McDermont Archives - Greg's War

15 January 20198 January 2019

Wednesday 15 January 1919 – A Scruffy RE8 4889

In another photo taken at Abscon, RE8 4889 (actually D4889) stands on the airfield with the cité ouvrière and the spire of Abscon church in the background. Pilot and observer are in position, as is the Lewis gun on the Scarff ring – but so are the wheel-chocks. And there are no ground crew in evidence, so this looks like a posed photo.

RE8 4889

In January 1919, RE8 4889 was in a scruffy state. Scratches, patches and scuff marks are all over it. It used to be pristine. In fact, this is the shiny state in which we saw the same aircraft previously. In the post for 27 August 1918 it was pictured with Capt. Bill Ledlie standing proprietorially in front of the gleaming aircraft:

In this older photograph (probably taken at Rely, to where 42 Squadron had moved on 25 April 1918) the aircraft was clearly pretty new. It had been built by Napier and delivered to the squadron on 8 July 1918. It stayed with them until 28 January 1919. On that day Lt Judd ferried 4889 to St Omer, where 13 Squadron took charge of it. It had survived its time of active war service without major incident.

Possibly 4889 was the aircraft that Capt. Ledlie often flew. The squadron designation was ‘B1’, and Capt. Ledlie was the flight commander of ‘B’ flight. So he might have been the pilot in the photo at Abscon. But Capt. Ledlie didn’t have exclusive use of it. For instance, Greg flew 4889 on 6 October 1918 and 7 October 1918. More likely, since the photograph came from Lt McDermont, who later emigrated to New Zealand, it was he who was the pilot in the January 1919 photo.

The Abscon RE8 Photographs

This photograph is one of a series of aeroplanes and crew taken – probably at least semi-officially – at Abscon. Two others have been posted in previous weeks, one (of 2872) from Greg’s collection and one (of 2924) from the Air Force Museum of New Zealand, as this one was.

Wednesday 1 January 1919 – Greg’s Last Flight

Wednesday 8 January 1918 – RE8 2924 and Lt McDermont

No doubt there are others in museums and dusty attics around the world. And more still that have been lost or destroyed.

Abscon Church

In the January 1919 photograph of 4889, the stubby spire of Abscon church rises above the house behind the tail of the aircraft. That church is now gone. According to French Wikipedia:

The old church, built in 1892 and closed to worship in July 1969 because of mining subsidence, was replaced by a new building inaugurated in 1981.

It was the stubbiness of this spire that made me think that the spire in the photograph in the post for 28 December 1918 was probably not Abscon’s, but more likely to be that of Saultain:

Saturday 28 December 1918 – Last Few Days at Saultain

Thanks once more to…

Matthew O’Sullivan, Keeper of Photographs at the Air Force Museum of New Zealand for granting permission to use the photo.
Andrew Pentland of www.airhistory.org.uk, whose Royal Flying Corps pages contain information about RE8 D4889.

8 January 20198 January 2019

Wednesday 8 January 1918 – RE8 2924 and Lt McDermont

On New Year’s Day 1919, Greg had ferried RE8 2924 (strictly speaking RE8 C2924) from Saultain to Abscon in his last recorded flight. The aircraft would remain at Abscon until 6 February 1918, when it was handed over to 13 Squadron RAF at St Omer. So on 8 January 1919 it would have been at Abscon, where this photograph was taken.

Houses of Abscon’s cité ouvrière are clearly visible in the background. Lt John G. McDermont is believed to be standing on the left.

Photo of RE8 C2924 at Abscon with Lt John Gilchrist Johnston McDermont. — RE8 C2924 at Abscon. Lt John Gilchrist Johnston McDermont is believed to be standing on the left. Click for larger image. Photo credit: Air Force Museum of New Zealand, MUS05056.

This photograph looks as though it is one of a series that includes the photograph in the 1 January post:

Wednesday 1 January 1919 – Greg’s Last Flight

John Gilchrist Johnston McDermont

Lt John Gilchrist Johnston McDermont was born on 10 May 1896. This would make him 22 when the photograph was taken, and a little over two years older than Greg.

Lt McDermont was a pilot with B Flight, 42 Squadron RAF. When the squadron moved from Aulnoy to Saultain on 11 December 1918, he and his observer Lt Elliott crashed on landing RE8 D6740 at Saultain, but were both recorded as ‘OK’ in the casualty report, as previously noted here. (On the same occasion Greg and Lt Scarterfield had ferried RE8 2924 to the new aerodrome.)

After the war, Lt McDermont emigrated to New Zealand.

Thanks to…

Matthew O’Sullivan, Keeper of Photographs at the Air Force Museum of New Zealand for sending me the photograph and information about Lt McDermont, as well as for granting permission to use the photo here.
Andrew Pentland of www.airhistory.org.uk, whose Royal Flying Corps pages contain information about RE8 C2924 and Lt McDermont.

3 December 201829 November 2018

Tuesday 3 December 1918 – Message Dropping

After yesterday‘s practice session at message dropping, Lt McDermont takes up 2517 to drop messages for real.

             B Flight 3/12/18
0930
2517 Lt McDermont  Lt Whittles Message Dropping
2707 Lt Wallington Lt Paton    Reconn & Zone Calls

                C.E. Gregory, Lt.
                O.C. B Flight

Message Dropping

Not quite the excitement of war flying, of course. But at least he has Lt Whittles for company, rather than a couple of sandbags.

Meanwhile, Lt Wallington and Lt Paton are on reconnaissance duty and keep their zone calls in trim.

B Flight Orders

This is the last dated entry in Greg’s B Flight Orders book. Everything is now winding down.

2 December 201829 November 2018

Monday 2 December 1918 – Parades

Two aircraft from B Flight, 42 Squadron, were in the air today. But the main activity was a couple of parades.

B Flight Orders

             B Flight 2/12/18

0900 Parade
For Officers only, outside B & C Flts.
CHATEAU
Dress. Drill Order. Gumboots, shoes & stockings drill not be worn.

Flying Orders
(2517) 0930 Lt McDERMONT & Sandbags.   Practice message dropping.
(2707) 0930 Lt SEWELL    Lt MULHOLLAND Zone calls

MEN’S CHURCH PARADE
10.30 Lt SCARTERFIELD is detailed to take charge of B Flight.

          C.E. Gregory, Lt
          O.C. B Flight

Parade for Officers

The weather was evidently still bad. Gumboots compulsory, and shoes and stockings forbidden. But the reason for the parade wasn’t specified.

Flying Orders

Practice message dropping and zone calls: some of the skills of war still being practised. It is a while since zone calls were mentioned on these pages:

Counter Battery Patrols and Zone Calls

Men’s Church Parade

It is a bit of a mystery why the men should have been on a church parade on a Monday. It is not as if it was a major saint’s day. The Catholic church recognises 2 December as the feast day of a little known 4th century Roman martyr, Saint Bibiana (or, variously, Viviana, Vivian, or Vibiana). But that seems an unlikely reason for a Monday church service for the air force of a country whose established church was protestant.

Perhaps it was just a question of helping to fill the men’s day. And maybe that explains what the officers were doing too.