Fairey's wartime origins in naval aircraft production

Charles Fairey's attempt to enter military service instead led officials to encourage him to design and build aircraft. A subcontract for twelve Short 827 seaplanes gave the new company its opening and tied it to the Royal Naval Air Service from the beginning. The F.2 then demonstrated the danger of anticipating a land-based maritime-patrol requirement before the necessary bases and support system existed. Fairey No. 10 mattered far more because its design lineage developed into the Fairey III family and, through successive generations, toward the Swordfish.