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.
Log Book
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.
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.
Position of battery at K.35.d.1.2 etc on a 1:20,000 map dated 27 June 1918. Each square with a number in its centre (like 35) is 1,000 yards. Map credit: IWM/TNA/GreatWarDigitalThe equivalent extract from a modern 1:25,000 map. Credit: GreatWarDigital.
Squadron Record Book
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:
On a murky and misty day – “frightfully dud” was the verdict – Greg was down for a Counter Battery Patrol/Artillery Patrol in the morning but signalled that the weather was unfit. He dropped one bomb, had an elevator rocking bar shot, made a bad landing and bust the prop. Then he took another machine up, but the weather was still bad.
Log Book
Date: 7.7.18
Hour: 8.15
Machine type: RE8
No.: E27
Passenger: Lt Pring
Time: 30 mins
Height: 1500
Course/Remarks: CBP. V Dud. Elevator rocking bar shot.
Sunday July 7th 1918. Wrote AD [?]. Sent field card home.
8.15-8.45 Took off with four bombs. Could only get one of them off. Frightfully dud morning, low clouds and heavy mist. Got the right hand elevator rocking bar shot. Overshot on landing & ran into some boxes & broke propeller. 1 bomb.
9.15-11.0 Took up Hutchinson’s bus with a shoot. Too dud. Good landing.
Squadron Records
The day’s flying is fleshed out a bit in the official report:
Type and Number: R.E.8.27
Pilot and Observer: P. Lt Gregory. O. Lt Pring
Duty: Artillery Patrol
Hour of Start: 8.15am
Hour of Return: 8.45am
Remarks:
8.30am 1-25lb bomb dropped at K.34.b.5.5. [Rue de Bournoville, Merville] Burst unobserved.
8.35am sent U.L. U.R. U.D. C.8. [Unfit for counter-battery work; unfit for artillery registration; unfit for photography; clouds at 800 ft] Very heavy ground mists and fog. Machine hit on elevator rocking bar. No E.A. A.A. or E.K.B. [No enemy aircraft, anti-aircraft fire or enemy kite balloons]
Vis. very poor. Obs. By P. & O.
Because there were no enemy aircraft and no anti-aircraft fire, it looks as if the rocking bar must have been hit with small arms fire from the ground. Something of a lucky hit for the shooter at 1500 ft through cloud.
Type and Number: R.E.8.2327
Pilot and Observer: P. Lt Gregory. O. Lt Pring
Duty: Artillery Patrol
Hour of Start: 9.55am
Hour of Return: 10.55am
Remarks:
10.0am small explosion at E.30.d.4.4. [La Couronne, between Vieux Berquin and Neuf Berquin]
10.5am sent U.L. U.R. U.D. C.15. [Unfit for counter-battery work; unfit for artillery registration; unfit for photography; clouds at 1500 ft] Clouds in places below 1200'. Very thick mist prevented observation. No E.A. A.A. or E.K.B. [No enemy aircraft, anti-aircraft fire or enemy kite balloons]
Vis. very poor. Obs. By P. & O.
Wrote AD [?]. Sent field card home.
So there was time left for correspondence. Not sure who “AD” is – or even if it is AD. If it were AG (which is just possible), it could be either Alice Gregory (Greg’s sister) or Albert Gertrey (Greg’s fellow student from flying training in Yatesbury).
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.
Hot on the heels of his first shoot yesterday, Greg is on another one today, this time with 14 Siege Battery RGA (6″ howitzers). It was recorded as successful, but he had to cut short the observation because of engine trouble. And later in the day an “artillery chap” was taken up for a test flight – presumably after the engine had been looked at.
Date: 2.7.18
Hour: -
Machine type: RE8
No.: E27
Passenger: Art. Chap
Time: 30 mins
Height: 3500
Course/Remarks: Test flight
Diary
Tuesday 2nd July 1918. Shoot with 14 SB. 6” hows. 48 Ranging rounds. Sent CI engine, after one MOK. Saw an MT in hunland.
CI was the signal for “Am returning to landing ground”. MOK meant that the mean point of impact of a salvo fired by the artillery battery was a direct hit. An MT was a motor transport.
Squadron Record Book
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 H.B. [Hostile battery] at L.19.b.26.37.
Hour of Start: 12.10pm
Hour of Return: 2.20pm
Remarks:
SUCCESSFUL. Called up 12.30pm. K. 12.35pm. L. 12.37pm. G. 12.40pm. V. 2.0pm. G. to V. 1 hr 20 mins
OBSERVED:- M.C.2 M.B.3 2 Y. 1 Z. 6 A. 17 B. 10 C. 5 D. 1 E. 6 W. 48 ranging rounds. "V" out and 1 M.O.K. sent. 2 explosions at 1.15pm and 2.10pm.
Shoot by P. Height 6000'.
MISC INF. 1.10pm fire K.23.d.5.5 burning intermittently. 1.30pm 1 M.T. on NEUF BERQUIN-ESTAIRES Road going towards ESTAIRES. 1.30pm fire Q.18.a.5.7. 2.5pm 100 rounds fired into MERVILLE STATION. Vis. fair, cloudy after 2.0pm Obs. by P. & O.
Here’s where the action was, on the eastern side of Merville:
Location of hostile battery and other points of note in shoot of 2 July 1918. Map credit: IWM/TNA/GreatWarDigital
So even while the shoot was going on, both Pilot and Observer were watching. They reported all they could see from their vantage point. Always the ‘eye in the sky’.
Monday 1 July 1918. Shoot with 145 SB. 8” hows. on KD.90. Direct hit on No 3 pit.
Shoot on KD90
Greg’s shoot was with 145 Siege Battery, a Royal Garrison Artillery Battery of (probably four) 8″ howitzers. Their target, which would probably have been located in an earlier Counter Battery Patrol (explained here), was in zone KD and was the the object of interest given the serial number 90.
KD90 was a German battery, also probably of four pieces, each in its own emplacement or ‘pit’. It was located just southeast of the railway station at Merville, off what is now the Rue Loridan.
KD90 was the zone number given to a hostile battery, just southeast of Merville. This is an extract from a 1:20,000 scale map, dated 27 June 1918. Credit IWM/TNA/GreatWarDigitalThe equivalent extract from a modern 1:25,000 map. Credit: GreatWarDigital.
The site of KD90 today is unexceptional. Just a few ramshackle farm buildings on a quiet country lane on the edge of a small town. But where this photo was taken would not have been a good place to stand at 3:00pm on Monday 1 July 1918:
KD90, on Rue Loridan, just outside Merville, today
Squadron Record Book
In his diary, Greg records the shoot as successful. This was also the verdict in the Squadron Record Book. It’s the first entry on the (hard to read) page. Transcript (and translation) below.
Extract from 42 Squadron Record Book for 1 July 1918. Click for larger image.
Type and Number: R.E.8.27
Pilot and Observer: P. Lt Gregory. O. Lt Watkins.
Duty: Art Obs 145 S.B. (8" How) on K.D.90.
Hour of Start: 2.10pm
Hour of Return: 5.15pm
Remarks:
SUCCESSFUL. Called up 2.20pm. K. 2.25pm. L. 2.37pm. G. 2.43pm. V. 4.0pm. G. to V. 1-17mins
OBSERVED:- 1 O.K. 1 Y. 2 Z. 8 A. 16 B. 6 C. 2 D. 7 W. 42 ranging rounds. "V" out and 3 M.O.K. sent.
Direct hit on No. 3 Pit. T. out 5.5pm.
Shoot by P. Height 6000'.
MISC INF. 2.50p O.K. on house at K.36.d.0.7.
4.25pm and 4.55pm called C.W.S. X. out. A.A. very active in back areas. No movement seen North of CANAL. No trains. Obs. fired 600 rounds into NEUF BERQUIN, MERVILLE STATION and EPINETTE. Pilot fired 100 rounds into MERVILLE STATION. Vis. good at first, poor later. Obs. by P. & O.
Translation of Remarks:
Remarks: SUCCESSFUL.
Called up [B: Are you receiving my signal?] 2.20pm.
K. [Yes] 2.25pm.
L. [Battery ready to fire] 2.37pm.
G. [First 'Fire' command] 2.43pm.
V. [Observe for fire for effect; ie Battery Commander is satisfied that guns are now ranged, and will now fire 'for real' - please observe] 4.0pm.
G. to V. [Time taken to range battery] 1-17mins
OBSERVED:- 1 O.K. [Direct hit]
1 Y. [Within 10 yards]
2 Z. [Within 25 yards]
8 A. [Within 50 yards]
16 B. [Within 100 yards]
6 C. [Within 200 yards]
2 D. [Within 300 yards]
7 W. [Washout - unobserved]
42 ranging rounds.
"V" out and 3 M.O.K. [3 Mean-points-of-impact (of salvos) are direct hits] sent.
Direct hit on No. 3 Pit.
T. out [Battery telling aircraft to go home] 5.5pm.
Shoot by P. [Pilot did the observing of the shoot; the Observer would have been fully occupied watching for enemy aircraft] Height 6000'.
MISC INF. 2.50p O.K. [direct hit] on house at K.36.d.0.7. [Map reference of house just next to hostile battery at KD90]
4.25pm and 4.55pm called C.W.S. [The Central Wireless Station of the squadron] X. out. [Change target] A.A. very active in back areas. No movement seen North of CANAL. No trains. Obs. fired 600 rounds into NEUF BERQUIN, MERVILLE STATION and EPINETTE. Pilot fired 100 rounds into MERVILLE STATION. Vis. good at first, poor later. Obs. by P. & O. [Pilot and Observer both contributed to miscellaneous info.]
More on Shoots
For more details on how a shoot worked in practice, including an example of the exchange of communications between the aircraft and the battery, see:
The house at K.36.d.0.7 that was the subject of an “O.K.” (direct hit) is actually just next to the hostile battery designated as KD90. A touch of collateral damage.
The house at K.36.d.0.7, near KD90, from a 1:20,000 scale map, dated 27 June 1918. Credit IWM/TNA/GreatWarDigital
L’Épinette
As noted in the following post, which is about Greg’s previous outing with Lt. Watkins, there was some kind of well defended German post or position at l’Épinette:
Merville Station was on the receiving end of .303 fire from both Greg’s Vickers gun and Lt. Watkins’ Lewis gun. Today, the trains are long gone, but the buildings and fragments of the track remain:
Merville Station Approach, June 2018. Click for larger image.The tracks at Merville Station, June 2018. Click for larger image.
Another Counter Battery Patrol, and more bombs dropped today; and more water in the carburettor, so an early return:
Log Book
Date: 26.6.18
Hour: 11.00
Machine type: RE8
No.: E27
Observer: Lt Roche
Time: 1 hr 10 m
Height: 3000
Course/Remarks: CBP. 4 bombs. Returned due to engine.
Diary
Wednesday June 26th. CBP. Dropped four bombs on houses. Late up & early down – water in carburettor.
Nothing to indicate where the bombs on houses were dropped, but it was probably somewhere in or around German-occupied Merville.
2nd Lt Roche
This was to be 2nd Lt Anthony Berthon Roche’s last flight as Greg’s observer. He was evidently still with 42 Squadron at least until 7 July 1918, according to the records of http://www.airhistory.org.uk/rfc/people_index.html, but Greg’s own papers contain no more information about him.
Back on Counter Battery Patrol after recovering from the flu, with Lt Roche (also recovered), meant a 5:30am start that was rewarded with a direct hit with a bomb on a bridge near Merville. Mac (Lt. Hugh McDonald), who died yesterday, was buried later in the day.
Log Book
Date: 25.6.18
Hour: 5.30
Machine type: RE8
No.: E27
Observer: Lt Roche
Time: 1 hr 30 m
Height: 3000
Course/Remarks: CBP. Direct hit on bridge. Wat. in Carb.
Diary
Tuesday June 25th. CBP at 5.30 am. Very heavy mist. Dropped bombs on bridge near Merville, (direct hit). Observer fired 100 rounds behind Merville.
Heavy low bands of clouds appeared about 6.45 to windward.
Engine became very rough owing to water in carburettor so came home. No Archie. No Huns.
Good landing.
Developed a cold as after effect of P.U.O.
Mac buried.
“Dropped bombs on bridge near Merville, (direct hit)”
An opportunistic departure from a counter battery patrol. Which bridge was it? Hard to tell, as there are so many, as this map extract shows:
Extract from a 1:20,000 map of Merville, May 1918 edition, with trenches revised to 19 June 1918. German works in red. Numbered squares are 1,000 yards. Map credit: IWM/TNA/GreatWarDigital
Merville still has still lots of bridges. One of today’s tourist information boards proudly says:
As the heart of the town is surrounded by water, it can only be reached by crossing one of the seventeen bridges.
It seems unlikely that even a direct hit with one of the 20 lb Cooper bombs that were carried by an RE8 would actually have brought a bridge down. And Greg would surely have proudly said so if he had done. (Spoiler alert: he did on a later occasion!)
Water in Carburettor
A recurrent problem, with the heavy mist and low cloud.
Lt. Hugh McDonald (Mac) Buried
Lt. Hugh McDonald lies buried at plot III.D.33 at Aire Communal Cemetery, next to his observer 2nd Lt. Cuthbert Alban Marsh at III.D.34.
Greg’s first day out of bed (just) after the flu was a bad day for the squadron, with a crash at Rely aerodrome.
Diary
Sunday 23rd. Got up, & walked round a bit feeling groggy. Macdonald [sic, should be McDonald] & Marsh spun into the ground & caught fire, both rescued & taken to hospital.
McDonald & Marsh Crash at Rely
Lt Hugh McDonald (as his name was spelt in the official report) was the pilot.
And 2nd Lt Cuthbert Alban Marsh was the observer, and was also Greg’s observer on his near-disastrous first day on the Front, when they crashed in crops at Trézennes. On that occasion, Marsh was thrown clear:
There were two hospital facilities at Aire-sur-la-Lys at the time. User mhifle of The Great War Forum says that the 54th Casualty Clearing Station came to Aire on 16 April 1918. This CCS was also known as the ‘1/2nd London CCS’. He gives its previous locations with the BEF in France as:
Hazebrouck 1 April 1915 to 31 July 1915
Merville 1 Aug 1915 to 28 March 1918
Haverskerque 29 March 1918 to 15 April 1918
At Aire, the 54th CCS joined No 39 Stationary Hospital, which was there from May 1917 to July 1918 according to The Long, Long Trail. So McDonald and Marsh may have been taken to one of these hospital facilities.
“British Casualty Clearing Station”
The Greg’s War collection includes the following aerial photograph captioned “British Casualty Clearing Station”, which is otherwise unidentified.
High-angle oblique aerial photograph from the Greg’s War Collection entitled “British Casualty Clearing Station”. Click for larger image.
It is possible that this was the 54th CCS at Aire (maybe with No 39 Stationary Hospital also in shot). The landscape looks similar to that just west of Aire, upstream along the Lys valley, near the village of Mametz – Mametz (Pas de Calais) that is, not Mametz (Somme).
A high-angle oblique view created in Google maps. (It’s not entirely successful, as Google has not 3D-imaged the area.) The aspect is looking northeast from just south of the Route de Mametz. Click to go to Google maps to see the location.
But I’m not entirely sure that this is the same place. In this instance, it’s hard to tell how much the landscape has changed over the years. Without any hard evidence of where the photo was taken, and without even knowing just where in or around Aire the 54th CCS was located, I can only identify it provisionally.
On another damp day around the River Lys, Greg takes Lt Watkins as observer, since Roche has flu. Central Wireless Station tells them to reconnoitre an area by l’Épinette, southeast of Merville. But they didn’t see any guns firing and the damp air leads to water in the carburettor again.
Log Book
Date: 19.6.18
Hour: 3.30
Machine type: RE8
No.: E27
Observer: Lt Watkins
Time: 1 hr 10 m
Height: 3000
Course/Remarks: CBP. Came down due to water in
carburettor.
Diary
Wednesday June 19th. E27. Roche got an attack of the ‘flu’. Took up Watkins as observer, saw one Hun.
Asked C.W.S. for a target & got R VII. Went over to reconnoitre square R7 but owing to smoke from a fire just to windward was unable to see any guns firing in that square. Weather pretty dud & damp.
“Asked C.W.S. [Central Wireless Station] for a target”
CWS was the squadron’s Central Wireless Station. This station operated one of the squadron’s two radio receivers. The other was at Station Headquarters for practice and tests. As the General Staff’s “Co-operation of Aircraft with Artillery” booklet (SS 131) explains:
…the Central Wireless Station should be at some central position in the corps area sufficiently far back to prevent jambing. This station acts as a link between the squadron commander and his machines working on the line, and is of great value in preventing incipient failures in their initial stages. … Its utility is largely dependent on quick telephone communication to the squadron and to batteries. Whenever possible, therefore, it should be located near Corps Heavy Artillery Headquarters, whose direct lines run to the above units. At this station are also taken weather reports, hostile aircraft reports and, in case of sudden enemy bombardments or attacks, calls for reinforcing machines.
Square R7
This would be square R7 in Sheet 36A (zone RA), 2 miles (3.2 km) SSE of Merville, near Lestrem. At the time, there was some kind of well defended German post or position there, at l’Épinette:
Extract of 1:20,000 ‘Harassing Fire’ map showing Square R7 of 1:40,000 Sheet 36A and l’Épinette. This was the square given by the Central Wireless Station. Red markings show German trenches and wire entanglements. Black marking show centres of activity, occupied areas and numbered targets. Triangles indicate dumps, and the flag shows a headquarters position. The map is dated 27 June 1918, with trenches correct to 16 June 1918.
Nowadays, l’Épinette is on the southern edge of Merville-Calonne Airport:
