A couple of short Counter Battery/Artillery Patrols today, but Greg’s verdict was “nothing much doing”. Apart from a close encounter with a passing shell, that is.
Log Book
Date: 13.7.18 Hour: 8.30 Machine type: RE8 No.: E27 Passenger: Lt Pring Time: 40 mins Height: 1800 Course/Remarks: CBP. Nothing much doing
Date: 13.7.18 Hour: 9.55 Machine type: RE8 No.: 4962 [sic, probably 2649 intended] Passenger: Lt Hodgson Time: 1 hr 5 m Height: 1800 Course/Remarks: CBP. Nothing much doing
Diary
Saturday July 13th 1918. CBP 8-11 8.30-9.10 & 9.55-11.0 Nothing much doing. Got one fearful bump, machine did a half roll, out of control for a few seconds, Our artillery very active so pressure bump due to a passing shell. Height 1800 ft.
As the following extract from the Squadron Record Book shows, at 1800 ft Greg was flying just below the cloud base at 2000 ft. This is at the low end of the heights flown for counter battery work (more typically 3000 ft or above), and well below the 5000 or 6000 ft flown when directing artillery fire in a shoot. At 1800 ft, it could easily have been a passing howitzer shell from a British battery that passed close by the aircraft – possibly one being fired at sub-square K.36.c, south of Merville – see below.
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: 8.30am Hour of Return: 9.40am Remarks: 8.40am C.W.S. sent X. 8.45am sent U.L. F.R. U.D. C.20. [Unfit for counter battery work or photography; fit for registration of artillery; clouds at 2000 ft] 8.45am fire at FARM at K.16.b.7.4 [Rennet Farm, north of Merville] burnt for over an hour. Vis. fair. Obs. By P. & O.
Type and Number: R.E.8.2649 Pilot and Observer: P. Lt Gregory. O. Lt Hodgson Duty: Artillery Patrol Hour of Start: 9.55am Hour of Return: 11.0am Remarks: 10.25am C.W.S. sent K.35 [south of Merville]. Went over to reconnoitre this square. Flash seen in K.36.c. [also south of Merville] but as this area was being heavily shelled no N.F. [now firing] sent. 10.15am smoke seen on railway near BAC ST MAUR, suspected train. Owing to vis, unable to find out which way it was proceeding. Vis. fair. Obs. By P. & O.
