The production specification for the Gauntlet was issued in 1926. It called for an aircraft capable of achieving 250 mph but it was 1932 before an engine of reasonable power was developed. However, this model (J9125) could only deliver 212mph at 14,500 feet using a Mercury VIS. The Mercury VIS2 was substituted in 1933 but the weight penalty incurred by the bigger engine plus twin Vickers guns, 1,200 rounds, radio, oxygen, night flying equipment with a take off fuel load of 81 gallons and 6 gallons of oil meant only a few extra mph could be achieved … but it was still about 40mph faster than the aircraft it was to replace the Bristol Bulldog.

The Gauntlet ll evolved during the next four years until, by 1938, fourteen home-based RAF squadrons were equipped with Gauntlets which, by then, had a far better power-plant and armaments. By the time WW2 began on 3 September 1939, Gauntlets were being phased out by the RAF in lieu of the newly produced Gloster Gladiator.

At the time that 3 Squadron arrived in the Middle East (23 August 1940), some ‘left-over’ Gauntlets were made available to the new RAAF arrivals and thus the deployment flight was formed.

Interestingly, the last known use of Gauntlets by the RAF was in 1943 when, due to a shortage of replacement Gladiators in East Africa, 4 Gauntlets were delivered to 1414 Met. Flight at Eastleigh. It has been said that these may have been from the ‘left-overs’ who had survived the early 1940s.

The Gauntlets we used were withdrawn on 13 November, 1940 due to unavailability of spare parts and the personnel returned to 3 Squadron at Gerawla where the squadron was then engaged in action with Gloster Gladiators.

The Gauntlet looked similar to the Gladiators pictured above but they had an open-cockpit without a canopy.