Armoured cars and boats within the Royal Naval Air Service

The Royal Naval Air Service maintained an armoured-car force during the First World War. Its work is described as recovering aircrew brought down in or near no man's land. Operations across rivers created a need for a boat unit within the armoured-car organisation. This produces the unusual institutional arrangement of a naval air service containing a land force with its own water transport. The personnel distinction is stressed: this was a Royal Navy formation, rather than a Royal Marine unit. Marines serving in it are described as personnel seconded through the air service, particularly navigators whose skills could also guide armoured cars. The example shows how operational tasks could reshape service organisation during war.