Following on from yesterday’s unsuccessful shoot with 213 Siege Battery South, another shoot with the same battery was scuppered by a wireless failure.
Log Book
Date: 13.8.18
Time: 15.10
Rounds Lewis: -
Rounds Vickers: -
Bombs: -
Time on RE8s: 126 hrs 15 mins
RE8: E27
Observer: Lt Hodgson
Time: 1 hr 50 mins
Height: 7000
Course/Remarks: Shoot with 213 SB South. Wireless failed.
Diary
Tuesday Aug 13th. Shoot with 213 SB (South). Wireless failed.
Wireless Failed
This was the first time that Greg recorded difficulty with his wireless. In contrast, there were (so far) some 20 instances of engine trouble and three instances of camera trouble.
The two principal activities of Greg’s time with 42 Squadron came together today, with a counter battery patrol in the morning and a shoot on a target near Neuf Berquin in the afternoon.
Log Book
Date: 12.8.18
Time: 9.15
Rounds Lewis: 300
Rounds Vickers: 200
Bombs: 2
Time on RE8s: 123 hrs 00 mins
RE8: E27
Observer: Lt. Hodgson
Time: 2 hrs 30 mins
Height: 4000
Course/Remarks: C.B.P. Very misty. U.L. U.R. U.D. [Weather report: unfit for counter-battery work, artillery registration or photography]
Date: 12.8.18
Time: 18.20
Rounds Lewis: -
Rounds Vickers: -
Bombs: -
Time on RE8s: 124 hrs 25 mins
RE8: E27
Observer: Lt. Hodgson
Time: 1 hr 25 mins
Height: 6000
Course/Remarks: Shoot with 213 SB South. L21. Unsuccessful.
Diary
Monday Aug 12th. Two jobs. CBP in morning & shoot in evening.
Shoot on L21, near Neuf Berquin
L21 was a map square ENE of Merville, near Neuf Berquin, on the road to Estaires:
As the ‘Hundred Days’ final Allied offensive begins, Greg had a shoot of which he was clearly proud. He had had a good run with 213 Siege Battery over the last few weeks with shoots on 18 July, 19 July, 20 July and 22 July 1918, and today he capped it by ranging the battery’s howitzers in just 20 minutes. Later, he prepared (or was presented with) a small mount-board with ‘before’ and ‘after’ photographs to show the effect on the ground.
Log Book
Date: 8.8.18
Time: 19.00
Rounds Lewis: -
Rounds Vickers: -
Bombs: -
Time on RE8s: 111 hrs 05 mins
RE8: 2649
Observer: Lt Hodgson
Time: 45 mins
Height: 3500
Course/Remarks: Shoot with 213 SB on L32. Successful.
Diary
Thursday Aug 8th. Did a shoot with 213 S Battery on a dump in L32. Left ground 7pm & landed at 7.45. Battery ranged in 20 mins.
Squadron Record Book
Type and Number: R.E.8.2649
Pilot and Observer: P. Lt Gregory. O. Lt Hodgson
Duty: Art Obs on H.B. Destructive.
Hour of Start: 19.00
Hour of Return: 19.45
Remarks: S. with 213 S.B. (8” How) on H.B. at L.32.a.25.95. (P)
Called 19.03. L. 10.05. G. 19.07
17 ranging rounds:- M.A.3. M.A.3. 1. O.K. 2 Z. 8 A. 3 B. 3 W.
V. 19.28. G. to V. 21 minutes
Engine unsatisfactory during ranging, unable to observe B.F.
C.I. eng sent 19.34.
19.10. 1 E.K.B. South and 1 East of ESTAIRES.
19.13. 1 flare (or fire) at Q.11.c.8.7.
19.30. 2 E.K.B. East of ESTAIRES.
19.32. large fire, hedge, at Q.18.a.5.5.
Vis. good. Height 3500’. Obs. by P. & O.
Shoot with 213 Siege Battery
Greg’s shoot with 213 Siege Battery was recorded on a small mount-board shown here:
No.42 Squadron R.A.F.
H.B. at L.26.c.22.01
L.32.a.25.95
Date engaged 8th August 1918
By 213 Siege Battery R.G.A.
Calibre 8" H.
Rounds 135.
Observations by Lt.Gregory
Results 1 O.K. 2 Z.s; 8 A.s;
3 B.s.
Direction of Fire [bearing ~93º; reciprocal ~273º]
The Target
The location of the target, in squares L.26 and L.32 is just to the east of Merville, near a house or settlement called Crinquette Lotte on what was then the north bank of the River Lys. The names Crinquette and Lotte belong to two local families, and genealogical records show that one Marc Jean Baptiste LOTTE married Marie Angélique Victoire CRINQUETTE, both of Merville, on 24 February 1784.
Although the Lys had been canalised before the Great War, since 1918 it has been diverted, and the location of the target is now south of the river, within the phytochemical plant of Roquette Frères .
There is some discrepancy about the nature of the target. Greg’s diary refers to “a dump in L32”. Yet the legend to the mounted photos and the Squadron Record Book give the rather more precise location (partly within square L32) of an “H.B.” or hostile battery. Both these things could be true, of course, as we would expect a battery to have an associated ammunition dump.
In any event, a comparison of the ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos gives a good indication of the havoc inflicted on and around the target by the one hundred and thirty five 200 lb (91 kg) shells fired.
Location of 213 Siege Battery
The mounted photos indicate the direction of fire of 231 SB’s 8″ howitzers. Fortunately, this information enables us to have a stab at working out 213 SB’s location, as follows.
The direction of fire is on a bearing of (roughly) 93º. So the reciprocal bearing, from target to battery, would be 273º. Also, we can hazard that the 8″ howitzers used by the battery were probably Mark VII BL-Howitzers, which were introduced in July 1916. They had a range of 12,300 yards (11,250 m). We can put those bits of information together, and assume that the howitzers would be working comfortably within their maximum range – say 75% for the sake of argument. Doing that, we find that 9,000 yards along a reciprocal bearing of 273º takes us to near the village of Haverskerque, in the lee of the Nieppe Forest, just north of St Venant:
This reasoning is the basis of the remark in this earlier post that 213 Siege Battery was located near Haverskerque:
If the battery was operating closer to the maximum range of its artillery than the assumed 9,000 yards, that would place it north and west of Haverskerque, but still generally near the village.
Battery Ranging Time and Results
Greg ranges the howitzers in 20 minutes, which was pretty brisk and obviously pleased him. (The Squadron Record Book says 21 minutes, to be precise, but we can allow him the minute!) This would be the “G to V time” in the parlance of artillery ranging. The following article explains this, as well as the results (1 O.K. 2 Z.s; 8 A.s; 3 B.s.), which indicated a thoroughly successful shoot:
It was business as usual for Greg on this day. But 8 August 1918 is more famous for being the beginning of what was to be the Allies’ final offensive. This became known as the Hundred Days Offensive. (It was actually 95 days, but where’s the marketing impact in that?)
Michael Seymour reflects here on the wider significance of the day:
In the Lys sector, the front line on the morning of 8 August 1918 had moved a little eastwards from the line held on 1 May 1918 at the end of Operation Georgette. In the furthest west position, the British line had crossed the Lys at St Floris. The position recorded for the morning of 8 August on the map accompanying General Haig’s despatches of the final British offensive had halved the distance to Merville. By now, the line crossed the Lys at Le Sart:
Updated 20 August 2018 16:35
Updated with Squadron Record Book info 28 September 2018 15:55
The fourth shoot with 213 Siege Battery RGA in five days. We don’t know the target for this one. But it was another long time in the air being shot at, and another success.
Log Book
Date: 22.7.17
Time: 9.30
Rounds: 100
Bombs: 4
RE8: E27
Observer: Lt. Hodgson
Time: 3 hr 25 m
Height: 4000
Course/Remarks: Shoot with 213 SB. Successful.
Diary
Monday July 22nd. Did a shoot with 213 SB. Dropped 4 Cooper bombs & let off 300 rounds ammunition. Archie pretty hot stuff. Went to see the battery after, & scrounged some furniture for my room.
Another Visit to 213 SB
“Observers should utilise every opportunity of visiting the batteries allotted to them”, says the General Staff in the handbook “Co-operation of Aircraft with Artillery” [SS 131], December 1917 edition.
(Just to note in passing: “observers” in this context means those observing a shoot, rather than the chaps in the back seat of the plane.) Greg seems to have taken this injunction to heart. He went to see 213 SB again, only two days after his last visit on Saturday 19 July 1918. But perhaps at least part of his motivation was to complete his mission to furnish his room, possibly with more pieces from the ruins of St. Venant. Visiting the battery would have provided a good excuse…and the transport.
Haverskerque, which is where I speculated (here) might be near the location of 213 Siege Battery, is a village lying on the flat land by the River Lys not far north of the river crossing at St. Venant. In the corner of a quiet field is a small British cemetery – Cim. brit. on the map – looked after by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission:
And from the cemetery, the distant spire of St. Venant church is just visible:
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):