To tell the story of Naval aviation from the end of the First World War to the present requires a book but, within the confines of this short article, I shall hope to trace the changing pattern of Naval aviation in this country against the background of the aircraft which were developed and used, the carriers, the catapults and the miscellany of equipment. I shall omit the technical details of the aircraft themselves, because to include them would add greatly to the length and the details are, in any case, available in the usual reference books.