On what looked like a hopeless day for flying, Greg and his observer Lt Hodgson went up for a weather test to see what it was like. And it was indeed hopeless. Or dud, as Greg said.
Log Book
Date: 28.8.18 Time: 14.30 Rounds Lewis: - Rounds Vickers: - Bombs: - Time on RE8s: 142 hrs 55 mins RE8: E27 Observer: Lt Hodgson War Flying Time: 15 mins Height: 1000 Course/Remarks: Weather test. Dud. Clouds 900 ft.
Weather Test
There really was no substitute for going up in an aeroplane to see if conditions were fit for flying. And from the 15 minute duration of the weather test, it can be seen that it didn’t take long to assess the situation. The resulting radio signal would have been:
UL UR UD C09
i.e. unfit for either counter-battery work, artillery registration or photography; clouds at 900 ft. In other words, a dud day.
The weather in north west Europe in the summer of 1918 was clearly a lot worse than 100 years later.
More on ‘dud’ here: