Down for a Counter Battery Patrol, but not such an busy day today on account of the weather. Greg’s diary verdict was “absolutely nothing doing”, but his sortie involved bombing Greve Farm and a couple of shoot-ups. His threshold of what constituted “something” had obviously risen.
Log Book
Date: 9.7.18 Hour: 7.15 Machine type: RE8 No.: E27 Passenger: Lt Pring Time: 1 hr 30 mins Height: 7000 Course/Remarks: CBP. Low clouds at first. Nothing doing. Eng. missing
Trouble with the engine again.
Diary
Tuesday July 9th 1918. CBP 5.30-8.30. Got off at 7.15 owing to low clouds. Came down at 8.45 – absolutely nothing doing. Went and had a look at the Hun battery I did a shoot on. Seemed to have been very badly knocked about. 4 bombs.
Unfortunately there are no photographs of the badly knocked about Hun battery, the reconnaissance of which didn’t merit an mention in the Squadron Record Book Report:
Squadron Record Book
Type and Number: R.E.8.27 Pilot and Observer: P. Lt Gregory. O. Lt Pring Duty: Artillery Patrol Hour of Start: 7.15am Hour of Return: 8.45am Remarks: 7.35am 4-25lb bombs dropped for farm at K.24.d.4.7. [Greve Farm, just on the northeast edge of Merville] 4 bursts observed, 1 on road at K.24.d.3.8 [behind the farm]. 7.45am called C.W.S. X out. 7.45am sent U.L. F.R. U.D. [Unfit for counter-battery work or photography, but fit for artillery registration] 7.55am 200 rounds L.G. into Goods Station at MERVILLE 8.10am called C.W.S. X out. 8.25am 100 rounds L.G. [Lewis Gun] into CALONNE. No movement of any kind seen. No E.A. or A.A. [Enemy aircraft or anti-aircraft fire] Vis: low clouds at first, fair later. Obs. by P. & O.
Greve Farm
Greve Farm lies on the edge of Merville on Rue Ferdinand Capelle, which goes northeast towards Neuf Berquin. Here is the farm today: