A windy day, and a ‘hot air’ take off. Greg is relieved not to have to do a shoot in the evening.
Log Book
Date: 21.7.17
Time: 7.50
Rounds: -
Bombs: -
RE8: 2517
Observer: Lt. Hodgson
Time: 50 m
Height: 3000
Course/Remarks: Attempted shoot with 237 SB. Unsucc.
Diary
Sunday July 21st. Very windy all day.
At 8pm, hot-aired up into the atmosphere to do a shoot. To my great relief the battery did not take any notice of my signals when I called them up, so tootled back home again.
Greg’s partnership with 213 Siege Battery has another successful day, with a shoot that silenced a German battery just off the Rue Barra, northeast of Merville. It was to be Greg’s longest sortie of the war. He went to see the battery in the afternoon, and had a look round nearby St Venant.
Saturday July 20th. Did a shoot with 213 SB on a Hun battery in L26a [sic, probably L25a intended].
Went to see them after, & explored St. Venant. Scrounged some furniture from some of the remains of houses.
Squadron Record Book
Type and Number: R.E.8.27
Pilot and Observer: P. Lt Gregory. O. Lt Hodgson
Duty: Art Obs 213 S.B. (8” How) on H.B. at L.25.a.29.15 [Northeast of Merville, south of the Rue Barra]
Hour of Start: 9.40
Hour of Return: 13.20
Remarks: SUCCESSFUL. Called up 9.47. K. 9.50. L. 9.54. G. 9.55. V. 11.20. Time G. to V. 1 hr 24 mins. [This was the time between the first signal to fire, and the Battery Commander being satisfied that the guns are ranged.]
OBSERVED:- M.B.9. M.A.9. 1 Y. 1 Z. 10 A. 11 B. 12 C. 23 W. Battery apparently stopped firing. 58 ranging rounds. 4 M.O.K. during B.F. [The mean points of impact of four salvos during battery fire were direct hits.] No 1 & 2 Pits hit and damaged. 12.50. fire in house at L.26.a.8.6. C.I. Pet sent 13.3. [going home, running out of petrol] Shoot by P. Height 6000’.
MISC INF. 9.50. 3 E.K.B. S and 9 N. of ESTAIRES. Fire K.29.b.75.70. and at K.29.a.5.9. 9.57. fire at L.7.a.3.7. and at Q.4.c.4.2. 10.35 large fire F.14.b.2.8. 11.25. explosion Q.6.d.central. 11.37. explosion L.27.d.3.5. 11.50. large fire L.27.d.3.5. 12.9. fire L.27.d.2.3. 12.15. C.W.S. sent L.C. Vis. good. Obs. By P. & O.
Where Was the Hostile Battery?
There’s something of a discrepancy between Greg’s Log Book and Diary on the one hand and the Squadron Record Book entry on the other. Greg has the hostile battery at L.26.a (a 500 yard x 500 yard square), and the SRB has it at L.25.a.29.15. So it was probably either at L.25.a.29.15 or L.26.a.29.15, which is 1,000 yards away. But which is right? Well, after all this time, who can really say? But my vote goes for L.25.a.29.15, because a 1:20,000 ‘Harassing Fire’ trench map dated 27 June 1918 has German earthworks marked at that position but nothing at the corresponding L.26.a position. Not definitive, of course, but the best we can do.
Wherever the target battery was, the shoot was a success. The battery was silenced, no doubt aided by the four salvos that were direct hits during the time that 213 SB was firing for effect. Eventually, Greg signalled that he was going home because he was short of fuel. Not a great surprise after 3 hours 15 minutes in position. This would be Greg’s longest sortie, at 3 hours 40 minutes including travelling time.
Visit to 213 Siege Battery and St. Venant
Greg was probably well received by 213 Siege Battery RGA, since they had had three extremely productive days working together: taking down the railway bridge in Merville on 18 July 1918, rendering the Pont de Pierre unusable yesterday, and taking out a hostile battery today. Judging from some remarks Greg was to make later, 213 SB seem to have been located somewhere around the village of Haverskerque, a few miles west of Merville on the north bank of the Lys, just above St Venant:
So he was probably in good spirits for his visit St. Venant, which had been – and would again become – a delightful small town. When Greg was there, it had been badly knocked about, with many houses ruined. At least he could scrounge some furniture with impunity.
St. Venant is the home of Le Manoir de la Peylouse, a characterful guest house with a rich history. It played various roles in the Great War, and managed to escape destruction. By 1918, when Greg was there, La Peylouse was the headquarters of the Portuguese Expeditionary Force, under the command of General Fernando Tamagnini de Abreu e Silva. General Haig frequently visited General Tamagnini. A young officer of the Royal Welch Fusiliers – one Siegfried Sassoon – was known to have spent some time there, and wrote his poem ‘The Dug-Out‘ in the enchanting garden of La Peylouse.
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.
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:
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.
Greg has a hugely successful shoot today with 213 Siege Battery (SB), bringing down the Merville railway bridge over the River Lys. He was sufficiently proud of the day’s work to go back and take some photos to prove it.
Thursday July 18th. Shoot & photos (3 hrs). Shoot on bridge this side of Merville. Brought bridge down and went over and took some photos to prove it. 213 SB.
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.35.a.4.7.
Hour of Start: 15.15
Hour of Return: 18.15
Remarks: SUCCESSFUL. Called up 15.15. K. 15.20. L. 15.22. G. 15.26. V. 16.10. Time G. to V. 44 minutes. [This was the time between the first signal to fire, and the Battery Commander being satisfied that the guns are ranged. 44 minutes was fairly brisk.]
OBSERVED:- M.A.6. M.B.3. 2 Y. 4 Z. 16 A. 5 B. 7 D. 34 ranging rounds. 5 M.O.K. sent during B.F. [The mean points of impact of five salvos during battery fire were direct hits.] Bridge broken at Southern end. 15.50. fire on canal bank at K.35.a.5.7 [just to the east of the bridge on the northern bank]. 16.3. fire by house at K.35.a.4.8 [close by the canal bank fire]. C.I. [going home] sent 16.45.
Photos. 10 plates exposed over target during and after shoot. Vis. good. Obs. By P. & O.
Merville Railway Bridge
The railway lines at Merville formed two of the three routes linking Armentières and Lille to the east with the important junction at Hazebrouck to the northwest, which the Germans had tried and failed to reach during Operation Georgette of the Spring Offensives.
As this ‘Lines of Communication’ map extract shows, one line ran west from Armentières following the Lys to Merville, where there was a junction. The Lys valley line continued west along the Lys to St. Venant and then joined the northerly running line from Béthune and Lillers to Hazebrouck. A single track branch line left the Lys valley line in west Merville, crossed the Lys and went northeast through the Nieppe Forest taking a more direct route to Hazebrouck. From April 1918 this branch line supplied the German trenches and back areas that were to the north and west of Merville.
It was the bridge that carried the branch line over the River Lys that Greg and 213 Siege Battery brought down 100 years ago today.
Aerial Views – Then and Now
Greg took this photo after shoot, when the bridge had been broken. It is timed at 6pm. The light was good, and the shadows from the sun (in the west, at the top of the photo) are strong:
Before looking at the bridge in more detail, here is a corresponding present day aerial view from Google maps, with the line of the railways marked in red:
Now, zooming in to the bridge in the 1918 photo:
In this image, the break in the bridge can just about be made out from the difference in the way the light falls. The break is at the Southern end, to the left in the photo.
Ground Views – Then and Now
Looking East
This picture really shows the result of the day’s shoot. Showing the broken bridge from ground level, the official photographer took the following photo after the liberation of Merville by the British in August 1918. It is taken along the line of the white arrow in the aerial photo above, looking east along the northern bank of the canalised River Lys (La Digue de Flandres):
And here, though you wouldn’t guess it, is the view from the same spot in 2018. Not only have the bridge and abutments gone completely, the vegetation has grown up:
To get a better sense of how the river looks today at the where the bridge was, here is a long-lens shot taken from further upstream (west, towards St. Venant and Aire-sur-la-Lys) but in the same direction:
Looking West
Finally, the following photo from the IWM’s collection shows, in April 1918, the southern abutment of the bridge while it was still intact. It was taken from the opposite bank of the River (La Digue d’Artois), looking west from the opposite side of the bridge. Irish troops of the British Army (7/8 Royal Inniskillings) were defending Merville railway bridge during the Battle of the Lys. (I’m grateful to Charles E. Mac Kay for letting me know the regiment. His great uncle, Lance Corporal Pat Cogan is the stretcher bearer with a moustache and wearing a helmet sitting, facing the camera. Sadly after the picture was taken he was badly wounded and died at Le Cateau military hospital.)
Again, the view from almost the same place 100 years later is hard to recognise. This photo was taken a few paces back from the 1918 one to give some context: the bridge, abutment, and embankment would have been between the first two lampposts. The view is still west along the southern bank of the Lys (La Digue d’Artois):
After a couple of weeks on other duties, it’s back to shoots today. Greg observes and directs the fire of 323 Siege Battery RGA on a position just south of Merville station, while simultaneously undertaking some counter-battery patrol work.
Wednesday July 17th. C.B.P. & Shoot. 4 Coopers. Did the shoot, but after about half an hour’s firing for effect, battery started using only one gun.
Up from 9.15 to 12.30. 323 SB.
Squadron Record Book
Type and Number: R.E.8.2526
Pilot and Observer: P. Lt Gregory. O. Lt Hodgson
Duty: Art Obs 323 S.B. (6” How) on H.B. at K.35.b.78.27.
Hour of Start: 9.15
Hour of Return: 12.30
Remarks: SUCCESSFUL. Called up 9.38. K. 9.40 Triangle 9.43. [Triangle Δ means 'wait'] L. 9.55. G. 9.56. V. 11.5. Time G. to V. 1 hr 9 mins. OBSERVED: M.O.K. M.A.3. 3 O.K. 5 Y. 1 Z. 5 A. 8 B. 18 C. 2 D. 9 W.
50 ranging rounds. 3 M.O.K. during B.F. three hits on house at K.35.b.7.3. 2 pits hit. Fire at 10.55. and explosion in ranging pit at 11.0. 12.10 sent C.I. (raining).
Shoot by P. Height 3000’.
MISC INF. 9.30. 4-25 lb bombs dropped K.35.b.4. All bursts observed. 9.30. 4 E.K.B. S.E. of ESTAIRES. 9.40. fire at L.27.d.1.1. burnt until 10.0. 10.17. explosion at L.7.d.0.2. 11.15 4 E.K.B. N. of ESTAIRES. 11.20. C.W.S. sent X. 11.35. sent U.D. F.R. U.L. Mist. 200 rounds V.G. and 400 L.G. fired into enemy trenches at 1000’. Vis. fair. Obs. By P. & O.
The house at K.35.b.7.3 was right next to the hostile battery at K.35.b.78.27, just south of the tracks at Merville Station, so it was not surprising that it was hit several times. And maybe it wasn’t such a good idea for the Germans to position a battery next to the station. After all, it would be bound to attract hostile fire, and the likelihood would be that the station as well as the battery would get knocked about.
Not a great deal has changed between the 30 June 1918 and 16 July 1918 photos. But in the 16 July photo, in the woods towards the bottom of the field of view as well as in the scoop out of the woods, there seem to be dark crosses, each on a light circular background. Red crosses indicating hospitals or field dressing stations, possibly?
As before, it isn’t clear how this photograph came to be in Greg’s collection.
Today Greg was ‘on photos’ – on photographic duty. But camera trouble means that only a small proportion of the plates exposed were useful.
Log Book
Date: 16.7.18
Hour: 12.10-1.15
Machine type: RE8
RE8: E27
Observer: Lt. Hodgson
Time: 1 hr 5 m
Height: 6500
Course/Remarks: Photos. 52 plates exposed, only 19 any good.
Diary
Tuesday July 16th. E27. On photos, took up 54 plates but shutter of camera stuck open after 19th. 16 of the 19 were serviceable.
Squadron Record Book
Type and Number: R.E.8.27
Pilot and Observer: P. Lt Gregory. O. Lt Hodgson
Duty: Photos.
Hour of Start: 12.10
Hour of Return: 13.15
Remarks: 52 plates exposed over Q.A. Q.B. and R.A.
Height 6500’.
12.40. 3 E.K.B. [enemy kite balloon] behind ESTAIRES. 12.45. 5 E.A. [enemy aircraft] over M. square. A.A. battery firing from approx K.29.c.3.3. [see below] A.A. active. Vis. good. Obs. By P. & O.
Zones QA, QB and RA are all just south or Merville. QA, the westernmost of the three zones, contains the German front line and about 500 yards to the west of it the British front line.
The same view today on Google maps. Much of zone QB is now occupied by Merville-Calonne Airport.
The anti-aircraft battery at K.29.c.3.3 is probably feature 51 in zone KD, just underneath the two circles. The site today is in the garden of the rather elegant house at 52 rue de Maréchal Joffre in Merville:
A day of contrasts: Greg does battle with a machine gun post in the morning, and takes a kitten called Snowball up for a test flight later in the day. Then he visits St Omer.
Log Book
Date: 15.7.18
Hour: 11.45-1.30
Machine type: RE8
RE8: 2526
Observer: Lt. Hodgson
Time: 1 hr 45 m
Height: 2000
Course/Remarks: CBP. 4 Cooper bombs. 650 rds Vickers & Lewis
Date: 15.7.18
Hour: 5.35-6.20
Machine type: RE8
RE8: E27
Observer: Lt. Hodgson
Time: 45 m
Height: 2000
Course/Remarks: Engine test – Eng OK
Diary
Monday July 15th. E27 dud. C.B.P. 10.30 to 1.30. (Actually 11.45-1.30.) Eventually took up Martin’s bus as E27 was hopelessly dud.
Managed to find a Hun machine gun firing at us from the ground.
Strafed him pretty badly, but could not make him shut up. Rotten weather – cloudy & poor visibility.
E27 repaired. Took her up in the evening for a test with Lt Hodgson as passenger, also kitten Snowball. Snowball apparently enjoyed the trip but objected to the wind. Did most of the journey under Hodgson’s coat.
Visited St. Omer.
More details of the patrol, and the location of the machine gun post, are in the Squadron Record Book:
Squadron Record Book
Type and Number: R.E.8.2526
Pilot and Observer: P. Lt Gregory. O. Lt Hodgson
Duty: Artillery Patrol
Hour of Start: 11.45
Hour of Return: 13.30
Remarks: 11.55. 4-25lb bombs dropped on K.36.a.5.6. All bursts observed, two on the railway.
12.15. C.W.S. sent R.A. [see map below] R.A. kept under observation, but no flashes seen.
12.15. sent U.L. U.R. U.D. [Unfit for counter-battery work, artillery registration or photography]12.30. explosion at Q.3.c.4.7. S. of the siding. [see map]
12.33. one flash seen in Q.B.10. K.K. sent. No more flashes seen at this place.
13.10. C.W.S. sent X. 250 rounds V.G. fired into trenches round CALONNE. [see map] 300 rounds L.G. into trenches and back areas, and 100 rounds L.G. at active M.G. post at K.26.c.6.4. [see maps]
Height 12/1800’. E.A. nil. A.A. normal. Vis. poor to fair. Obs. P. & O.
Here is a larger scale map showing the position of the machine gun post at K.26.c.6.4, which is right on the German front line. The British front line is about 250 yards away.
Nothing more is recorded either of Kitten Snowball or of Greg’s visit to St Omer that evening.
Two unusual sights reward Greg for his 3 am start for a dawn patrol: a flashing lighthouse (yes, really) and the rather more dangerous ‘flaming onions’.
Sunday July 14th. Dawn patrol 3pm – 6pm [sic; am intended].
Took off in dark with 4 Coopers and two parachute flares.
Found a hun lighthouse flashing O. South of Bac St. Maur.
Dropped the four bombs and pushed the two flares down the launching tube.
The first flare dropped straight through the tube & did not light; the second flare exploded with a flash like lightning & then hung in the air & fizzled away like a Roman candle. Rather a washout; did not light up the ground at all.
Saw a barge on the river and also about half a dozen transport on the road.
So the parachute flares were something of a failure. There’s more on the lighthouse in the Squadron Record Book, which also reports the flaming onions which, curiously, Greg didn’t mention in his diary.
Squadron Record Book
Type and Number: R.E.8.27
Pilot and Observer: P. Lt Gregory. O. Lt Pring
Duty: Dawn Reconn.
Hour of Start: 3.0
Hour of Return: 6.0
Remarks:
3.20 4-25lb bombs dropped on crossroads at L.26.central. All bursts observed.
3.25 2 Parachute Flares dropped behind MERVILLE. Only one lighted, and 100 rounds L.G. fired into houses in K.35.b. [see map for this and other references] from 2000’.
3.30 fire in buildings at K.36.a.4.4.
3.20 to 4.0 large single orange light, probably lighthouse, on hill S. of BAC ST MAUR flashing letter O. at intervals of about 5 seconds. Seen from ESTAIRES. [see below]
4.0 train in Station N. of LAVENTIE.
4.0 barge stationary on river at G.21.d.7.4.
4.5 sent F.D. to C.W.S. [Sent the weather message 'Fit for Photography' to Central Wireless Station]
4.20 seven lorries parked on road at L.30.a.8.8.
4.25 sent K.K. [Flashes seen] 2 flashes seen along road in M.2.a.
4.40 called C.W.S. No answer.
4.50 one more flash in M.2.a. Sent K.K.
4.55 1 E.K.B. [enemy kite balloon] N. of ESTAIRES.
5.10 C.W.S. sent X.
5.25 1 E.K.B. S. of ESTAIRES.
5.45 C.W.S. sent X. A.A. normal.
5.40 300 rounds L.G. and 100 V.G. fired into trenches N. & S. of CALONNE from 1700’.
3.35 flaming onions seen about L.3. [See below]
Vis. good. Obs. By P. & O.
Lighthouse on Hill South of Bac St Maur
Can this really be plausible? A lighthouse at Bac St Maur on the River Lys? Well, yes, quite plausible. But it wouldn’t have been anything to do with river traffic: it would have been an aerial lighthouse. Both sides in the First World War used them to guide aircraft returning from missions. According to the informative ‘Aerial Lighthouses‘ page on Mr Mycetes‘ website, something of a network of them grew up after the war as commercial air traffic became more common. But they were largely dismantled at the beginning of the Second World War. Afterwards they were never rebuilt, as radio and radar had taken their place.
Actually, the more difficult thing to understand is the reference to the lighthouse being on a hill south of Bac St Maur. It’s pretty flat land round there. The River Lys at Bac St Maur is 14 m above sea level, and going south from there the nearest high ground is near Aubers, where the 40 m contour line runs. Aubers is about 5 miles (8km) to the south. Greg saw the lighthouse from Estaires, almost 4 miles (6½ km) WSW of Bac St Maur. So it seems is reasonable to think in terms of distances on this scale for the location of the lighthouse. Near Aubers has to be a good candidate for where it was.
What it actually was, was a 37 mm revolving-barrel anti-aircraft gun used by the Germans. From a technical standpoint, it was a Gatling type, smooth bore, short barreled automatic revolver. Nicknamed a ‘lichtspucker’ (light spitter), it was designed to shot flares at low velocity in rapid sequence across a battle area. The gun had five barrels and had capabilities of launching 37 mm artillery shells five thousand feet. To help maximize chances of connecting with a target, all five rounds were discharged as rapidly as possible, thus producing the “flaming onion” visual and effect. Anti-aircraft artillery of the time fired very slowly. Because the flaming onion fired rapidly, many pilots thought the rounds were attached to a string and feared being shredded by it in the process. Not designed for anti-aircraft use, the weapon did not have purpose-designed ammunition, however, the flares would have been dangerous to fabric-covered aircraft.
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.
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.