Another day, another shoot, another Merville bridge knocked about: this time, the Pont de Pierre road bridge after yesterday’s railway bridge. Not brought down, but still rendered impassable, in another successful partnership with 213 Siege Battery RGA. Then an abortive trip to Fauquembergues, and the day finished with a couple of practice night landings.
Log Book
Date: 19.7.18 Hour: 11.0-2.0 Machine type: RE8 RE8: E27 Observer: Lt. Hodgson Time: 3 hrs Height: 3000 Course/Remarks: Shoot & Photos. Successful. (213 SB on bridge) 4 bomb
Date: 19.7.18 Hour: 5.30-6.5 Machine type: RE8 RE8: E27 Observer: Maitland Time: 35 mins Height: 2000 Course/Remarks: To Fauquembergues Aerodrome with Maitland
Date: 19.7.17 Time: 10.30pm Rounds: - Bombs: - RE8: E27 Observer: Lt. Hodgson Time: 15 m Height: 800 Course/Remarks: Two night landings
Diary
Friday July 19th. Shoot and photos. 213 SB on another bridge near Merville. Bridge badly damaged at Eastern end. Took some photos of it. In evening took Maitland to Fauquembergues Aerodrome, did not land because there was no wind indicator. Dropped 4 Coopers. Bullet through fuselage from ground.
Squadron Record Book
Type and Number: R.E.8.27 Pilot and Observer: P. Lt Gregory. O. Lt Hodgson Duty: Destr. Shoot 213 S.B. (8” How) on Bridge at K.29.c.7.2. [see below] Hour of Start: 10.55 Hour of Return: 13.55 Remarks: SUCCESSFUL. Called up 10.55. K. 10.57. L. 11.0. G. 11.4. V. 12.17. Time G. to V. 1 Hr 13 mins. [This was the time between the first signal to fire, and the Battery Commander being satisfied that the guns are ranged.] OBSERVED:- 2 M.B.9. 9 Y. 4 Z. 13 A. 4 B. 8 W. 38 ranging rounds. 4 M.O.K. sent during B.F. [The mean points of impact of four salvos during battery fire were direct hits.] Bridge hit on Eastern end. Not down. Road at Western end rendered impassable. Sent C.I. Eng. [going home, engine trouble] 13.45. Shoot by P. Height 2/3000’. MISC INF. 11.3. 4-25lb bombs dropped at K.29.c.5.5. [see below] All bursts observed. 11.10. fire at K.29.a.5.9. [see below] burning continuously. 12.10. C.W.S. sent X. 12.25. 1 E.K.B. [enemy kite balloon] N. of ESTAIRES
Pont de Pierre – The Bridge at K.29.c.7.2
The Pont de Pierre is a road and pedestrian bridge over La Bourre, a tributary stream to the River Lys. It was navigable, with the remains of lock gates just as it joins the Lys still present, and heads upstream to the northwest to connect with the Canal du Pré-à-Vin and the Canal de la Nieppe at La Motte-au-Bois in the Nieppe Forest. Ultimately the Canal de la Nieppe rejoins the canalised Lys, near Aire-sur-la-Lys.
The road carried by the Pont de Pierre is the road west from Merville to Haverskerque and Aire (and at the time to the German front line at Le Sart). To the east of the bridge the road is the Rue du Pont de Pierre, and to the west it is today the Rue de Maréchal Joffre.
The bridge was disabled by the shoot – probably by one or more of the four salvos whose men point of impact was a direct hit. Greg was directing fire from a lower altitude than yesterday (3,000 ft as opposed to 7,000 ft). Although no doubt this gave him a better view, his more privileged vantage point came at a cost, as bullet through the fuselage from the ground bore witness.
The Evidence
Here is one of the photos that Greg took of it, at 2:45pm, after the shoot:
To show the damage more clearly, here are magnified details of (a) a photo taken yesterday and (b) the above photo:
Pont de Pierre today
Unsurprisingly, the bridge has since been rebuilt, probably more than once. Today, it is decked with flowers and calmly carries cars and cyclists going about their business in Merville, without any visible memory of the destruction that rained down on the old bridge on the site 100 years ago:
Shoots
More details on shoots can be found here:
And for the rest of the day…
Greg had an abortive trip taking Lt. Maitland for Fauquemberges, and coming back because there was no wind indicator, which was needed for a safe landing. But it was only 11 miles (18 km) in each direction.
And before retiring for the night, Greg practised a couple of night time landings.