The war experiences of 2nd Lt. C. E. Gregory RFC/RAF in 1918
Back to work after his ‘bilious attack’ yesterday, Greg has a counter battery patrol in blustery conditions:
Date: 25.7.17 Time: 1.15 Rounds: - Bombs: - RE8: E27 Observer: Lt. Pring Time: 2 hr 15 m Height: 2000 Course/Remarks: CBP. Very bumpy & windy.
Thursday July 25th. C.B.P. in afternoon. Fearfully windy & bumpy (2¼ hours).
More on counter battery patrols here:
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.
Date: 17.7.18 Hour: 9.15-12.30 Machine type: RE8 RE8: 2526 Observer: Lt. Hodgson Time: 3 hr 15 m Height: 3000 Course/Remarks: CBP & Shoot. Successful. 4 Coopers. 600 rds SA
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.
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.
For more on shoots, see:
For more on Counter Battery Patrols/CBPs, see:
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.
Date: 13.7.18 Hour: 8.30 Machine type: RE8 No.: E27 Passenger: Lt Pring Time: 40 mins Height: 1800 Course/Remarks: CBP. Nothing much doing
Date: 13.7.18 Hour: 9.55 Machine type: RE8 No.: 4962 [sic, probably 2649 intended] Passenger: Lt Hodgson Time: 1 hr 5 m Height: 1800 Course/Remarks: CBP. Nothing much doing
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.
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.
An aviator’s life on the Western Front in 1918 was bedevilled by two factors – in addition to the small matter of the enemy, that is. They were mechanical unreliability (of armaments, engines and other equipment) and the weather. Today, Greg’s engine was better than it was yesterday, but it was another day for the weather to assert itself, as a Counter Battery Patrol evolved into a Shoot. Even fair weather can cause problems, in the form of shadows over the target, and that was before the rainstorm approached.
Date: 10.7.18 Hour: 3.40 Machine type: RE8 No.: E27 Passenger: Lt Pring Time: 1 hr 45 Height: 5000 Course/Remarks: CBP & shoot with 14 SB. Successful. Rainstorm. Eng better.
Wednesday July 10th. CBP at 5.30pm (1hr 45 m). 5000 ft. Took up a shoot with 14 Siege Battery (6” Hows). Shoot successful. Large number of W’s owing to clouds throwing shadows over target. Archie pretty hot, unable to go over target. Engine running better. Two bombs dropped. Target at L.20.a
So weather-related problems are not confined to bad weather as such: shadows from clouds over the target meant that a large number of the battery’s rounds were unobserved – hence the ‘W’, for washout. And then came a rainstorm…
Type and Number: R.E.8.27 Pilot and Observer: P. Lt Gregory. O. Lt Pring Duty: Art Obs 14 S.B. (6” How) on L.C.21. [northeast of Merville; see below] Hour of Start: 5.40pm Hour of Return: 7.25pm Remarks: SUCCESSFUL. Called up 5.48pm. K. 5.50. L. 5.55. G. 5.58. V. 6.45. Time G. to V. 45 mins. OBSERVED:- M.C.3. M.C.5. 1 O.K. 1 Y. 8 A. 11 B. 4 C. 1 D. 11 W. 37 ranging rounds. M.O.K. sent during B.F. One direct hit on ranging pit which was badly damaged. No 1 Pit believed damaged but owing to A.A. could not properly inspect target. Shoot by P. Height 5000’. MISC INF. 5.56pm 2-25lb bombs dropped at K.28.c.5.3. Both bursts observed. 7.5pm sent C.I. [going home] owing to approaching storm. A.A. active. Vis. good but shadowy. Obs. By P. & O.
This was Greg’s second shoot with 14 Siege Battery. This link is to the post that recounts the first, which was just over a week ago on 2 July:
The ‘G to V’ time – the time taken to range the howitzers – was 45 minutes, down from 1 hr 20 mins last time, which will have pleased Greg, the Squadron Commander and the Battery Commander. Eleven ‘washouts’ – unobserved shells – wasn’t so good, but explained by the shadows from the clouds.
Target LC 21 was in the 500 yard square L.20.a, northeast of Merville, but Greg dropped his two bombs on the other side of town. He dropped them on the Rue d’Aire going west out towards Haverskerque. The time was 5.56pm, just as he was about to begin ranging the guns (‘G’ – the ‘fire’ signal – was at 5:58pm). The battery itself was probably located a mile or two further west, near Haverskerque.
One hundred years after Greg bombed the Rue d’Aire, I drove along it. I can report that the road has been repaired.
For more details on how a shoot operated, see this page:
To see how zone numbers such as LC 21 were allocated to targets, see “Assigning a Zone Number to the Target” on this page:
Down for a Counter Battery Patrol, but not such an busy day today on account of the weather. Greg’s diary verdict was “absolutely nothing doing”, but his sortie involved bombing Greve Farm and a couple of shoot-ups. His threshold of what constituted “something” had obviously risen.
Date: 9.7.18 Hour: 7.15 Machine type: RE8 No.: E27 Passenger: Lt Pring Time: 1 hr 30 mins Height: 7000 Course/Remarks: CBP. Low clouds at first. Nothing doing. Eng. missing
Trouble with the engine again.
Tuesday July 9th 1918. CBP 5.30-8.30. Got off at 7.15 owing to low clouds. Came down at 8.45 – absolutely nothing doing. Went and had a look at the Hun battery I did a shoot on. Seemed to have been very badly knocked about. 4 bombs.
Unfortunately there are no photographs of the badly knocked about Hun battery, the reconnaissance of which didn’t merit an mention in the Squadron Record Book Report:
Type and Number: R.E.8.27 Pilot and Observer: P. Lt Gregory. O. Lt Pring Duty: Artillery Patrol Hour of Start: 7.15am Hour of Return: 8.45am Remarks: 7.35am 4-25lb bombs dropped for farm at K.24.d.4.7. [Greve Farm, just on the northeast edge of Merville] 4 bursts observed, 1 on road at K.24.d.3.8 [behind the farm]. 7.45am called C.W.S. X out. 7.45am sent U.L. F.R. U.D. [Unfit for counter-battery work or photography, but fit for artillery registration] 7.55am 200 rounds L.G. into Goods Station at MERVILLE 8.10am called C.W.S. X out. 8.25am 100 rounds L.G. [Lewis Gun] into CALONNE. No movement of any kind seen. No E.A. or A.A. [Enemy aircraft or anti-aircraft fire] Vis: low clouds at first, fair later. Obs. by P. & O.
Greve Farm lies on the edge of Merville on Rue Ferdinand Capelle, which goes northeast towards Neuf Berquin. Here is the farm today:
Although Greg’s ‘bus’ – RE8 E27 – had had its propeller fixed, all was still not well, as the engine was backfiring. But what seems to have been the decisive factor in making the morning’s scheduled Counter Battery Patrol a washout was the weather. The day improved with a ‘jolly good shoot’ with 174 Siege Battery (6″ Howitzers) in the evening.
Date: 8.7.18 Hour: 8. Machine type: RE8 No.: E27 Passenger: Lt Pring Time: 30 mins Height: 2000 Course/Remarks: CBP. Heavy fog. Came down. Eng. Pretty dud.
Date: 8.7.18 Hour: 6.30 Machine type: RE8 No.: E27 Passenger: Lt Pring Time: 2 hr 10 mins Height: 5000 Course/Remarks: Shoot with 174. Successful. Eng. missing
Monday July 8th 1918. CBP 8-11. Very cloudy & misty, took off without bombs & went to look at the line & came back after 30 minutes. Engine missing, seemed inclined to backfire. 6.30pm. Went up and did a shoot on a Hun battery at K.35.d.1.2 Jolly good shoot. Both pits badly knocked about, one direct hit on one, which went up in the air. One shell dropped in the river, great big column of water about 500 ft.
The Hun battery that was the target of the ‘jolly good shoot’ with 174 Siege Battery RGA was on the southern edge of Merville, just above what is now Merville-Calonne Airport. Its position is shown on the following map, along with the positions of the house and factory referred to in the Squadron Record Book report below.
Type and Number: R.E.8.27 Pilot and Observer: P. Lt Gregory. O. Lt Pring Duty: Art Obs 174 S.B. (6” How) on H.B. at K.35.d.10.20 Hour of Start: 6.40pm Hour of Return: 8.30pm Remarks: SUCCESSFUL. Called up 6.50pm. K. 6.52pm. L 6.54. G. 6.58. V 8.0. Time G. to V. 1 hr 2 mins. [time taken to range guns] OBSERVED:- M.A.9. M.A.2. 1 O.K. 12.A. 13 B. 12 C. 1 D. 39 ranging rounds. 2 M.O.K. during B.F. [Two mean points of impact of salvos were direct hits during battery fire] Both pits badly damaged. Fire caused in house at K.35.b.5.2. Shoot by P. Height 5000’. MISC INF. 6.50pm large fire in Factory at K.35.b.4.4. burning continuously. 200 rounds fired into MERVILLE STATION. Vis. fair. Obs. By P. & O.
More details about shoots and how to interpret Squadron Record Book reports of them:
An early start today: a 4:00am take off for a dawn reconnaissance/counter battery patrol, which saw some action. Greg obviously enjoyed himself.
Date: 5.7.18 Hour: 4. am Machine type: RE8 No.: E27 Passenger: Lt Pring Time: 2 hrs 15 Height: 5000 Course/Remarks: Dawn CBP. Good time.
Friday July 5th 1918 Dawn Counter Battery Patrol. Took off at 4 am just before daylight. Went over to Estaires, saw a train standing by Estaires – pulled off the bombs & missed it by about 100 yards so turned to let observer fire 100 rounds into it. Train moved off Eastwards. Half an hour later saw a lorry moving up to Merville. Dived on him & let him have 50 rounds from the front gun, then turned and observer gave him 100 rounds, after which the lorry ran off the road into the hedge. Fired off the rest of the rounds into Fritz’s huts around Merville. Got seven Archie holes through plane.
With seven holes through the plane, Archie (anti-aircraft fire) was definitely pretty hot. Archie explained here:
Duty: Dawn Reconn: Hour of Start: 4.0am Hour of Return: 6.25am Remarks: 4.20am cloud, suspected gas, drifting Eastwards over L.9 & 15. 4.20am fire L.5.a.4.3. 4.25am train in L36a. 4-25lb bombs and 100 rounds Lewis fired at it. Bursts seen 100 yards S. of train which proceeded East. 4.30am sent N.D. 4.35am C.W.S. sent X. 4.40am sent K.K. 4.45am train proceeding East from ESTAIRES. 4.48am lorry at K.24.d.5.7 proceedings towards MERVILLE. 150 rounds fired at it from both guns. Turned off the road into the hedge. 4.50am K.K. flash in M.2. 4.55am trains at LAVANTIE and BAC ST MAUR. 4.55am A.A. firing from K.22.c.8.4. 5.0am C.W.S. sent X. 5.10am train in A.13 proceeding East. 5.15am 1 E.K.B. N. and behind ESTAIRES. 5.20am and 5.45am explosions at L.5.c.7.7. 5.25am explosion at Q.30.a.5.2. 5.40am C.W.S. sent L.C. No flashes seen in that zone. 5.45am train at BAC ST MAUR. 5.50am train at G.32.c proceeding towards ESTAIRES. 6.5am 1. E.K.B. S. of ESTAIRES. 250 rounds Vickers fired into various targets including houses behind MERVILLE. 400 round Lewis at various targets. A.A. normal. E.A. nil. Vis. fair, ground mist. Obs. By P. & O.
So it was a busy patrol, but also evidently an exhilarating one – “good time” was the verdict.
After two days of shoots, it was back to a counter battery patrol today, for which an entry in the Squadron Record Book is available. So we can see just what Greg and his Observer saw during the patrol. The entry in his diary doesn’t cover everything that was worth reporting officially.
Later in the day Greg paid a visit to two Siege Batteries. These were the batteries that he had been shooting with on the previous couple of days. A good time was had by all. Well, perhaps not quite all…Greg was well and truly taken for a ride.
Date: 3.7.18 Hour: 6.20 Machine type: RE8 No.: E27 Passenger: Lt Pring Time: 2 hrs 20 Height: 3000 Course/Remarks: CBP. Saw several huns
Wednesday July 3rd. CBP 5.30am. Bomb rack jambed – had to bring bombs back. Fired 200 rds Vickers all over QB zone. Sent an NF on guns firing at K30b2.4. Saw several huns. Two came very close, could see black crosses on tails. Napier & Bonner had engine conk & crashed. Went to see 14 and 145 SB. Both had been good shoots. 145 people said theirs had been “the best for a few months”
Today’s counter battery patrol is the first for which not only Greg’s log book and diary are available but also for which we have the official report in 42 Squadron’s Record Book. So here is a more detailed look at what Greg saw and did on patrol that morning. He was sending signals of features of interest every five or ten minutes. The Squadron Record Book entry is hard to read, so a transcription is given, along with some interpretative notes.
Type and Number: R.E.8.27 Pilot and Observer: P. Lt Gregory. O. Lt Pring. Duty: Artillery Patrol Hour of Start: 6.20am Hour of Return: 8.40am Remarks: 6.30am E.K.B. S of ESTAIRES. 6.40am sent 2 R.E.A. K.D. 6.55am sent K.D. N.F. K.30.b.2.4. Battery silenced. 7.10am sent 3 S.E.A. L.C. 7.15am fire Q.4.c.5.5. 7.20am 2E.K.B. S. of ESTAIRES. 7.30am C.W.S. sent Q.B. No flashes observed Q.B. 7.35am 2E.K.B. E. of ESTAIRES. 7.40am fire at K.24.c.4.3. 7.45am fire Q.36.a.8.2. 7.50am 3 E.K.B. N. of ESTAIRES. 8.5am C.W.S. sent Q.B. No flashes seen in Q.B. Obs. Fired 100 rounds into MERVILLE. Pilot 200 rounds into buildings in Q.B. A.A. normal. E.A. active. Vis. poor very cloudy. Obs by P. & O.
The map extract below shows the zones and map references mentioned in these interpretative notes.
Remarks: 6.30am E.K.B. S of ESTAIRES. [Enemy kite balloon south of Estaires] 6.40am sent 2 R.E.A. K.D. [Two reconnaissance enemy aircraft in zone KD (Merville)] 6.55am sent K.D. N.F. K.30.b.2.4. Battery silenced. [Signalled: in zone KD (Merville), enemy guns are now firing at map reference K.30.b.2.4 (east of the town centre). That 'zone call' elicited a response (from the British artillery, probably) that silenced the enemy guns.] 7.10am sent 3 S.E.A. L.C. [Three scout (fighter) enemy aircraft seen in zone LC, which is east of Merville] 7.15am fire Q.4.c.5.5. [There is a fire burning at map reference Q.4.c.5.5, which is southwest of Merville] 7.20am 2 E.K.B. S. of ESTAIRES. [Two enemy kite balloons south of Estaires] 7.30am C.W.S. sent Q.B. No flashes observed Q.B. [Central Wireless Station requested aircraft to investigate zone QB, south of Merville, but no flashes (which would indicate guns firing) were seen.] 7.35am 2 E.K.B. E. of ESTAIRES. [Two enemy kite balloons east of Estaires] 7.40am fire at K.24.c.4.3. [There is a fire burning at map reference K.24.c.4.3, northeast of Merville] 7.45am fire Q.36.a.8.2. [There is a fire burning at map reference Q.36.a.8.2, south of Merville] 7.50am 3 E.K.B. N. of ESTAIRES. Two enemy kite balloons north of Estaires] 8.5am C.W.S. sent Q.B. No flashes seen in Q.B. [Central Wireless Station again requested aircraft to investigate zone QB (south of Merville), but no flashes (which would indicate guns firing) were seen.] Obs. Fired 100 rounds into MERVILLE. Pilot 200 rounds into buildings in Q.B. [south of Merville]. A.A. [anti-aircraft fire] normal. E.A. [enemy aircraft] active. Vis. [visibility] poor very cloudy. Obs by P. & O.
No doubt a returning pilot would prefer not to have 100 lbs or so of high explosive fixed underneath his aircraft when he landed. So Greg probably paid extra attention to making a good landing. But it should be safe enough. As explained on the RE8 page linked below, the aircraft carried Cooper bombs. The detonator of the bomb was only exposed to the firing mechanism after the spinner in the nose rotated a plate. So in principle the bomb could not be activated unless it had fallen through the air. It was that which would cause the spinner to rotate. Nonetheless, who wouldn’t be a little more careful to land nicely?
There is no further mention in Greg’s diary of Napier and Bonner, whose engine ‘conked and crashed’.
Greg had his first visit to artillery units later in the day. He visited the two siege batteries that he had had shoots with on the previous couple of days. They were 14 Siege Battery (6″ howitzers) on 2 July 1918 and 145 Siege Battery (8″ howitzers) on 1 July 1918. The authorities encouraged visits such as these. In fact, the General Staff’s booklet Co-operation of Aircraft with Artillery (December 1917 edition) [S.S. 131] said that visits should take before shoots, rather than after:
The necessity for the the closest personal touch between the Royal Artillery and the Royal Flying Corps cannot be too strongly urged.
A new observer should spend two or three days with a battery before he commences to range guns, and should see it firing with aeroplane observation. Similarly, Royal Artillery officers should, if possible, spend a few days with their corps squadron… [SS 131 p19]
Well, it didn’t happen in the prescribed sequence for Greg. Quite possibly, though, the 30 minute test flight with the ‘Art. Chap’ on 2 July 1918 was part of this programme of ‘the closest personal touch’.
In any event, it was very probably on one of these two visits – and I would guess the first of them, which from the sequence in his diary looks as if it was to 14 Siege Battery – that Greg had something of an adventure. Rob Parsons (Greg’s son-in-law and my stepfather) recalls the telling of this story as follows:
It was arranged that Greg should visit one of the artillery batteries that he would be spotting for, in order to appreciate what it was like to be dependent on the information from the aircraft. It wasn’t long before he realised he was being subjected to a jolly jape, but he accepted that as a temporary 2nd Lieutenant faced with battle-hardened veterans he had to grin and bear it.
Greg was welcomed courteously by the CO, who insisted that in order to observe the battery in action it would be best if he was mounted on a horse a little distance from the guns. He would find the additional height an advantage, he was told. He explained that he had never been on a horse, but the kindly CO assured him that it was a docile old thing which would stand there placidly with Lt. Gregory on top.
All of which proved to be true…until the guns opened fire and the docile horse bolted in the direction of the enemy trenches. As he described it, he was conscious that there were gaps between the horse and Gregory, and Gregory and his tin hat, and that these disappeared and reappeared with ever increasing rapidity as the horse accelerated towards the relative peace of no-man’s land. Eventually he got the beast under control and managed to turn it on a reciprocal course. He returned it undamaged whence they had come. Naturally the whole battery was convulsed with mirth, but they parted on good terms, and to quote a character as yet undreamt of, “It was a grand day out”.
So Greg returned unscathed. Any wounded pride was no doubt soothed by the emollient words of 145 Siege Battery, who said that their shoot had been “the best for a few months”. And he probably was glad of a drink that evening.
An improvement in the weather meant that today’s Counter Battery Patrol could go ahead more or less as planned, but it was marred by engine trouble. (If it’s not one thing, it’s the other.) So Air Mechanic Corkhill came up for a test ride in the afternoon. And there was time for some correspondence.
Date: 30.6.18 Hour: 10.30 Machine type: RE8 No.: E27 Observer: Lt Watkins Time: 1 hr 5 m Height: 4500 Course/Remarks: CBP. Engine very bad. Date: 30.6.18 Hour: 5 Machine type: RE8 No.: E27 Observer: AM Corkhill Time: 30 m Height: 2500 Course/Remarks: Engine test.
Sunday June 30th. C.B.P with Lt Watkins. Engine nothing great, sent FL FR UD (10.30am). Received parcel of mags & stockings. Wrote home. 5.30 pm. Took up mechanic with E.27 for engine test. Engine apparently OK.
This was the weather report that Greg sent at 10:30am:
The weather continued to interfere with the work of 42 Squadron. Following yesterday’s cancellation of a shoot, today the weather forced Greg down 10 minutes after take off for a Counter Battery Patrol. Also, Lt Ives is posted to the Home Establishment.
Date: 29.6.18 Hour: - Machine type: RE8 No.: E27 Observer: Lt Pring Time: 10 m Height: 600 Course/Remarks: Weather test. (CBP.)
Saturday June 29th. CBP at 8.am with Lt Pring. Weather very dud, came down after 10 mins.
Today’s Routine Orders contain the news that Lt. Edward Leslie Ives, seconded from the West Yorkshire Regiment to the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force, was posted on 28 June 1918 to the Home Establishment:
Lt Ives is seen here with Lt Whittles in their flying kit next to an RE8 at Rely:
