The war experiences of 2nd Lt. C. E. Gregory RFC/RAF in 1918
42 Squadron RFC; 42 Squadron RAF from 1 April 1918.
Another miserable day, cloudy and raining, in which Greg achieved 40 minutes of Counter-Battery Patrol work in the afternoon – while firing off 400 rounds from the two guns.
Date: 5.8.18 Time: 3.50 Rounds Lewis: 200 Rounds Vickers: 200 Bombs: - Time on RE8s: 106 hrs 55 mins RE8: E27 Observer: Lt Hodgson Time: 40 mins Height: 1500 Course/Remarks: C.B.P. Cloudy. Dud.
Monday August 5th. CBP 3.50pm. Dud, raining and cloudy.
Back to the core activities of a counter-battery patrol and a shoot. The patrol was over and around Merville, as today’s Squadron Record Book entry shows, but the shoot was aborted because of low clouds.
Date: 4.8.18 Time: 1.20pm Rounds Lewis: 400 Rounds Vickers: - Bombs: 2 Time on RE8s: 106 hrs 15 mins RE8: E27 Observer: Lt Hodgson Time: 2 hrs 35 mins Height: 2000 Course/Remarks: C.B.P. Cloudy. Machine guns active.
Sunday Aug 4th. CBP & Shoot (1 pm). Unable to do shoot because of (very) low clouds. Called up battery & afterwards sent UL [Weather unfit for Counter Battery work]. Hun ground machine guns active.
Despite not being able to do the shoot, Greg’s patrol was fairly active over and around Merville:
Type and Number: R.E.8.2500 [sic, should be 27] Pilot and Observer: P. Lt Gregory. O. Lt Hodgson Duty: Artillery Patrol Start: 13.20 Return: 15.55 Results and Remarks: 13.25. 2-25lb bombs dropped at K.34.a.6.5. Bursts observed. 13.25. fire in building at K.29.c.2.2. 13.30. sent U.L. U.R. U.D. C.20. [Weather unfit for counter-battery work, registration or photography.] 13.35. C.W.S. sent X. 13.45. called up 323 S.B. and got triangle out. [wait] Clouds came at 1500’ so sent U.L. Clouds, before starting shoot. 14.30. C.W.S. sent Q.6. No flashes seen in Q.6. 14.34. 1. E.K.B. [enemy kite balloon] N. of ESTAIRES. 14.35. 200 rounds L.G. into Q.8.d. from 1800’. 15.10. C.W.S. sent L.14. No flashes seen there. 15.15. to 15.30. 100 rounds L.G. into Q.8.d. from 1700’ Concentrations. [Concentrations of artilley fore, as opposed to barrages] 14.00. Square K.35.b. M.P.I. [mean point of impact] good. 14.50. Houses in area Q.4.b.15.37. M.P.I. good. " " " K.34.c.65.15. " " " " " K.34.c.99.20. " " 15.35. Southern half of MERVILLE, K.29.c & d. A.A. normal. M.G.s active Vis. good. Obs. By P. & O.
The following map contains the points and squares mentioned above .
For a map reading primer, see:
Back in the air again after two days of miserable weather. But a dusk reconnaissance ended in rain. The evening brightened with entertainment by a concert party – Leslie Henson’s ‘The Gaieties’.
Date: 3.8.18 Time: 7.35pm Rounds Lewis: 400 Rounds Vickers: - Bombs: 4 Time on RE8s: 103 hrs 40 mins RE8: E27 Observer: Hodgson Time: 1 hr 25 mins Height: 3000 Course/Remarks: Dusk reconnaissance. Rain.
Greg had by now adapted his log book entries. He now not only recorded the ammunition fired from each gun and the number of bombs dropped but also noted the cumulative time he had flown on RE8s.
Saturday 3rd August. Wrote home. Dusk reconnaissance. Returned in rain, engine nothing great. Four bombs & 400 rounds Lewis. Concert party – ‘Gaieties’ in Hangar. Leslie Henson, Errol & Teddie Horton [sic., probably should be Holton]
‘The Gaieties’ was a troupe of army entertainers under the direction of Leslie Henson. Henson had begun his professional stage career before the war, appearing in Edwardian musical comedies, among other productions, in the West End and elsewhere. He joined the RFC, but in 1918 was asked by General Gough to form a touring concert party to entertain the troops of the 5th Army in France. Evidently this survived Gough’s removal and the re-formation of the 5th Army under General Birdwood. So here were ‘The Gaieties’ at 42 Squadron in Rely, just over three weeks after General Birdwood’s visit on 12 July 1918.
Among the members of the troupe was Bert Errol, ‘a noted female impersonator’. Quite possibly it is Errol, and maybe others members of The Gaieties cast, in this photograph from Greg’s collection:
Greg’s diary entry also mentions ‘Teddie Horton’. Possibly this was meant to be Teddie Holton, who (spoiler alert) was certainly performing with Henson, Errol and others in The Gaieties in early November 1918. More on them then…
Another day scuppered by the weather, summed up in four words in Greg’s Diary:
August 2nd. Friday. Dud day, heavy rain.
Nothing more to be said.
An intended early counter battery patrol was cancelled in view of the weather. So Greg had the day off and went to St Omer. A “good time”; but a close encounter with some bombs at night.
August 1st 1918. Thursday. CBP at 5.30am. Too dud to take off, heavy fog and ground mist. Went to St Omer at 11.am & came back at 7. Good time, quite a change from camp. Bomb raid at night. 10 bombs dropped near us.
St Omer was something of an aviation hub during the First World War. It was the largest British airfield on the Western Front, and the centre of operations for the RFC and then the RAF. There was also an associated hinterland of supply facilities. Socially, it was quite a buzz too. Nonetheless, as Cross & Cockade International reports, there was a variety of views on the merits of the place:
The town itself seems to have brought out mixed reactions. Major Edward (Mick) Mannock, described St Omer as a ‘nasty town, mainly composed of estaminets, old women, and dirty – very dirty children’, while Lieutenant Harry van Goethem, who arrived with 10 Squadron at St Omer in July 1915, appears to have relished his brief time billeted there describing his visit as ‘historic’. He particularly enjoyed the Café Vincent and ‘the wonderful waitress (Jeanne) whose fair coiffe was the admiration of countless thousands of British officers. “Given the number of squadrons for whom a night out in St Omer was a regular social event – being recognised as a meeting place for members of any squadron within a reasonable distance – it may be concluded that for the majority of RFC personnel it was an agreeable destination. (https://www.crossandcockade.com/StOmer/)
From Greg’s brief report, he evidently shared the majority view.
A successful shoot with 237 Siege Battery (at last), was almost compromised by a German aircraft. And later there was a German bombing raid, possibly by Gotha bombers.
Date: 31.7.17 Time: 10.35 Rounds Lewis: 100 Rounds Vickers: - Bombs: - RE8: E27 Observer: Lt. Hodgson Time: 2 hrs 50 m Height: 4500 Course/Remarks: CBP & shoot with 237 SB. Successful.
Wednesday July 31st. CBP at 10.30. Took up a shoot with 237 SB. Called them up at 11, but there was a Hun overhead & did not put out groundstrips. Shoot successful, battery firing wide during battery fire, so re-ranged them & then came home. Dozens of Huns knocking about. Hun bombing raid at night. Three or four big Huns overhead. No bombs dropped anywhere near.
During his counter battery patrol, Greg took up a shoot with 237 Siege Battery. He must have been relieved to have a successful shoot with this battery, as previous attempts with them on 21 July and 28 July 1918 had failed.
A German aircraft overhead nearly compromised the shoot, since the battery could not communicate with the aircraft by putting out the usual ground strips (see the article on Shoots for an explanation).
It was an active day for enemy aircraft. Rely Aerodrome seems not to have been the target, but the ‘big Huns’ – possibly Gotha G.IV or G.V bombers such as illustrated below – were plainly heard. This was the kind of aircraft that used to bomb London.
A two hour counter battery patrol, but nothing doing on the line.
Date: 30.7.17 Time: 6.0 Rounds Lewis: 100 Rounds Vickers: 100 Bombs: - RE8: E27 Observer: Lt. Hodgson Time: 2 hrs 0 m Height: 2500 Course/Remarks: CBP. Very dud. Eng rough.
Tuesday July 30th. 6pm. CBP. Pretty dud, engine nothing great. Absolutely nothing doing on the line.
For the first time in a week, though, both aircraft guns were fired. Greg and Lt Hodgson fired 100 rounds from each.
More on counter battery patrols here:
Another dies non for artillery observation as it was very misty.
Date: 29.7.17 Time: 12.50 Rounds Lewis: - Rounds Vickers: - Bombs: - RE8: E27 Observer: Lt. Hodgson Time: 20 m Height: 1500 Course/Remarks: CBP. Weather test. V. heavy ground mist. NG.
Monday July 29th. CBP 1pm. Went up but came down, very misty. Unable to observe anything so came down.
More on CBPs here:
Yet another dud day, and another unsuccessful attempt at a shoot with 237 Siege Battery:
Date: 28.7.17 Time: 5.30 Rounds: - Bombs: - RE8: E27 Observer: Lt. Hodgson Time: 45 m Height: 2000 Course/Remarks: Shoot with 237 SB. Unsucc. UL.
“UL” means that Greg sent the weather signal “unfit for counter battery work”.
Sunday July 28th. Wrote home. Dud day, attempted a shoot in the evening, failed. Absolutely unfit for shoot.
This was the second unsuccessful attempt at a shoot with 237 SB. The first was a week ago:
More on shoots here:
And more on ‘dud’ here:
No flying, as it was another dud day:
Saturday July 27th. Dud day, did not fly.
More on ‘dud’ here: