The Bristol Bulldog was designed by Captain Frank S. Barnwell as a single-seat, interceptor fighter at a time when British air strategy was undergoing radical change. During the seven years (hat followed the end of World War I, great reliance had been placed on standing patrols of radio-equipped lighters such as the Glostcr Gamecock and the Armstrong Whitworth Siskin, which were able to deal adequately with the lumbering bombers oа the period.

These obsolescent fighters served long after they should have been replaced, but the fault did not all lie at the Air Ministry's door, for extreme government economy had forced them to rely upon versatility and serviceability at the expense of performance. A succession of fighter specifications had produced some excellent ideas, but lack of money resulted in the majority remaining as drawing-board designs.

Profile Publications 6 

The Bristol Bulldog