As the eastwards momentum continues to build, Greg has a successful shoot with 99 Siege Battery on a hostile battery in square L28, just to the west of Estaires and some 3 miles (5 km) east of Merville. The battery is located near an elaborate defensive system of trenches and wire.
Log Book
Date: 24.8.18
Time: 15.35
Rounds Lewis: 400
Rounds Vickers: 300
Bombs: 4
Time on RE8s: 141 hrs 45 mins
RE8: E27
Observer: Lt Pring
War Flying Time: 2 hrs 15 mins
Height: 4000
Course/Remarks: Shoot with 99 SB on L28. Successful.
Squadron Record Book
Squadron Record Book. Click for larger image.
Type and Number: R.E.8.27
Pilot and Observer: P. Lt Gregory. O. Lt Pring
Duty: Art. Obs. on H.B. Destructive.
Hour of Start: 15.35
Hour of Return: 17.50
Remarks: S. with 99-S.B. (2-6” How) on H.B. at L 28 b 68.96. (P).
Called at 15.55. K 15.58. G 16.03.
34 ranging rounds:- 1 OK, 3Y, 1Z, 8A, 8B, 5C, 7W. Salvos MC7 & MB7.
V 16.46. G to V 43 mins.
Ranging pit hit during ranging. House at L 28 b 9.9 hit and partially demolished during ranging.
CI sent 17.35. Total rds fired 200.
15.50 2 EKB [Enemy Kite Balloons] E. and N.E. of ESTAIRES.
16.30 2 " near LAVENTIE.
16.15 Fire at L 23 d 6.9 (HOUSE)
16.35 KK [signal for seeing flash of artillery fire] on flash seen in G 28.
Vis: good. Height 3500’. Obs by P & O.
400 L.G.[400 rounds from Lewis Gun] and 300 V.G.[Vickers Gun] into ESTAIRES & along ROADS from 2000’.
4-25lb bombs on L 33 d 7.7. Bursts obs.
Shoot with 99 Siege Battery near Estaires
Here are the locations mentioned in the report:
Merville, Estaires and Laventie. Adapted from a composite of 1:40,000 scale maps. Each numbered square is 1,000 yards. Click for larger image. Map credit IWM/TNA/GreatWarDigital.
For more detail of what went on in a shoot, how to read a squadron record book entry of a shoot, and what the codes mean, see:
Square L28, west of Estaires, contained not only the hostile battery at which Greg’s shoot was directed, but also several presumably important positions that were well defended by trenches and wire, as this extract from 1:10,000 scale trench map shows:
Estaires and square L28, from a 1:10,000 scale trench map dated 16 August 1918. Trenches are shown as castellations, and wire by Xs. Click for larger image. Map credit: IWM/TNA/GreatWarDigital
Trenches showed up starkly in vertical aerial photographs in oblique sunlight, as the following two (unlocated) examples show:
First vertical aerial view of unlocated trenches. Click for larger view. Photo credit: Greg’s War Collection.Second vertical aerial view of unlocated trenches. Click for larger view. Photo credit: Greg’s War Collection.
An early start today: a 4:00am take off for a dawn reconnaissance/counter battery patrol, which saw some action. Greg obviously enjoyed himself.
Log Book
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.
Diary
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.
Archie
With seven holes through the plane, Archie (anti-aircraft fire) was definitely pretty hot. Archie explained here:
Squadron Record Book extract for 5 July 1918 (1). Click for larger imageSquadron Record Book extract for 5 July 1918 (2). Click for larger image
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.
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”
Counter Battery Patrol/Artillery Patrol
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.
Squadron Record Book
42 Squadron Record Book entry for 3 July 1918. Click for larger image.
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.
Translation of Remarks
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.
Map Extract Showing Principal Zones and References in Squadron Record Book Entry
Merville and surrounding area, showing zones and map references referred to in Squadron Record Book entry. Map credit: IWM/TNA/GreatWarDigital
Bringing the Bombs Home
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’.
Visit to 14 and 145 Siege Batteries of the Royal Garrison Artillery
‘The closest personal touch’
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’.
Taken for a Ride
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”.
‘All’s Well that Ends Well’, that’s what I say
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.
There was another air combat today at Neuf Berquin near Merville:
Air combat report. Click for larger image
Time: 6.30 a.m.
Locality: MERVILLE
Pilot: Capt. R. A. Archer, M.C.
Observer: 2/Lieut. H.C. Grimes
5 Albatros Scouts of whom only 3 persisted.
While over NEUF BERQUIN saw 5 aeroplanes patrolling about same height over ESTAIRES. Went on South. the 5 aeroplanes who proved to be hostile got into the sun over us. We turned towards our own lines. When about over L'EPINETTE, L.7.c, 3 dived on us firing. Seeing none of our own machines about we side-slipped home, recrossing the line at about 1500' at LE SART. During the whole of the fight, the Observer fired his gun at the E.A. but Pilot made no effort to get the Vickers on. 3 of the E.A. persisted in the attack until our lines were reached.
Map extract of Neuf Berquin, Estaires and Le Sart, from 1:40,000 series. Estaires is 15 miles (24 km) west of Lille and 4 miles (6 km) east of Merville. Each numbered square is 1,000 yds. Click for larger image. Credit: IWM/GreatWarDigital
Looks a bit like a late realisation that the aircraft were hostile. And then the pilot was fully preoccupied in getting them back to safety.
