Diary And Letters Of A World War I Fighter Pilot, The (16 page)

There is snow on the ground today – it is jolly cold & I am on a Reserve Patrol for 2 hours in the afternoon! Gee! This does not mean crossing the Lines though but still it will be some chilly! It was dud this morning but it has cleared up in time for “A” Flight's show – it always does! I have read “The Airman's Outing” it is a topping yarn & absolutely realistic, you ought to read it. The writer has a profound respect & lasting hatred for the “Villain Archibald” – he says the only [two] “marked cards” you have to contend with in the gentle game of War Flying are the Ace of Clubs – as representing the Hun Aircraft & the Knave Archibald. He used to be an “Observer” in No 70 when they had Sopwith two-seaters & mentions Trollope in the book, referring to him as the “Tripe Hound”. The bombers he refers to are No 27, Jack Gilmour's old Squadron. My chin is quite all right now. I have just been looking over my “bus” & testing the adjustments of the sights & etc. All my three mascots are going strong & have so far been very efficacious! I went to Kirk last night & had a very nice service & stayed to H.C. [Holy Communion] after, that has always proved a very sure safeguard to me & I am sure it always will.

Bunsoy.

 

DIARY Monday 17th December

On Res: Patrol from 2 till 3.30. Dud all morning. Beastly and vilely cold! 2 hour show, 6 E.A. seen, we retired! Joined in scrap – Nieuports v Albatross. Kelsey shot him down in flames West of Houltem near Ypres Canal. I didn't get down.

To tea with No 1. The Hun fought jolly well and was Lt Voss who had got 17 of our machines. Lecture na poo. Read in evening. Great show tomorrow.

 

65 Squadron.

I am afraid I missed the post again today. Some more thrills!

Yesterday we did a Reserve Patrol; this does not incur crossing the Lines. It was a two hours show & most frantically cold, everything froze – the breath on my face mask & chin piece – & my guns, but they got all right again. Just at the finish we saw some Nieuports scrapping some Albatross Scouts. We dived down but I couldn't get a shot in. Then I saw the Hun do a roll & then go down in a spin firing his guns all the way – the Nieuport followed him & then I saw the Albatross go down in flames. Then we returned about frozen stiff. The Hun was a jolly good sportsman & fought jolly well, he looked something like this going down:-

Then today – a translucently clear day – as is usual when “A” Flight has a show
and
cold as cold! I was on another R. Patrol from 10.30 till 12.30 another 2 hour show! About frozen again! No scrap this time but we saw a few Huns.

Then the great show this afternoon. At 2.pm every available Camel in the Squadron under the leadership of the C.O. went out on a pukkah offensive patrol over a big town about 4½ miles over the Lines. We chased 3 Albatrii, evidently decoys. Then about 6 came down from above & there began the very deuce of a scrap! The whole sky was a tangled mass of Camels & Albatrii, Tracer bullets & Archie (who was determined not to lose any of the fun!). The first thing I saw was a Camel who afterwards turned out to be a man Sage [2nd Lieutenant D.M. Sage, G.L.] – going down in flames. Enter Albatrii with tumult! I shot furiously at anything with crosses on it. Then I got two on my tail & turning round saw 2 Huns simply streaming with tracer bullets apparently destined for me! So I swerved off! The Camels were now all split up so I went back to the Lines & joined the C.O. Presently Old Bill joined us & we went back. Turning again for the Lines I saw O.B. suddenly do a sharp turn (I was just below him) and then I saw an Albatross dive on his tail. So I shot him off his tail. Then he turned onto my tail but I turned round & faced him & let him have it as hard as I could. His nose tipped down & he went down in a vertical dive. O.B. followed him down & finished him off when he came out of his dive. Meanwhile the C.O. had sailed on obliviously. I followed him & presently another Hun dived on me & let drive but he shortly turned back owing to the presence of other “Camels”. The C.O. didn't know there was a Hun there. Then we wandered round & dived on 3 more Hun two-seaters who hove off. Then we wandered back. Total casualties Sage in flames & 2 missing [2nd Lieutenant R.H. Cowan, G.L. and 2nd Lieutenant J.D. Cameron, G.L., both prisoners]. Gilmour shot down 2 Huns, the C.O. two Huns (one fell to bits) & Bill & I one. Gee! It was some merry little scrap & I really quite enjoyed it. I got 2 holes in my plane. The Hun was all out for a scrap today & he jolly well got it! Well bestest love from

The Bunsoy.

 

DIARY Tuesday 18th December

Up on Res: patrol from 10.30 – 12. Very cold. Huns seen well east a few two-seaters over the lines. No scrap – archied near Didmal. 17 machines upon O.P. at 2pm. led by the C.O. Huge scrap with Albatri. Sage shot down in flames, 2 missing from “C” Flight. The C.O. got 2 Huns, Gilmour got 2 Huns, Bill and I got one between us. I shot it off his tail and it went down vertically, Bill followed it down. The C.O. never saw it at all! Dove on four two-seaters but they got away.

Moore & Kelsey in to dinner bearing trophies of the Hun. Starry night. Standing by tomorrow at 6.30! ****!!

Albatross Scout D.Va and R.E.8

65 Squadron

I do have rotten luck, after doing 2 shows yesterday I was down for a standby at 7.a.m. this morning & so got up in case one of their machines went dud & wouldn't start. They nearly always do start – but of course this morning one didn't! Freezing hard on the ground but it wasn't very cold upstairs! Then I was up again after Gothas this morning but saw nothing. I am going up again on an Offensive Patrol this afternoon. I seem to do nothing but fly!

Jack Gilmour is in our Squadron & is O.C. “C” Flight. Weedon [Captain L.S. Weedon, Royal Fusiliers; ex-O.C. “C” Flight] has got Jaundice & has gone home. I have been transferred to “C” Flight as they are short of old pilots [GMK is just 18!]. They nearly made me leave Pooh-Bah in “A” & have another “bus” but I simply stuck at that! I am rather fed up at leaving “A” Flight but still Jack Gilmour is a jolly good leader.

That Hun the Nieuports brought down the day before yesterday which I saw going down in flames turns out to have been a Lt. Voss brother of the famous “Voss” & he had brought down 17 Allied “buses”. Yesterday a R.E.8 brought down an Albatross. The pilot was slightly wounded & he landed in our Lines. They got the Albatross intact & I went to see it today. It's a lovely machine beautifully streamlined. The fuselage is all covered in 3-ply wood & has a 160 [h.p.] Mercedes engine & 2 Spandau machine guns – but rotten sights. O.B. is out of hospital & quite all right again now.

Bunsoy.

 

DIARY Wednesday 19th December

On Reserve for “C” Flight at 7.30. An engine wouldn't start and I had to go up! I was fed up! Vilely cold, no scrap. Up after Gothas in morning. Cloudy, no Gothas seen. O.P. in afternoon. Whole squadron. No Scrap, went into 3's. Some E.A. seen but not attacked. I in ‘C' Flight now! ****!

Jolly tired and fed up in general. Bed in office taking Balfour's place as O.O.

 

65 Squadron

I did that last off: pat: yesterday afternoon under Jack Gilmour's leading. We saw 5 Albatrii well above us but they didn't dive on us & we couldn't get up to them so we let things be. It was pretty thick low down with a thick mist & we nearly got lost coming home. I enclose a Brigade Xmas card,
not
my design!

I was jolly tired last night having done nearly 10 hours in the last three days including one massive battle! Today we were down for another comic Squadron Formation but praise be to Allah! – there is such a fog on that you can't see 50 yds so we got a day's rest. I am pretty glad of it too! This is the coldest day we have had yet but there is no wind & it is quite pleasant. Well this letter will be to wish you dear people the very happiest Christmas & the best of New Years – let's hope that 1918 will see the end of this beastly affair! I will write to all the sisters & hope you will choose some decent presents for them from me, I haven't had time to go down town lately – mind you get yourselves decent presents.

Another man Symons has gone on leave – I guess I ought to get mine at the end of January. Well dears it is time to knock off. I am very fit & happy. The very best of Xmas wishes & God bless you all, from your very own

Bunsoy.

 

DIARY Thursday 20th December

Thick fog all day. No flying at all. Freezing hard. The Warwicks in to dinner and 5 M.A.C. and the Bedfords Col. Huge night! I sang “Annie Lawrie” and a “Wee Deoch and Doris” then we had “Naval No 3” & ”The ‘Arf Pint” & “The Muffin Man”. Everyone got tight; it finished up with the Col. of the Bedfords lying flat on his tummy in the middle of the road at 12.20, armed with a light imitating a machine gun!

 

65 Squadron

Thanks so much for your two letters, also for Dad's!

It was dud all yesterday for which many thanks! We had a great guest night last night. I went to the concert in the Town before dinner; it was quite a good show. Then I came back & found 3 R.A.M.C. Captains & 2 Colonels of other regiments in to dinner. After dinner we all sang songs & most people got a bit merry. I sang “A Wee Deoch & Doris” & “Annie Laurie” amid loud applause. Then we sang “Do You know the Muffin Man that Lives in 65?” One man goes up to another & sings that line, then that man sings “Yes I know the Muffin Man” & he links arms with the first & the two go round to someone else. Finally the whole room has joined up & I found myself with one arm in the C.O.'s & the other in a Colonel's capering madly round the room all shouting – “We all know the Muffin Man that lives in 65.” It was simply priceless. Then they left. Just outside the gate Colonel --- proceeded to drill the others. Then I & some others marched along the road – the Colonel then yelled out “Take cover” & all the comic old Captains madly ran to the sides of the road – the sight of Col. --- lying flat on his tummy at 12.30 a.m. armed with a flash light & making a noise like a machine gun in the middle of the road struck me as being the funniest thing I had ever seen.

Fortunately today was absolutely dud – thick fog & very cold. I was sent down to No 1 A.S.D. [Aircraft Supply Depot?] to collect a Camel but we had lunch in a town half way & as it was very dud in the afternoon we came back. I had tea with No 1. Please always pray for an East wind, that means it blows you back towards your own lines. A West wind is the one we all hate. The fog is still thick & there is every chance of a dud day tomorrow Wot Ho!!

Well bestest love from the Bunsoy.

 

DIARY Friday 21st December

Freezing hard all day. Fog still pretty thick all day. Sent to Serny to collect. Lunch in Ami [?]. Got very thick in afternoon and so we came back. Moore came with us.

Tea with No 1. Major Carter in to dinner. Bed 11.30. Very cold.

Enclosed is cheque for £3 for the Xmas presents; I am afraid the ash tray won't be ready for a while yet but I will send it along when it is. By the way will you please send me that pair of “Issue” flying gloves – leather outside sheepskin within – there is a new issue of very warm ones & I have got a pair but I have to return the others.

The cowling of the “bus” is the round tin guard which goes round the engine in a rotary engined bus. Yesterday as I told you there was no flying at all & it was freezing pretty hard all the while. Today the frost is gone & it is fairly clear with a layer of clouds at about 5000 [feet]. I went down to No 1 A.S.D. [Aircraft Supply Depot?] which is 15 miles West of this at 8.a.m. this morning & collected a Camel. I then went up on a Reserve Patrol from 11 till 12.30. I saw a good few Huns but as I lost the rest of the formation in the clouds I didn't attack any. There is another Off. Pat. from 3 – 4 this afternoon but I am not going up as I have done more flying lately than most people! Loud applause!

Jenkins my best friend at Croydon is coming here, isn't it topping. O.B. came out of hospital about 3 weeks ago, didn't I tell you? I don't think Wigg will get anything for his Huns.

Will you please write & ask Cox how my accounts stand; I have given up keeping them in French money as a bad job!

Bunsoy

 

DIARY Saturday 22nd December

Up at 7.15 and by tender to Serny to collect ‘Camel'. Thick at first but cleared up. On Res: Patrol 11-12.30. Lost Formation. Saw some Huns – no scrap. O.P. from 3-4. Rumoured Hun push on! No E.A. at all save one 2 seater, no scrap. Shot up trenches at Hollebeke. Jack got lost and crashed at Hazebrouck.

Read after dinner. Another ‘tea party' tomorrow. Heaven send ‘dud' weather!

 

65 Squadron