Although Greg’s ‘bus’ – RE8 E27 – had had its propeller fixed, all was still not well, as the engine was backfiring. But what seems to have been the decisive factor in making the morning’s scheduled Counter Battery Patrol a washout was the weather. The day improved with a ‘jolly good shoot’ with 174 Siege Battery (6″ Howitzers) in the evening.
Log Book
Date: 8.7.18 Hour: 8. Machine type: RE8 No.: E27 Passenger: Lt Pring Time: 30 mins Height: 2000 Course/Remarks: CBP. Heavy fog. Came down. Eng. Pretty dud.
Date: 8.7.18 Hour: 6.30 Machine type: RE8 No.: E27 Passenger: Lt Pring Time: 2 hr 10 mins Height: 5000 Course/Remarks: Shoot with 174. Successful. Eng. missing
Diary
Monday July 8th 1918. CBP 8-11. Very cloudy & misty, took off without bombs & went to look at the line & came back after 30 minutes. Engine missing, seemed inclined to backfire. 6.30pm. Went up and did a shoot on a Hun battery at K.35.d.1.2 Jolly good shoot. Both pits badly knocked about, one direct hit on one, which went up in the air. One shell dropped in the river, great big column of water about 500 ft.
The Hun battery that was the target of the ‘jolly good shoot’ with 174 Siege Battery RGA was on the southern edge of Merville, just above what is now Merville-Calonne Airport. Its position is shown on the following map, along with the positions of the house and factory referred to in the Squadron Record Book report below.
Squadron Record Book
Type and Number: R.E.8.27 Pilot and Observer: P. Lt Gregory. O. Lt Pring Duty: Art Obs 174 S.B. (6” How) on H.B. at K.35.d.10.20 Hour of Start: 6.40pm Hour of Return: 8.30pm Remarks: SUCCESSFUL. Called up 6.50pm. K. 6.52pm. L 6.54. G. 6.58. V 8.0. Time G. to V. 1 hr 2 mins. [time taken to range guns] OBSERVED:- M.A.9. M.A.2. 1 O.K. 12.A. 13 B. 12 C. 1 D. 39 ranging rounds. 2 M.O.K. during B.F. [Two mean points of impact of salvos were direct hits during battery fire] Both pits badly damaged. Fire caused in house at K.35.b.5.2. Shoot by P. Height 5000’. MISC INF. 6.50pm large fire in Factory at K.35.b.4.4. burning continuously. 200 rounds fired into MERVILLE STATION. Vis. fair. Obs. By P. & O.
More details about shoots and how to interpret Squadron Record Book reports of them: