Finish Recording Company from 1947 to 1963.
258:
aircraft and other types just then being completed by the
563:
561:
548:
546:
937:
Overview: A Lifelong Adventure in Aerial Photography
139:
129:
121:
99:
89:
79:
67:
59:
51:
38:
30:
23:
879:(Supplement). 5 October 1945. pp. 4957–4958.
250:Next year, Laws took similar photos from kites,
955:The Forgotten Flyer: The Story of Charles Snook
675:(Supplement). 31 December 1918. pp. 92–93.
403:out to prove his goods were better than mine."
322:On 7 November 1915, Laws was commissioned as a
1141:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
976:Laws, F. C. V. (April 1959). "Looking Back".
8:
408:Commander of the Order of the British Empire
308:aerial reconnaissance in the First World War
843:(Supplement). 18 January 1944. p. 403.
657:(Supplement). 19 January 1917. p. 808.
282:, the first heavier-than-air British unit.
270:. As dirigibles were then allocated to the
771:(Supplement). 31 December 1926. p. 9.
361:RAF serviceman with a hand-held F24 camera
343:Officer of the Order of the British Empire
195:on 22 February 1905, and was stationed in
20:
997:Laws, F. C. V. (1919). "Aërial Cameras".
306:Still, in 1914, the British entered into
1111:Royal Air Force personnel of World War I
897:(Supplement). 24 May 1946. p. 2554.
741:(Supplement). 4 June 1920. p. 6325.
639:(Supplement). 4 July 1916. p. 6706.
302:, France, taken at 7.15 pm, 22 July 1917
823:
438:
811:
799:
751:
567:
552:
444:
442:
1106:British Army personnel of World War I
918:National Defense Intelligence College
496:
494:
492:
490:
488:
486:
484:
482:
480:
375:his own request on 1 September 1933.
7:
1096:Royal Lincolnshire Regiment officers
723:. 1 August 1919. pp. 9864–9865.
525:
347:St. Michael's Church, Chester Square
1136:Companions of the Order of the Bath
1035:Allied Photo Reconnaissance of WWII
990:10.1111/j.1477-9730.1959.tb01250.x
861:. 15 September 1944. p. 4325.
589:. 10 December 1915. p. 12336.
14:
1146:Commanders of the Legion of Merit
1006:Laws, F. C. V. (27 August 1942).
789:. 5 September 1933. p. 5802.
1037:. San Diego: Thunder Bay Press.
502:"Laws, Frederick Charles Victor"
1151:Military personnel from Norfolk
461:1939 England and Wales Register
311:pointing down. With Lieutenant
16:British RAF officer (1887-1975)
1131:Aerial reconnaissance pioneers
1121:British people of World War II
1:
233:Laws was first posted to the
164:Frederick Charles Victor Laws
25:Frederick Charles Victor Laws
1033:Staerck, Chris, ed. (1998).
959:Kalamunda, Western Australia
613:(359): 869. 12 November 1915
226:." He passed and was graded
1101:Royal Flying Corps officers
1052:Taylor, John W. R. (1972).
912:Finnegan, Terrence (2007).
697:(538): 183. 6 February 1919
148:Order of the British Empire
1167:
1091:Coldstream Guards soldiers
384:Western Mining Corporation
1056:. London, UK: Ian Allan.
939:. Garden City: Doubleday.
382:. He also worked for the
332:RFC School of Photography
125:RAF School of Photography
55:27 October 1975 (aged 87)
1116:Royal Air Force officers
1008:"Air Photography in War"
935:Goddard, George (1969).
944:Helman, Grover (1969).
191:Laws enlisted into the
978:Photogrammetric Record
953:Hernan, Brian (2007).
948:. New York: Macmillan.
397:Colonel George Goddard
362:
303:
260:Royal Aircraft Factory
228:air mechanic 1st class
187:Early military service
961:: Tangee Publishing.
946:Aerial Reconnaissance
360:
328:Lincolnshire Regiment
293:
235:No. 1 Balloon Company
181:aerial reconnaissance
116:Lincolnshire Regiment
108:No. 1 Balloon Company
80:Years of service
999:Photographic Journal
687:"Personals: Married"
601:"Royal Flying Corps"
506:Imperial War Museum
313:John Moore-Brabazon
916:. Washington, DC:
895:The London Gazette
877:The London Gazette
859:The London Gazette
841:The London Gazette
787:The London Gazette
769:The London Gazette
739:The London Gazette
721:The London Gazette
673:The London Gazette
655:The London Gazette
637:The London Gazette
586:The London Gazette
538:Aerial Photography
424:Fairey Air Surveys
363:
304:
280:No. 3 Squadron RFC
222:, then located at
220:Royal Flying Corps
112:No. 3 Squadron RFC
47:, Norfolk, England
1063:978-0-71100-404-7
1044:978-1-57145-161-3
968:978-0-97579-362-6
927:978-1-93294-604-8
324:second lieutenant
224:South Farnborough
193:Coldstream Guards
158:
157:
144:Order of the Bath
104:Coldstream Guards
1158:
1126:English aviators
1067:
1054:Spies in the Sky
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390:Second World War
353:Inter-war career
334:at Farnborough.
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42:29 November 1887
21:
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1020:(1757): 229–232
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420:
418:Post-war career
412:Legion of Merit
392:
355:
288:
286:First World War
268:Salisbury Plain
189:
177:Royal Air Force
166:
152:Legion of Merit
150:
146:
134:
114:
110:
106:
84:
75:Royal Air Force
74:
43:
26:
17:
12:
11:
5:
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1001:(59): 192–195.
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950:
941:
932:
926:
907:
904:
901:
900:
882:
864:
846:
828:
826:, p. 287.
824:Goddard (1969)
816:
804:
802:, p. 114.
792:
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708:
678:
660:
642:
624:
592:
572:
570:, p. 115.
557:
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63:United Kingdom
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984:(13): 24–41.
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814:, p. 86.
813:
812:Helman (1969)
808:
805:
801:
800:Hernan (2007)
796:
793:
788:
784:
778:
775:
770:
766:
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754:, p. 79.
753:
752:Helman (1969)
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569:
568:Hernan (2007)
564:
562:
558:
555:, p. 24.
554:
553:Taylor (1972)
549:
547:
543:
539:
534:
531:
528:, p. 24.
527:
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380:DH.84 Dragons
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161:Group Captain
153:
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109:
105:
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94:Group Captain
92:
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66:
62:
58:
54:
50:
46:
41:
37:
33:
29:
22:
19:
1053:
1034:
1022:. Retrieved
1017:
1011:
998:
981:
977:
954:
945:
936:
913:
906:Bibliography
894:
885:
876:
867:
858:
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831:
819:
807:
795:
786:
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759:
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738:
729:
720:
711:
699:. Retrieved
694:
690:
681:
672:
663:
654:
645:
636:
627:
615:. Retrieved
610:
604:
595:
584:
575:
537:
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521:
509:. Retrieved
505:
472:
468:
459:
455:
448:
428:
421:
405:
401:Wright Field
393:
377:
368:Air Ministry
364:
340:
336:
321:
317:
305:
249:
245:stereoscopic
239:
232:
217:
190:
163:
159:
135:World War II
130:Battles/wars
73:British Army
18:
1086:1975 deaths
1081:1877 births
891:"No. 37581"
873:"No. 37300"
855:"No. 36706"
837:"No. 36340"
783:"No. 33975"
765:"No. 33235"
735:"No. 31932"
717:"No. 31486"
669:"No. 31098"
651:"No. 29910"
633:"No. 29653"
581:"No. 29398"
526:Laws (1959)
264:Farnborough
133:World War I
31:Nickname(s)
1075:Categories
1024:4 November
701:5 November
617:5 November
511:5 November
433:References
349:, London.
272:Royal Navy
213:heliograph
205:box camera
60:Allegiance
85:1939–1946
83:1905–1923
209:darkroom
122:Commands
68:Service/
45:Thetford
540:, p.36.
326:in the
300:Hulluch
252:Bleriot
34:"Daddy"
1060:
1041:
1013:Flight
965:
924:
691:Flight
606:Flight
256:Farman
140:Awards
70:branch
276:B.E.2
201:Sudan
197:Egypt
170:
154:(USA)
1058:ISBN
1039:ISBN
1026:2016
1018:XLII
963:ISBN
922:ISBN
703:2016
619:2016
513:2016
298:and
296:Loos
254:and
240:Beta
199:and
100:Unit
90:Rank
52:Died
39:Born
986:doi
611:VII
372:F24
262:at
172:CBE
1077::
1016:.
1010:.
980:.
957:.
920:.
893:.
875:.
857:.
839:.
785:.
767:.
737:.
719:.
695:XI
693:.
689:.
671:.
653:.
635:.
609:.
603:.
583:.
560:^
545:^
504:.
479:^
441:^
215:.
183:.
168:CB
1066:.
1047:.
1028:.
992:.
988::
982:3
971:.
930:.
705:.
621:.
515:.
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