Where did the term `Warbird` come from?

[DogTailRed2]

and what exactly is a `Warbird` ?

[chevvron]

First mention I heard was from Doug Arnold in the late '70s but it could have been mentioned earlier..

[treadigraph]

Certainly the term featured in several collection names in the US and Australia in late 1960s/early 1970s.

Any ex-military aircraft probably qualifies - Doug Arnold's Warbirds of Great Britain collection ranged from a Sopwith Pup to C-47s and Ju-52s and a Meteor; the ex Dan-Air Comet shoehorned into Blackbushe was probably stretching things a little.

[OUAQUKGF Ops]

Results of a quick search for earliest published reference found:

Firstly as a non-aviation noun:



Next as a Pilot:



Published 1926.





Published 1927.

Popular Comic Title:



Published 1931.



Finally in its most common usage:



Published 1960.

I would be interested to see if anybody can dig up any earlier references.

[Quemerford]

Worth pointing out that "GREAT WAR BIRD" is, Great War...bird, not "great War Bird". In other words it's a bird from the Great War.

But none of those are "warbird".

[bobward]

Quemerford,
You're not my old English Master, are you?

[OUAQUKGF Ops]

Originally Posted by Quemerford

Worth pointing out that "GREAT WAR BIRD" is, Great War...bird, not "great War Bird". In other words it's a bird from the Great War.

But none of those are "warbird".

Ah yes but the question on the header of this thread was: Where did the term `Warbird` come from? in other words from what was it derived ? I suspect probably from the indigenous inhabitants of North America. Later I've dug out the origin of the noun War Bird as quoted by the OED in my previous post, which I fully realize is not Warbird and has nothing to do with aeroplanes whatsoever, from Catharine Parr Traill's book 'Pearls and Pebbles' first published in 1894. Newly married Mrs Traill and her husband emigrated from Suffolk to Canada in 1832. She was an amateur botanist and naturalist and published several books.

[treadigraph]

Originally Posted by treadigraph

the ex Dan-Air Comet shoehorned into Blackbushe was probably stretching things a little.

...though, come to think of it, G-BDIT was purchased by Dan-Air from the RAF!