AIRCRAFT COLOURS AND MARKINGS OF THE FIRST
WORLD WAR ERA
No.141(HD) Sqn RFC/RAF
No.141(HD) Sqn was formed in January 1918 as a home defence squadron.
Among their early aircraft were at least nine Sopwith Dolphins which were
under evaluation for their value in the night-fighting role. By the end
of March it had been determined that they were unacceptable as a night
fighter and they were replaced by the Bristol F2b in early April.
Modifications for the nightfighting role usually included navigation
lights on wing tips and rudder, underwing flare brackets and overpainting
of the white in the national markings.
The Dolphin shown below is listed in various sources as serving with
No.141 Sqn, however it is not among the nine known serials. Its first
mention in the serial list is as rebuild in March 1918 and on its way
to No.91 Sqn. To back up the claim to belong to No.141, another Dolphin
which did serve there -C3901 - was photographed beside C3803 in similar
markings, whether the red (or black) star was a unit marking is unknown.

Sopwith 5F1 Dolphin C3803
January-March 1918
Source: Dolphin Datafile
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Sopwith 5F1 Dolphin C3813
No.141 Sqn RFC
March 1918
Source: RAFM/CCI Dolphin Book
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Bristol F2b C923
Source: Bristol F2b Datafile
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