RE8 Archives - Page 8 of 15

4 August 20185 December 2018

Sunday 4 August 1918 – CBP and Aborted Shoot

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 4^th.  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

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.

For a map reading primer, see:

Counter Battery Patrols and Zone Calls

3 August 20183 August 2018

Saturday 3 August 1918 – Reconnaissance and Concert Party

Back in the air again after two days of miserable weather. But a dusk reconnaissance ended in rain. The evening brightened with entertainment by a concert party – Leslie Henson’s ‘The Gaieties’.

Log Book

Date: 3.8.18 
Time: 7.35pm 
Rounds Lewis: 400 
Rounds Vickers: - 
Bombs: 4 
Time on RE8s: 103 hrs 40 mins 
RE8: E27 
Observer: Hodgson 
Time: 1 hr 25 mins 
Height: 3000 
Course/Remarks: Dusk reconnaissance. Rain.

Greg had by now adapted his log book entries. He now not only recorded the ammunition fired from each gun and the number of bombs dropped but also noted the cumulative time he had flown on RE8s.

Diary

Saturday 3^rd August.  Wrote home.  Dusk reconnaissance.  Returned in rain, engine nothing great.  Four bombs & 400 rounds Lewis.

Concert party – ‘Gaieties’ in Hangar.  Leslie Henson, Errol & Teddie Horton [sic., probably should be Holton]

‘Gaieties’

‘The Gaieties’ was a troupe of army entertainers under the direction of Leslie Henson. Henson had begun his professional stage career before the war, appearing in Edwardian musical comedies, among other productions, in the West End and elsewhere. He joined the RFC, but in 1918 was asked by General Gough to form a touring concert party to entertain the troops of the 5th Army in France. Evidently this survived Gough’s removal and the re-formation of the 5th Army under General Birdwood. So here were ‘The Gaieties’ at 42 Squadron in Rely, just over three weeks after General Birdwood’s visit on 12 July 1918.

Among the members of the troupe was Bert Errol, ‘a noted female impersonator’. Quite possibly it is Errol, and maybe others members of The Gaieties cast, in this photograph from Greg’s collection:

A concert party by Leslie Henson's 'The Gaieties' — A concert party by Leslie Henson’s ‘The Gaieties’ was held at Rely on 3 August 1918. Greg is third from the right in the middle row, next to one of the ‘ladies’. Click for larger image. Credit: Greg’s War Collection.

Greg’s diary entry also mentions ‘Teddie Horton’. Possibly this was meant to be Teddie Holton, who (spoiler alert) was certainly performing with Henson, Errol and others in The Gaieties in early November 1918. More on them then…

31 July 201831 July 2018

Wednesday 31 July 1918 – CBP, and Big Huns Overhead

A successful shoot with 237 Siege Battery (at last), was almost compromised by a German aircraft. And later there was a German bombing raid, possibly by Gotha bombers.

Log Book

Date: 31.7.17 
Time: 10.35 
Rounds Lewis: 100 
Rounds Vickers: - 
Bombs: - 
RE8: E27 
Observer: Lt. Hodgson 
Time: 2 hrs 50 m 
Height: 4500 
Course/Remarks: CBP & shoot with 237 SB. Successful.

Diary

Wednesday July 31^st.  CBP at 10.30.

Took up a shoot with 237 SB.  Called them up at 11, but there was a Hun overhead & did not put out groundstrips.  Shoot successful, battery firing wide during battery fire, so re-ranged them & then came home.

Dozens of Huns knocking about.  Hun bombing raid at night.  Three or four big Huns overhead.  No bombs dropped anywhere near.

Shoot with 237 Siege Battery

During his counter battery patrol, Greg took up a shoot with 237 Siege Battery. He must have been relieved to have a successful shoot with this battery, as previous attempts with them on 21 July and 28 July 1918 had failed.

A German aircraft overhead nearly compromised the shoot, since the battery could not communicate with the aircraft by putting out the usual ground strips (see the article on Shoots for an explanation).

Hun Bombing Raid at Night

It was an active day for enemy aircraft. Rely Aerodrome seems not to have been the target, but the ‘big Huns’ – possibly Gotha G.IV or G.V bombers such as illustrated below – were plainly heard. This was the kind of aircraft that used to bomb London.

30 July 201825 July 2018

Tuesday 30 July 1918 – Nothing Doing On the Line

A two hour counter battery patrol, but nothing doing on the line.

Log Book

Date: 30.7.17 
Time: 6.0 
Rounds Lewis: 100 
Rounds Vickers: 100 
Bombs: - 
RE8: E27 
Observer: Lt. Hodgson 
Time: 2 hrs 0 m 
Height: 2500 
Course/Remarks: CBP. Very dud. Eng rough.

Diary

Tuesday July 30^th.  6pm.  CBP.  Pretty dud, engine nothing great.  Absolutely nothing doing on the line.

For the first time in a week, though, both aircraft guns were fired. Greg and Lt Hodgson fired 100 rounds from each.

Monday 29 July 1918 – Very Misty

Another dies non for artillery observation as it was very misty.

Log Book

Date: 29.7.17 
Time: 12.50 
Rounds Lewis: - 
Rounds Vickers: - 
Bombs: - 
RE8: E27 
Observer: Lt. Hodgson 
Time: 20 m 
Height: 1500 
Course/Remarks: CBP. Weather test.  V. heavy ground mist. NG.

CBP = Counter battery patrol
NG = No good.

Diary

Monday July 29^th.  CBP 1pm.  Went up but came down, very misty.  Unable to observe anything so came down.

Sunday 28 July 1918 – Weather Unfit for Shoot

Yet another dud day, and another unsuccessful attempt at a shoot with 237 Siege Battery:

Log Book

Date: 28.7.17 
Time: 5.30 
Rounds: - 
Bombs: - 
RE8: E27 
Observer: Lt. Hodgson 
Time: 45 m 
Height: 2000 
Course/Remarks: Shoot with 237 SB. Unsucc. UL.

“UL” means that Greg sent the weather signal “unfit for counter battery work”.

Diary

Sunday July 28^th.  Wrote home.  Dud day, attempted a shoot in the evening, failed.  Absolutely unfit for shoot.

This was the second unsuccessful attempt at a shoot with 237 SB. The first was a week ago:

Sunday 21 July 1918 – No Windy Shoot

Friday 26 July 1918 – Shelled in St Venant

Yesterday’s windy weather was followed today by rain, which forced Greg down from a counter battery patrol. A subsequent exploration of St Venant didn’t go entirely to plan, thanks to the German artillery…

Log Book

Date: 26.7.17 
Time: 5.45 
Rounds: - 
Bombs: 4 
RE8: E27 
Observer: Lt. Hodgson 
Time: 1 hr 30 m 
Height: 3000 
Course/Remarks: CBP.  Forced down by rainstorm.

Diary

Friday July 26^th.  CBP (5.30am).  1½ hours.  Forced down by rain.

Went down to St Venant in the afternoon.  While exploring in some of the houses Fritz started shelling.  Cleared out pretty quickly.  Managed to pick up piece of shell as souvenir.

Thursday 25 July 1918 – Fearfully Windy & Bumpy

Back to work after his ‘bilious attack’ yesterday, Greg has a counter battery patrol in blustery conditions:

Log Book

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.

Diary

Thursday July 25^th.  C.B.P. in afternoon.  Fearfully windy & bumpy (2¼ hours).

Monday 22 July 1918 – Another Shoot with 213 SB

The fourth shoot with 213 Siege Battery RGA in five days. We don’t know the target for this one. But it was another long time in the air being shot at, and another success.

Log Book

Date: 22.7.17 
Time: 9.30 
Rounds: 100 
Bombs: 4 
RE8: E27 
Observer: Lt. Hodgson 
Time: 3 hr 25 m 
Height: 4000 
Course/Remarks: Shoot with 213 SB.  Successful.

Diary

Monday July 22^nd.  Did a shoot with 213 SB.  Dropped 4 Cooper bombs & let off 300 rounds ammunition.  Archie pretty hot stuff.  Went to see the battery after, & scrounged some furniture for my room.

Another Visit to 213 SB

“Observers should utilise every opportunity of visiting the batteries allotted to them”, says the General Staff in the handbook “Co-operation of Aircraft with Artillery” [SS 131], December 1917 edition.

(Just to note in passing: “observers” in this context means those observing a shoot, rather than the chaps in the back seat of the plane.) Greg seems to have taken this injunction to heart. He went to see 213 SB again, only two days after his last visit on Saturday 19 July 1918. But perhaps at least part of his motivation was to complete his mission to furnish his room, possibly with more pieces from the ruins of St. Venant. Visiting the battery would have provided a good excuse…and the transport.

Haverskerque, which is where I speculated (here) might be near the location of 213 Siege Battery, is a village lying on the flat land by the River Lys not far north of the river crossing at St. Venant. In the corner of a quiet field is a small British cemetery – Cim. brit. on the map – looked after by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission:

Haverskerque and St Venant on a present day map. The distance between them is about 1¼ miles (2 km). Map credit: GreatWarDigital

And from the cemetery, the distant spire of St. Venant church is just visible:

Haverskerque British Cemetery, with St Venant church spire just visible in the distance (above the end of the second row of headstones). 213 Siege Battery may have been located not far away. Click for larger image.

Sunday 21 July 1918 – No Windy Shoot

A windy day, and a ‘hot air’ take off. Greg is relieved not to have to do a shoot in the evening.

Log Book

Date: 21.7.17 
Time: 7.50 
Rounds: - 
Bombs: - 
RE8: 2517 
Observer: Lt. Hodgson 
Time: 50 m 
Height: 3000 
Course/Remarks: Attempted shoot with 237 SB. Unsucc.

Diary

Sunday July 21^st.  Very windy all day.

At 8pm, hot-aired up into the atmosphere to do a shoot.  To my great relief the battery did not take any notice of my signals when I called them up, so tootled back home again.