Two days in a row when the weather was co-operative was something of a rarity on the Lys Sector in August 1918. But after yesterday’s counter-battery patrol, the weather today also allowed Greg to go up for a dusk patrol with Lt Ralph Scarterfield.
Log Book
Date: 30.8.18 Time: 19.00 Rounds Lewis: 300 Rounds Vickers: 300 Bombs: 4 Time on RE8s: 146 hrs 35 mins RE8: E27 Observer: Lt Scarterfield War Flying Time: 1 hr 10 mins Height: 2500 Course/Remarks: Dusk patrol. 2 N.F. [two positions observed to be now firing]
Lt Ralph Scarterfield RAF
This was Greg’s first outing with Lt Scarterfield an Observer with whom Greg flew on and off from today until the end of his time in France. Lt Scarterfield was over a decade older than Greg, having been born on 1 September 1888. So this flight took place two days before his 30th birthday. His page on the Imperial War Museum’s ‘Lives of the First World War’ site is here.
It’s likely that Ralph Scarterfield is in one of the group photographs of the B Flight officers in the post for 25 August 1918 (see link below). There are a few candidates with observers’ wings on their uniform and who look about 30 in the photos. But without any further means of triangulation, it isn’t possible to identify who he might be.
Sunday 25 August 1918 – Did Not Fly – 42 Sqn B Flight Photos