If there is one place in northern France that was closely associated with the work of 42 Squadron RAF in 1918, it was Merville. This small town on the north bank of the River Lys has featured many times in posts and photographs on this blog (for a collection, click here). But there are a couple of previously unseen photos that are undated and unmarked. Possibly they were taken in December 1918 on a joyride. Although not explicitly identified, the photos are unmistakably of the town. Given the association, it’s easy to imagine Greg wanting to take a last look at Merville from the air. Especially when he wasn’t being shot at.
Here are the photographs, with their present day counterparts from Google maps:
West Merville
Vertical aerial view of west Merville, Pont de Pierre and ruins of old church 1918. North is in the direction of the arrow. Click for larger image. Credit: Greg’s War CollectionWest Merville, Pont de Pierre and site of old church, from Google maps. Click for larger image, or for Google maps itself click here.
In the 1918 image, the long shadows from just west of south indicate that the photograph dates from a winter’s day.
Pont de Pierre
In the middle of the bottom of the photograph is a bridge: the Pont de Pierre. Avid readers of this blog might remember that we have met this bridge before. 213 Siege Battery of the Royal Artillery, firing under Greg’s direction, severely damaged it on 19 July 1918:
How is it that the bridge is intact in the photo? Well, assuming that the supposition that this is a winter’s photograph is correct, there are two possibilities.
First, the bridge was repaired. This might have been by the Germans before they left Merville. Or it might have been by the British after they liberated Merville on 19 August 1918. I think this is quite likely. This is because the Pont de Pierre carries the main road on the north bank of the River Lys west out of Merville towards Haverskerque, St Venant and Aire-sur-la-Lys. So making it passable would have been a priority.
The second possibility is that the photograph dates from an earlier winter: perhaps 1917-18. But this seems unlikely, as before Operation Georgette in April 1918 the German line was some miles to the east. So the damage to Merville would have been unlikely to have been so great at that stage.
Central Merville
Vertical aerial view of central Merville, ruins of old church and roads leading north, 1918. North is in the direction of the arrow. Click for larger image. Credit: Greg’s War CollectionCentral Merville, site of old church and roads leading north, from Google maps. Click for larger image, or for Google maps itself click here.
The 1918 image has the hallmarks of another winter’s day photograph, with long shadows from just west of south.
Merville Church
Merville’s church, in the centre left of the 1918 photograph, is in ruins. A ground level view is in this post:
In the Google maps view, a new, post-war, church is visible some 330 yds (300 m) southeast, to the lower right of the photograph. The original site provided space for a new town hall and a car park.
A Postscript, and a Puzzle
The above two Merville photographs appear in one of Greg’s photograph albums next to another one of ruined streets:
A vertical aerial view of ruined streets. But where? Click for larger image. Credit: Greg’s War Collection.
Again there is no caption, and no location information. So where is it? Well, it doesn’t look like Merville. There are too many streets and too many buildings (ruined ones, but recognisably former buildings). Merville at the time was quite small:
Merville on a 1:10,000 scale trench map dated 18 August 1918. Each numbered square is 1,000 yds. Click for larger image. Map credit: TNA/IWM/Great War Digital.
At the time of writing, I don’t know the location of this photograph. Any information will be very welcome.
42 Squadron RAF is about to move: from Rely, where they have been since 25 April 1918, to Chocques. In celebration of the almost six months that they spent at Rely, B and C flights of 42 Sqn held a dinner this evening.
The Rely Farewell Dinner
Spirits were probably high, given that the tide of the war now seemed to be flowing eastwards, in the Allies’ favour. Greg kept the menu from this memorable occasion. As might be expected, it contains a few in-jokes.
Rely Farewell Dinner Menu Cover. Click for larger image.Rely Farewell Dinner Menu. Click for larger image.
10th October 1918 42 Sq.,B.&.C.,
FRANCE
M E N U .
------
HUITRES DE ST. OMER.
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HORS D'OUEVRES VARIES DE RELY.
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POTAGE TOMATE DE CHOCQUES.
-------
POISSON
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SAUCE PIQUANT DE CARFEW.
-------
BOEUF ROTI
ASPERGE.
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POULET ROTI D'UNTER
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POMMES DE TERRE.
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TREFLE DE MERVILLE.
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OEUFS SOUFFLES.
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FILETS D'ANCHOVE.
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E T C .
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Y. KAVALLIO. GNE. Y. KAVALLIO GNT. [???]
W.A.A.A.A.A.A.A.A. [???]
In-Jokes
So what can we make of the in-jokes? Some are more decipherable than others.
Huîtres de St. Omer
St. Omer is not an obvious source of oysters, being some 20 miles (32 km) inland from the coast. However, it was connected by a canal to Dunkirk and by rail links to Calais, Gravelines and Dunkirk. So fresh seafood could easily have been brought in. But I haven’t seen any reference to St. Omer being known for its seafood market. Cauliflowers and other vegetables, yes – it’s ‘the cauliflower capital of France’, according to this website – but not seafood.
Just possibly, this was some hard-to-decode reference to St. Omer being the spiritual birthplace of the RAF and RFC before it (see for example here and here).
Hors d’Oeuvres Variés de Rely
At least this is more straightforward! A simple farewell to 42 Squadron’s home for the last few months.
Potage Tomate de Chocques
And an equally straightforward look forward to their new home at Chocques.
Sauce Piquant de Carfew
Back to speculation for this one. Although it might seem like the name of someone – the chef, perhaps – a search for anyone of answering to the name Carfew in the RFC or RAF on airhistory.org.uk drew a complete blank. As did a search on the IWM’s Lives of the First World War. So to whom might it refer?
A prime candidate has to be The Admirable Carfew, the fictional subject of a series of short stories by Edgar Wallace, published by Ward, Lock & Co. of London in 1914. Wallace is more widely known for his Sanders of the River short stories and, particularly, as the initial script writer for King Kong (1933).
The complete text of The Admirable Carfew is available from Project Gutenberg Australia, who say this about the work:
The author gives pleasantly a series of important phases in the life of an irrepressible young man, Carfew, whose ready wit and daring and downright “front” carry him through anything and everything. Carfew volunteers for any kind of forlorn hope in business, and usually wins handsomely. The sketches of this tornado of energy are done brightly; even a languid reader will be hurried, along gladly. He would be a sad man who would not be obliged to laugh heartily at some of Carfew’s “turns.”
Quite an appropriate sort of chap to lend his name to a piquant sauce that was deemed admirable!
Asperge
Asparagus in October in Northern France? Really? Must have been tinned.
Poulet Rôti d’Unter
I think the key to this lies in an unwritten aspirate, or mute, ‘h’. When the final word is written ‘Hunter’ it all makes a lot more sense. This was because the CO of 42 Squadron was Major Henry John Francis Hunter MC, who has already been mentioned in the post for 19 May 1918. Possibly it was he who signed the top dead centre of the front of the menu as ‘Jack Hunter’.
Trefle de Merville
If there was one town with which 42 Squadron was closely associated during their time at Rely, it had to be Merville. It was Merville’s skies that they patrolled. And it was enemy positions and strategic points in and around Merville to which they directed artillery fire while it was under occupation. So this was the squadron’s affectionate tribute to the town. Rather more affectionate, in fact, than the squadron’s nickname for Spanish Flu (Merville Fever) which struck Greg in an early wave in June.
‘Trefle’ is a bit puzzling, though. Trèfle, with a grave accent, translates to clover, trefoil or shamrock, but not to the English dessert trifle. A dessert trifle might be loosely translated as un diplomate, or simply left untranslated. But that all might be to over-analyse the lighthearted reference to the dessert that celebrated Merville.
And the last two lines…
…are very hard to read, let alone understand. I have hazarded “Kavallio” for the two longest words, but it is difficult to make them out. The last line looks like a typographical flourish – or an attempt at one on a typewriter. But who knows? Any suggestions will be gratefully received.
A cloudy and windy day made for a dud counter-battery patrol. But on the ground the British line had made further progress eastwards, and was now less than two miles (3.2 km) from Estaires. Merville was starting to recover from the occupation and shelling, which had damaged Merville Church beyond repair.
Log Book
Date: 26.8.18
Time: 11.5
Rounds Lewis: 300
Rounds Vickers: 300
Bombs: -
Time on RE8s: 142 hrs 40 mins
RE8: E27
Observer: Lt Hodgson
War Flying Time: 55 mins
Height: 1800
Course/Remarks: C.B.P. Dud. Cloudy & windy.
The British Front Nears Estaires
The British Front on the morning of 26 August 1918. Adapted from a 1:40,000 scale map dated December 1917 with information from a map accompanying General Haig’s despatches on the final British offensive. Each numbered square is 1,000 yards. Click for larger image. Map credit: IWM/TNA/GreatWarDigital.
As the British front approached Estaires, several of Greg’s landmarks were now out of the enemy’s hands and back under allied control. These included:
The village of Neuf Berquin, which has been mentioned in several posts;
The site of the hostile battery at KD90, on the outskirts of Merville, which was the target of Greg’s first shoot, with 145 Siege Battery, on 1 July 1918:
And the site of the hostile battery and dump at Crinquette Lotte, east of Merville, which was the target of the shoot which Greg had been proud of on 8 August 1918, just over two weeks previously:
Meanwhile, if the (enemy) shells had stopped falling on Merville, it was about now that the official photographer took photographs of what remained of the town. One picture he took was of Merville Church:
Merville Church by the official photographer after Merville had been liberated by the British in August 1918; Click for larger image. Credit: NLS.
The remains of the church were demolished after the war, and the Hôtel de Ville was built on the site.
Merville Hôtel de Ville, built on the site of the original church, seen in 2018. Click for larger image.
A new church now stands across the main north-south road running through the town, the rue Thiers/D946). It is to the north and west of the original site, as this Google maps view shows:
A midday counter-battery patrol in cloudy conditions revealed Merville being shelled. Nothing unusual there, you might think. But now the town was in British hands and was being shelled by German artillery. Another sign of the turning tide.
Log Book
Date: 23.8.18
Time: 11.20
Rounds Lewis: 200
Rounds Vickers: 300
Bombs: -
Time on RE8s: 139 hrs 30 mins
RE8: E27
Observer: Lt Hodgson
War Flying Time: 2 hrs 30 mins
Height: 5000
Course/Remarks: C.B.P. Fairly dud. Cloudy.
Squadron Record Book
Squadron Record Book entry. Click for larger image.
Type and Number: RE8 27
Pilot and Observer: P. Lt Gregory. O. Lt Hodgson
Duty: Artillery Patrol
Start: 11.20
Return: 13.50
Results and Remarks:
11.55. UL UR UD. [Weather unfit for counter-battery work, artillery registration or photography]
12.00. MERVILLE being shelled by enemy artillery. Called up C.W.S. [central wireless station] with TP, L30 [Estaires]. L30 kept under observation, but no flashes seen. Visibility poor.
12.55. C.W.S sent GC [3,000 yd square east of Estaires]. No flashes seen.
Two barges in CANAL at L 35 b 2.9 & L 27 d 8.5.
13.45. Large fire in BUILDINGS at R 27 c 1.7
AA nil. EKB nil. Vis: poor to fair. Height 1/4000’. Obs by P&O
300 V.G.[200 rounds from Vickers gun] & 200 L.G.[200 rounds from Lewis gun] into BUILDINGS L 34 [la Gorgue] from 1800’.
Merville Shelled
The various locations in the Squadron Record Book entry are marked on the following map. They show that enemy activity observed by 42 Squadron was now decisively moving eastwards. But the shells still fell on Merville.
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.
In an article headed ‘The Advance of the French Tenth Army’, which primarily dealt with General Mangin’s forces between the Oise and the Aisne, British forces on the Lys sector got a mention too. The report says that British troops had entered Merville (on Monday 19 August 1918) “without opposition”.
The Times, 21 August 1918
Meanwhile the British Armies in the north have found themselves the cheerful witnesses of a considerable German withdrawal. The enemy are going back in the region of the River Lys, and it is clear that they are retiring in consequence of British pressure. On Sunday we made a successful attack, quietly defined by Sir Douglas Haig as another “local operation”, on a front of four miles between Vieux Berquin and Bailleul. The average depth of the advance was nearly a mile, and the village of Oultersteene was recaptured, as well as several fortified farms. The enemy vainly counter-attacked during the night.
By Monday it was found that, to the south-west of this action, the German Sixth Army, under General von Quast, was retreating in all the country between Locon and the forest of Nieppe. They have made no progress in this flat and muddy district for a very long time, and the successful assault on Oultersteene seems to have finally convinced them of the necessity of shortening their front.
On Monday our troops entered Merville without opposition, and by the evening they were well beyond the town. They were also able to cross the Lawe Canal farther south. Our Special Correspondent states that by yesterday afternoon we had recovered “something over twenty square miles of territory without resistance and without loss”.
Although Greg was down to do a shoot today, there was no shoot to do so he didn’t fly. On the ground, the front on the Lys sector was starting to move eastwards: on this day, British forces liberated Merville.
Diary
Monday Aug 19th. Down for shoot – none to do, so did not fly.
Merville Liberated
As the tide began to turn, British ground forces on the Lys sector today retook Merville. The Germans had taken it on 11 April 1918, the day of General Haig’s ‘Backs-to-the-Wall’ order:
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:
Map square L21, near Neuf Berquin, form a 1:40,000 map dated December 1917. Click for larger image. Map credit: IWM/TNA/GreatWarDigital
Two outings today: a bomb raid, and a shoot with 323 Siege Battery with whom Greg hadn’t worked for almost a month.
Log Book
Date: 11.8.18
Time: 11.15
Rounds Lewis: 300
Rounds Vickers: 200
Bombs: 4
Time on RE8s: 117 hrs 25 mins
RE8: E27
Observer: Hodgson
Time: 45 mins
Height: 2500
Course/Remarks: Bomb raid. Very hot & bumpy.
Date: 11.8.18
Time: 17.10
Rounds Lewis: -
Rounds Vickers: 100
Bombs: 4
Time on RE8s: 120 hrs 30 mins
RE8: E27
Observer: Hodgson
Time: 3 hrs 5 mins
Height: 4000
Course/Remarks: Shoot with 323 SB on Q6. Successful.
Diary
Sunday Aug 11th. Up twice – bomb raid for 45 mins in morning & shoot with 323 on Q6 in evening, successful.
Bomb Raid and Shoot
It wasn’t often that Greg went on a bomb raid. But it was this morning’s duty, and possibly carried out in support of initial ground operations in the Lys sector that were part of the Allies’ ‘100 Days’ Final Offensive.
323 Siege Battery (6″ howitzers) was previously a partner for Greg on a shoot on 17 July 1918. Square Q6 is south of Merville, on what is now part of Merville-Calonne Airport:
Merville and Square Q6 on a 1:40,000 scale map dated December 1917. Click for larger image. Map credit: IWM/TNA/GreatWarDigital
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
Squadron Record Book. Click for larger image.
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:
Shoot with 213 Siege Battery – ‘Before’ and ‘After’ Vertical Aerial Photos. Click for larger image. Credit: Greg’s War Collection.
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:
Target and possible battery location for shoot with 213 SB on 8 August 1918, from a 1:40,000 map dated December 1917. Each numbered square is 1,000 yds. Map credit: IWM/TNA/GreatWarDigital
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:
The British Front on the morning of 8 August 1918. Adapated from a 1:40,000 scale map dated December 1917 with information from a map accompanying General Haig’s despatches on the final British offensive. Each numbered square is 1,000 yards. Click for larger image. Map credit: IWM/TNA/GreatWarDigital.
Updated 20 August 2018 16:35
Updated with Squadron Record Book info 28 September 2018 15:55
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.
Log Book
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.
Diary
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:
Squadron Record Book
Click for larger image
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 .
Merville and surroundings from a 1:40,000 map. Click for larger image. Credit: IWM/TNA/GreatWarDigital.
