Sopwith Snipe Herbert Smith, the chief designer of the Sopwith Company, began to design a fighter intended to be the replacement for Sopwith's most famous aeroplane, the successful Sopwith Camel. The resultant design, called Snipe by Sopwith, was in its initial form a single-bay biplane, slightly smaller than the Camel, and intended to be powered by similar engines. The pilot sat higher than in the Camel while the centre-section of the upper wing was uncovered, giving a better view from the cockpit. Armament was to be two Vickers machine guns. In the absence of an official order, Sopwith began construction of two
Thomas M. Harries Thomas M. Harries Lieutenant Thomas Montagu Harries was a Scottish World War I flying ace credited with 11 aerial victories. He was the second scoring ace using the Sopwith 1½ Strutter; he then also became an ace on the Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a. Harries was posted to No. 45 Squadron as an observer on Sopwith 1½ Strutter two-seater fighter aircraft, with the rank of corporal. On 9 May 1917, he was being piloted in Strutter serial number A963 when he used his gunnery skills to set a German Albatros D.III fighter afire in the sky west of Menin for his