In today’s show we have Dr Jim Beach talking about the role aircraft played in intelligence gathering during the First World War. From as early as September 1914, aerial reconnaissance was playing a significant role in finding the German army on the Western Front, and by 1918 aerial photography was capturing around 20,000 images per month, which is a truly staggering figure.

Dr Beach previously served as an Officer in the Royal Marines, before ending his military career as an Army Education Officer. Jim now works as senior lecturer in history at the University of Northampton. Jim’s research focuses on military intelligence during the First World War, so he’s ideally placed to tell us about the early uses and significance of aerial ISR.