Sidney Cotton

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Frederick Sidney Cotton (17 June 1894 - 13 February 1969) was an Australian inventor, photographer and aviation and photography pioneer, responsible for developing and promoting an early colour film process, and largely responsible for the development of photographic reconnaissance before and during World War II. He numbered among his close friends George Eastman, Ian Fleming and Winston Churchill.

Cotton was educated at The Southport School in Queensland and later led a colourful and eventful life. He started a number of enterprises, including an airborne seal-spotting service in Newfoundland. His experience of high level and low-temperature flying led him to develop the "Sidcot" suit, a flying suit later used by the RAF.

Shortly before the Second World War, Cotton was recruited by MI6 to take aerial photographs of the German military buildup, using his status as a wealthy and prominent private aviator currently promoting his film business (and using a series of other subterfuges). He equipped a Lockheed Electra Junior with three F-24 cameras concealed by panels which could be slid aside by and operated by pressing a button under the pilot's seat, and a Leica behind a similar panel in the wings. Cabin air was diverted to prevent the cameras freezing. He took his secretary along, and she, too, took photographs in flight. Although his flight plans were dictated by the German government, he consistently managed to get away with flying off-track over the target military installations. He had a very persuasive manner.

On one occasion he managed to engineer a "joy-ride" over German military airfield accompanied by senior Luftwaffe officer Albert Kesselring. With Kesselring at the controls, Cotton reached under his seat, operated the cameras, and captured the airfield on film. Cotton later offered to fly Hermann Goering to London for talks a week before the start of the War, and claimed that his was the last civilian aircraft to leave Berlin before the outbreak of hostilities. One biography is titled The Last Plane Out of Berlin.

Cotton's aerial photographs were so far in advance of the state of the art that he was recruited to the fledgeling Photographic Development Unit at Hendon, which later became the RAF's 1 Photographic Reconnaissance Unit. They were originally equipped with Bristol Blenheims but Cotton considered these quite unsuitable, being far too slow, so soon wheedled a couple of Spitfires. These Spitfires, later augmented by de Havilland Mosquitos, were steadily adapted to fly higher and faster, with a highly-polished surface, a special blue camouflage scheme developed by Cotton himself, and a series of modifications to the engines to produce more power at high altitudes. Together with 1 PRU Cotton pioneered the techniques of high-altitude high-speed stereoscopic photography that were instrumental in revealing the locations of many crucial military and intelligence targets. RV Jones recounts in his memoirs how these photographs were used to establish the size and the characteristic launching mechanisms for both the V1 and the V2.

Sidney Cotton spent the time after the World War II in the service of the last Nizam of Hyderabad. He was thought to be responsible for carrying money and valuables to Pakistan and weapons and ammunition for the Nizam's army. He was responsible for having blown up many bridges to slow down the advance of the Indian Army during Operation Polo, the annexation or liberation of Hyderabad State by India.

Although Cotton was very rich at some times in his life , his business dealings were dogged by bad luck and (in at least one case) doubtful behaviour by a business partner. He was reluctant to profiteer from his wartime innovations (waiving his patent rights on the Sidcot suit). As with many buccaneering Wartime spirits, the postwar environment did not suit him at all. He dabbled in oil exploration, civil engineering and even gun-running, but died penniless in London.

The only known monument is a plaque marking his grave at Tallegalla cemetery near Brisbane.