Today was the day the fighting stopped. It was also the day of Greg’s last flight in wartime, a joyride with an intriguing passenger. Was “Norman” Norman Gregory? And the day of his first post-armistice flight: travelling from Ascq to Marquain Aerodrome, over the Belgian border near Tournai. Meanwhile, the King sends his thanks to the Royal Air Force. And we give a quick preview of Michael Seymour’s new ‘Setting the Scene’ article: ‘When the Guns Fell Silent‘.
Log Book
Date: 11.11.18
Time Out: 10.25
Rounds Fired – Lewis: -
Rounds Fired – Vickers: -
Bombs: -
Time on RE8s: 190 hrs 40 mins
RE8: 2517
Observer: Norman
War Flying: 0 hrs 10 mins
Height: 1000
Course/Remarks: Joyride
Date: 11.11.18
Time Out: 2.00
Rounds Fired – Lewis: -
Rounds Fired – Vickers: -
Bombs: -
Time on RE8s: 190 hrs 45 mins
RE8: 2517
Observer: A.M. Rose
War Flying: 0 hrs 05 mins
Height: 100
Course/Remarks: Travelling to Marquain
B Flight Orders
B FLIGHT ORDERS FOR 10.11.1918
2872 0800 Lt Bon Capt Gordon Reconn.
6740 1100 Lt Judd Lt Elliott – do -
4889 1400 Lt Sewell Lt Whittles – do -
2517 Lt Gregory Lt Bett Next job
All officers’ kits to be packed and outside the mess by 8.15.
No breakfast to be served after 0700.
C.E. Gregory, Lt
for O.C. B Flight
So Lt Bon and Capt Gordon had a pre-armistice reconnaissance patrol at 8:00am. And at 11:00am, Lt Judd and Lt Elliott went up to reconnoitre the situation as the armistice came into effect.
Who was ‘Norman’?
Greg’s first flight of the day was a 10 minute joyride with “Norman” as an observer/passenger. It is recorded in his log book but was not mandated in the day’s orders for the flight, which Greg signed. So who was this Norman who went on this brief and unofficial flight, just half an hour before the armistice?
According to Cross & Cockade’s list of first world war officers in 42 Squadron RAF, there was none whose surname was Norman. There was a George Norman Goldie, but he does not seem to have been in B Flight, and Greg has never mentioned him. In any event, this George Norman Goldie does not appear on a list of B Flight officers dating from December 1918. And, all other things being equal, he was more likely to have been known to his familiars as George rather than Norman.
A more intriguing – and certainly more poetic – theory is that “Norman” was Lt Norman Gregory, Greg’s brother.
Norman Gregory
Lt. Norman Gregory RE, an elder brother of Greg, who may have been the ‘Norman’ in today’s joyride. Click for larger image. Credit: Greg’s War Collection.
Norman Gregory was born in 1894 and would have been 24 in November 1918. He was a lieutenant – a proper, two-pip lieutenant, not a second lieutenant – in the Royal Engineers. His available war records are sparse, but we know that he entered the French theatre of war on 21 July 1918. So maybe Norman found himself near Lille and called in to see his baby brother at Ascq. And perhaps in those heady minutes before it all ended, they went up for a quick spin.
If they did, and if their mother knew, she would probably have been horrified. To have three sons in the war – one in each of the three services – was bad enough. But for two of them to go up voluntarily together in one of those dangerous contraptions at the last minute was…well, probably something she didn’t need to be told about until they could laugh about it later.
In fact, they were nowhere near danger, at least danger in the sense of German guns and aeroplanes. Even if they had flown flat out east for five minutes, they would have not have been halfway to the front line before they had to turn back.
A Working Hypothesis
Whether this is the true explanation of who “Norman” was, we will probably never know. But it has a strong draw at least for me, as I rather like the idea of my grandfather taking my great uncle up for a little caper in the air as his last flight before the armistice. And one further, but admittedly tiny, piece of evidence that Norman was someone quite familiar, is that his is the only “observer” on that page of Greg’s log book whose name is written in cursive script rather than block capitals.
Greg’s ‘observers’ in November 1918. ‘Norman’ is the only one in cursive script. Click for larger image.
So my conjecture is that it was Norman Gregory that Greg took for a joyride, and that can stand until better evidence refutes the theory.
The Final Front Lines
Front Lines on 11 November. Click for larger image. Map credit: Map Archive
We used to be able to refer to Greg’s sector confidently as the Lys sector, until his squadron no longer operated along the River Lys. This was as forces advanced east to the the next river – the River Scheldt – and beyond. But whatever the sector was called by 11 November, the ground troops of General Birdwood‘s Fifth Army had moved beyond Ath. In fact they had almost reached Grammont and Soignies, which are closer to Brussels than they are to Lille. And here the line was drawn on Armistice Day.
42 Squadron Moves to Marquain Aerodrome
Greg’s second flight of the day was a travelling flight, as part of the squadron’s move that day. (This was why kit had to be packed up and no late breakfasts were served.) After the guns had stopped, Greg and Air Mechanic Rose flew the 7 miles (11 km) to Marquain Aerodrome, just to the west of Tournai. It took them 5 minutes. At 100 ft, they were practically skimming the hedges. And so it was that Greg and the rest of 42 Squadron ended up in Belgium on Armistice Day.
Ascq to Marquain on a modern map (courtesy Google). Click to go to Google maps.
The King’s Message
Meanwhile, the King sent his thanks to his newly formed, and newly tested, Royal Air Force. This printed copy of his message is at the Royal Air Force Museum, Hendon (behind glass, hence the reflections):
The King’s Message to the RAF. Click for larger image. Photograph of printed copy at the RAF Museum, Hendon.
When the Guns Fell Silent
Michael Seymour has written a new article for today in the ‘Setting the Scene’ series. In it, Michael reflects on the circumstances of the signing of the armistice, and surveys some of the consequences of the new-found peace:
Although this post marks the end of Greg’s wartime activity, it doesn’t – quite – mark the end of the Greg’s War blog. As will become apparent, Greg didn’t go home until the new year. Before then, the squadron made three more moves. And there were new photos to be taken, there were joyrides to be had and crashes to be avoided (sometimes). And of course there was Christmas to be celebrated. So there will be more posts to come, but they won’t be daily, and they will no longer involve the activities that were the core of Greg’s war flying since the beginning of June. No more counter-battery patrols, and no more shoots.
The next entry in Greg’s log book is for 20 November 1918.
Things were moving fast on the penultimate day. B Flight was fully engaged in reconnaissance, and then message dropping with the latest information. But they had to see the C.O. or the Battalion Intelligence Officer before going up. Greg and Lt. Bett had the first flight of the day.
Log Book
Date: 10.11.18
Time Out: 6.15
Rounds Fired – Lewis: 200
Rounds Fired – Vickers: -
Bombs: 4
Time on RE8s: 190 hrs 30 mins
RE8: 2517
Observer: Bett
War Flying: 1 hrs 45 mins
Height: 3000
Course/Remarks: Reconn. Successful.
Allied forces were keeping up the pressure on the retreating German forces. The Lewis gun was firing, and bombs were dropping from Greg’s aircraft. But, for him, this was the last use of weaponry.
B Flight Orders
B FLIGHT ORDERS FOR 10.11.1918
2517 0600 Lt Gregory Lt Bett Reconn: Bombs
4559 0900 Lt Sewell Lt Whittles – do –
2872 1200 Lt Bon Capt Gordon – do –
2707 1500 Lt Wallington Lt Paton – do –
2500 0930 Lt Judd Sandbags MARQUISE.
2924 To be ready at 10.30.
All Pilots to report to the C.O. [Commanding Officer] or B.I.O. [Battalion Intelligence Officer] before going up. All machines when coming home are to drop a message at Divisions giving position of the Hun front line troops, M.G.s etc. The same message to be dropped to our advanced troops.
C.E. Gregory, Lt
for O.C. B Flight
The position of the front line was changing rapidly. In 24 hours it advanced 17 miles (27 km) from Tournai to just east of Ath:
Line held 9 November. Click for larger image. Map credit: Map Archive (adapted)
Lt Judd was nor part of the main action, though. He was detailed to take RE8 2500 to Marquise, where No. 1 ASD was now based, as explained in the post for 3 June 1918.
Today was a day for reconnaissance. Greg, with Capt. Gordon as his observer, was among those flying reconnaissance patrols, which were to leave the ground every hour. B Flight’s Orders for the day, which were signed by Greg, said that patrols were to fire all their small arms ammunition before returning.
Log Book
Date: 9.11.18
Time Out: 10.10
Rounds Fired – Lewis: -
Rounds Fired – Vickers: -
Bombs: 4
Time on RE8s: 188 hrs 25 mins
RE8: 2517
Observer: Cpt. Gordon
War Flying: 1 hrs 10 mins
Height: 7000
Course/Remarks: Reconn. Engine dud.
Later in the day, Greg took up Air Mechanic Corkhill to test the engine.
Date: 9.11.18
Time Out: 15.00
Rounds Fired – Lewis: -
Rounds Fired – Vickers: -
Bombs: -
Time on RE8s: 188 hrs 45 mins
RE8: 2517
Observer: A. M. Corkhill
War Flying: 0 hrs 20 mins
Height: 2000
Course/Remarks: Engine test – OK.
B Flight Orders
B FLIGHT ORDERS FOR 9.11.1918
6740 0700 Lt. Judd Lt. Elliott Reconn. Bombs.
2517 1000 Lt. Gregory Capt. Gordon – do –
2707 1300 Lt. Wallington Lt. Paton – do –
2872 Lt. Sewell Lt. Whittles Next job
Lt. Bon Lt. Bett Next job
4889 0930 Ready for Major Hunter with bombs
-------------
Patrols will leave the ground at every hour and may return after 1¼ hours on the line, providing that all SAA [small arms ammunition] has been fired and they have a decent report. Bombs are to be taken if clouds are at 2000 ft or over.
C.E. Gregory, Lt
for O.C. B Flight
Patrols left every hour. Reconnaissance was clearly the priority of the day. This was because a lot was happening on the ground. The British front line was moving rapidly eastwards from the River Scheldt as the German armies withdrew east from Tournai towards Ath.
Line held 9 November. Click for larger image. Map credit: Map Archive
The small arms ammunition was the .303 rounds that the Vickers and Lewis machine guns fired. For some reason, Greg and Capt. Gordon didn’t fire any. That could have been because the engine gave them trouble, and they went back to the aerodrome prematurely.
This was to be Greg’s last flight with Capt. Gordon before the armistice.
Although Greg was not flying again today, it was business as usual for B Flight, 42 Squadron RAF at Ascq. Reconnaissance and counter-battery patrols and shoots were in today’s daily orders. An apparent dual role for Lt Sewell is resolved.
B Flight Orders
B FLIGHT ORDERS FOR 7.11.1918
2517 6.0 830 Lt Wallington Lt Bett Recon & CBP
4889 1200 1430 Lt Bon Capt Gordon – do –
6740 Lt Sewell Lt Sewell Shoot
2707 Lt Judd Lt Whittles do
E27 Capt Ledlie Lt Paton do
Lt Mulholland
Pilots and observers who have not passed all tests will please arrange to do so tomorrow.
The early machine will send down a weather report at 6.45 so that, if fit, the people on shoots can get into the air without any loss of time.
W. Ledlie, Capt.
There are obviously a couple of mistakes here. I have corrected Capt. Ledlie’s implication that he himself was still a lieutenant. But then there is Lt. Sewell’s designation as both pilot and observer in 6740! Judging from other entries in the B Flight Orders, he was in fact a pilot. And he often flew with Lt Whittles as observer. So probably Lt Sewell’s name should just be deleted from the observer’s column, and those named beneath him shunted up.
Lt Denis Charles Sewell
Lt Denis Charles Sewell was born on 31 October 1898. Prior to being commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in 42 Sqn, he was in the Honourable Artillery Company.
‘Tests’
The nature of the ‘tests’ that both pilots and observers must pass is not explained.
No flying for Greg today, for unrecorded reasons. But others in the squadron had been busy taking reconnaissance photographs either side of the River Scheldt (Escaut), along which the front line ran. Here are the three, taken today, that Greg brought home after the war. The first is west of the Scheldt, showing Ferme Cazeau/Prade (today, Ferme Hurette), Pont-à-Chin, Tournai. The second and third are east of the river, at Kain, north of Tournai, where German trenches are in evidence.
The first photograph is behind the British front line, to the west of the River Scheldt. The open land in the top right of the photo is part of the former German aerodrome at Ramegnies-Chin (thanks to Dominique Van den Broucke for noting this). Shell holes pock-mark the airfield.
This vertical aerial view was taken from 4,000 ft at 11:00 am half a mile (800 m) or so southwest of Pont-à-Chin, and about 3 miles (5 km) northwest of Tournai.
The pentagonal building towards the bottom of the centre of the image are the farm buildings of what today is la Ferme Hurette but was then marked on contemporary British Army trench maps as la FermeCazeau. However, this does not seem to be what it was called locally:
During WW1, the Hurette farm on rue Hurette belonged to the parents of Mr. Joseph Prade. It was the Prade farm.I interviewed Mr. Joseph Prade in the early 80s for my article (Nord Eclair newspaper) about the Ramegnies-Chin aerodrome.At the time, all the bunkers and refuge cellars still existed.Next to the Prade farm was the rue d’Allain.This rue d’Allain was an umade road that the Germans modified to make a paved road.The aerodrome was very large in area and ran along the woods and the railway line.There was a flight school and a building for aerial photography.The airmen were lodged in two castles and a large villa.Nowadays you can still see a bunker at the edge of the wood.
Dominique Van den Broucke
These days la Ferme Hurette offers group accommodation and reception rooms as part of the non-profit organisation Le Haras de Cazeau.
Vertical aerial view of Ferme Cazeau/Ferme Prade (now Ferme Hurette, Pont-à-Chin, Tournai, taken 4 November 1918. Click for larger image. Credit: Greg’s War Collection
And in the corresponding view today from Google maps, not much has changed – apart from the welcome absence of shell holes.
The corresponding view today. Click to go to a larger view in Google maps.
On the ground, the view from just off the upper left of the aerial view, looking towards and along the railway line, is this:
The view looking north to the woods by the railway line in June 2018. If you tap or click to see a larger image, you should be able to make out the masts of the railway’s present day catenary system in front of the trees.
This ground photograph was first published in the post for 18 October 1918. This was because, coincidentally, the woods along the railway in the top left of the aerial photos are where Greg reported large fires during a reconnaissance patrol on that day:
Meanwhile, moving 1¼ miles (2 km) due east across the River Scheldt, we come to territory that was probably still in German hands. If it wasn’t, it would have been no-man’s land. And if that, it evidently hadn’t suffered nearly as much as land further west that had the dubious distinction of being between the opposing front lines for much longer. Just a few shell holes are seen in the top half of the image, particularly in the centre, and something of a trench system in the bottom right. This photograph was again taken at 4,000 ft at 11:00 am. It shows the Rue d’Ormont, in Kain, about 5 miles (8 km) NNW of the centre of Tournai.
Vertical aerial view of Kain, near Tournai, taken 4 November 1918. Click for larger image. Credit: Greg’s War Collection
Today, the area has become more built up, and the railway line has disappeared.
The corresponding view today. Note that the railway line has gone. Click to go to a larger view in Google maps.
Some of the original buildings remain:
Detail of vertical aerial view of Kain, near Tournai, taken 4 November 1918. Click for larger image.
The farm building in the red square is today a house, and looks like this:
Former farm building on the Rue d’Ormont, Kain, Tournai, June 2018. Click for larger image.
And the part of the building in the red circle at the road junction that remains today looks like this:
House at the road junction on the Rue d’Ormont, Kain, Tournai, June 2018. Click for larger image.
3. Trenches North of Kain, Tournai
Finally, we move northeast from the Rue d’Ormont, to the western slopes of the Mont St. Aubin. Here, about 3 miles (5 km) north of the centre of Tournai, there was an extensive system of trenches. Greg had captioned this vertical aerial photo “Trenches”, as a particular example of an elaborate defensive system. Shadows cast by the low November sun equally defines the trenches and shell holes quite sharply.
Trenches North of Kain, Tournai. Click for larger image. Credit: Greg’s War Collection.
As it turned out, this was one of the trickiest photos to locate on Google maps today. The reason was not because the land had been built over; there still isn’t a building on it today. Rather, it was that the pattern of woodland and open farmland has changed so much in the intervening years. Here’s how it now looks:
The corresponding view today. Click to go to a larger view in Google maps.
What these two aerial views – ancient and modern – don’t give is a sense of the gentle upward slope. The track up the middle of each aerial photograph ascends a shallow valley, overlooked by low slopes on both sides. The following view was taken in June 2018 and looks north from a point below the bottom of the aerial photographs.
View looking north of Kain, up the valley towards where the trenches were. The house on the right is just below the field of the aerial photographs. June 2018. Click for larger image.
Even a non-expert can imagine how eminently defensible the upper slopes of the valley would be. But they weren’t held for long.
It was billed as a counter-battery patrol in the log book, and as reconnaissance in the Squadron Record Book. In fact it was both. After a misty false start, today’s patrol took Greg further east into Belgium than he had gone before. There were three German Fokkers over Mont St. Aubert, heading north from Tournai. But the mist made artillery flashes hard to pinpoint.
Log Book
Date: 29.10.18
Time Out: 6.20/7.00
Rounds Fired – Lewis: 100
Rounds Fired – Vickers: -
Bombs: 4
Time on RE8s: 180 hrs 20 mins
RE8: 2517
Observer: Scarterfield
War Flying: 1 hrs 35 mins
Height: 3000
Course/Remarks: C.B.P. 3 Huns. Fokkers.
Squadron Record Book
Click for larger image.
Type and Number: R.E.8.2517
Pilot and Observer: P. Lt Gregory. O. Lt Scarterfield
Duty: Test Flight.
Hour of Start: 0620.
Hour of Return: 0640.
Remarks: Weather test.
Visibility very poor. -ground mist.
Click for larger image.
Type and Number: R.E.8.2517
Pilot and Observer: P. Lt Gregory. O. Lt Scarterfield
Duty: Reconnaissance
Hour of Start: 0700
Hour of Return: 0815
Remarks: 0720. M.G. fire drawn from J.29.b.5.4.
0725. Enemy shelling road and railway crossing at H.30.c.8.2. Unable to see flashes owing to mist.
0740. Sent K.K. on flashes in J.35. Too misty to pinpoint.
E.A. 0750. 1.E.A. at 4000’ over D.C. zone.
0755. 3.Fokkers at 5000’ over I.D. proceeding Northwards.
BRIDGES. still intact at TOURNAI with the exception of railway bridge at O.6.d.2.8. [Probably O.16.d.2.8 intended]
Traffic bridge at O.10.a.1.1 intact
Foot bridges at I.32.a.5.5. I.26.b.9.9. I.14.b.8.7. still passable.
A.A. Normal.
E.K.B. Nil.
BOMBS.4-25lb dropped at I.29.d.5.0. Bursts observed.
Vis.V.Poor. Height 1500/2500’. Obs.by P.&.O.
This map shows the sites of most of the observations:
Map showing events of 29 October 1918, north of Tournai. Adapted from a 1:40,000 scale map. Each numbered square is 1,000 yards. Click for larger image. Map credit IWM/TNA/Great War Digital.
Zone DC
Zone DC, above which Greg saw one Fokker, is from 2-5,000 yds north of sub-squares 13, 14 and 15 of square J.
Mont St. Aubert
The three Fokkers seen above zone ID were flying northwards above Mont St. Aubert, a hilly outcrop 3½ miles (5.5 km) north of Tournai. The hills reach above the 140m contour line and were to form part of a short-lived defensive line held by the retreating German army.
Railway Bridge
The Squadron Record Book (SRB) refers to a no longer intact railway bridge at O.6.d.2.8, but there is no railway in or near sub-square O.6. However, the railway bridge at O.16.d.2.8 is the principal railway bridge over the Scheldt coming northwest out of Tournai, and look likely to have been a prime candidate for destruction by the withdrawing German forces.
Traffic Bridge
It is not clear what is meant by the (intact) traffic bridge at O.10.a.1.1, as no bridge is shown at that point. But it is possible that one had been built after the map (dated March 1917) was drawn. At this point, the main stream of the river is by-passing Lock No. 2 (Écluse No. 2) so it is possible that the river was at least temporarily bridged here.
“Pinpoint”
Greg says in the SRB that it was “too misty to pinpoint” the flashes in J.35. This isn’t the first time he has said “pinpoint”, either as one word or two. See the SRB entries in the post for 8 October 1918 and 25 October 1918. Although the word is in common usage today, what’s interesting is that 100 years ago it wasn’t. As the following Google Ngram View shows, its usage really took off between the 1940s and 1980s, since when it has declined a little. And up to the mid 1930s “pinpoint” and “pin point” were used more or less equally – if rarely.
Google Ngram for “pinpoint”. Click here for a full version.
Next up…
The next entry in Greg’s log book is for Thursday 31 October 1918.
Despite poor visibility, Greg and Lt Bett went on their first counter-battery patrol from Ascq. The patrol was short (45 mins) and low (700 ft). They reconnoitred the situation near Pont-à-Chin on the River Scheldt, north of Tournai.
Log Book
Date: 25.10.18
Time Out: 15.35
Rounds Fired – Lewis: -
Rounds Fired – Vickers: -
Bombs: -
Time on RE8s: 177 hrs 15 mins
RE8: 2517
Observer: Bett
War Flying: 0 hrs 45 mins
Height: 700
Course/Remarks: C.B.P. – Dud.
Squadron Record Book
Click for larger image.
Type and Number: R.E.8.2517
Pilot and Observer: P. Lt Gregory. O. Lt Bett
Duty: Reconnaissance
Hour of Start: 1535
Hour of Return: 1620
Remarks: 1535. Enemy shelling PONT A CHIN village & “Y” roads at I.32.a.1.1.
Flashes seen in wood at I.30.a. & I.24.b.&.d. – impossible to pin point owing to visibility. Flashes red.
Floods in I.33.& 27. subsided. Large floods still in I.21.
A.A.M.G. [anti-aircraft machine gun] & single rifle shots from O.4.
No new footbridges seen.
Bridges at I.32.a.7.2. destroyed.
No E.A. [enemy aircraft] or E.K.B. [enemy kite balloons] seen.
Vis. poor. Height 700’. Obs.by P.&.O.
The following map shows the locations referred to:
Map showing observations on reconnaissance patrol on 25 October 1918, north of Tournai. Adapted from a 1:40,000 scale map. Each numbered square is 1,000 yards. Click for larger image. Map credit IWM/TNA/Great War Digital.
Just one week ago, Greg reported on a reconnaissance flight from Chocques that the bridges over the River Escaut (Scheldt) north of Tournai were intact:
That was no longer the case. Today he reported: “Bridges at I.32.a.7.2. destroyed.” This seems to have been the crossing over the Scheldt from Pont-à-Chin to Paradis. Earlier in and probably before the war, there was a evidently a ferry over the river. Leading east from the ferry, next to the Au Ponton du Paradis inn, was a bridged track or causeway over the marshes on the eastern bank to the settlement of Paradis. The Germans had evidently built a bridge to replace the ferry, as shown overprinted in blue on the 1:20,000 scale map extract below, which was updated to October 1918. But unsurprisingly they had destroyed it as they withdrew east across the river.
River crossing at Pont-à-Chin. Adapted from a 1:20,000 scale map marked ‘Trenches corrected from information received up to 15 .10.18’. Each numbered square is 1,000 yards. Click for larger image. Map credit IWM/TNA/Great War Digital.
Pont-à-Chin
Pont-à-Chin was one of the first crossing points on the River Scheldt north of the bridges in Tournai. It still is today: apart from the A8-E42 autoroute crossing high above the river, the Pont Bolus at Pont-à-Chin in the first place going north of Tournai where a’surface road’ crosses the Scheldt.
This was not the first occasion on which war raged around the village. In the Flanders campaign of the French Revolutionary Wars, the Battle of Tournai was fought on 22 May 1794. Pont-à-Chin changed hands four times during the battle, which resulted in a victory for the allies of the coalition (Austrian, British and Hanoverian) forces of the ancien régime against the revolutionary French. Times and allegiances change, even if the fields of battle don’t.
Yesterday’s reconnaissance patrol was remarkable for being east of Lille. Today’s patrol was remarkable for how much further east it was: into Belgium, as far as the River Escaut. And for encountering 10 Fokkers. This was Greg’s last patrol in the RE8 serial No E27, which may have been named ‘Gwen’, at least by him. Meanwhile, more British troops enter Lille.
Log Book
Date: 18.10.18
Time Out: 12.00
Rounds Fired – Lewis: -
Rounds Fired – Vickers: 100
Bombs: -
Time on RE8s: 175 hrs 55 mins
RE8: E27
Observer: Scarterfield
War Flying: 2 hrs 20 mins
Height: 3000
Course/Remarks: Reconn. 10 Huns. Fokker biplanes.
Squadron Record Book
Type and Number: R.E.8.E27
Pilot and Observer: P. Lt Gregory. O. Lt Scarterfield
Duty: Reconnaissance
Hour of Start: 1200
Hour of Return: 1420
Remarks: Reconnaissance running along the railway running East from LILLE through M.13 - 18. N.13 - 15 – 12.
Flooded fields at G.32.
1245. Shelling at TEMPLEUVE (H.33). Large white bursts.
1245. Light engine with steam up stationary at N.15.c.0.7.
1250. Large fires in woods along railway at I.31.c. Bridges along River ESCAUT all apparently intact and not damaged.
No enemy trenches were observed on the West side of l’ESCAUT River.
Enemy machine gun posts still in houses in village in L.24. & M.2.a.
1315. Heavy shelling of railway junction & FORT CROIX DE VALLERS (Shrapnel).
British cavalry seen in M.8.
Large bodies of British troops moving East, N.E. of LILLE towards BREUCQ. (L.15).
R.E.8. Numbered ‘3’ slightly crashed at L.13.b.9.9.
ROUBAIX station in G.3.a. on fire.
A.A. Fire not very accurate over M. & N. squares. Two bursts fired whilst flying at 1000’ over G.25. Enemy tracers fired at machine whilst flying low over G.22. 23. 30. H.31. N.2. N.9.
E.A. 1300. Large formation of ten Fokker Biplanes flying west at about 5000’ over N.A. zone. Bursts from Lewis fired at one which dived. Formation continued in a North Westerly direction climbing above clouds.
Vis. Fair. Height 400/3000’. Obs by P.&.O.
Another lengthy Squadron Record Book (SRB) report, which is perhaps not surprising given the pace of events on the ground. The distance covered on the ground was remarkable – going east from Lille to the Escaut river, which flows north from Tournai some 4½ miles (7.5km) to the east of the Belgian border. To put this in context, Tournai is almost as far to the east of Lille (15 miles, 24 km) as Merville is to the west (18 miles, 29 km). And it had taken quite some months to cover the ground from Merville to Lille.
It’s difficult to fit all these events on a map that’s large enough to see the detail (even when clicked). So here’s a selection, on a map that shows the land between Lille, in France, and Tournai, in Belgium.
Map showing some of the observations on reconnaissance patrol on 18 October 1918. East of Lille to Tournai. Adapted from a composite of 1:40,000 scale maps. Each numbered square is 1,000 yards. French-Belgian border position only approximate. Click for larger image. Map credit IWM/TNA/GreatWarDigital.
Large fires in woods along railway at I.31.c.
At 1250 Greg reported large fires in woods along a railway line, at I.31.c. The woods are between the villages of Fourcroix and Pont-à-Chin, northwest of Tournai. This larger scale map extract shows them in better detail:
Map showing fire in woods at I.31.c, northwest of Tournai, on 18 October 1918. See below for the significance of the blue car. Adapted from a 1:40,000 scale map. Each numbered square is 1,000 yards. Click for larger image. Map credit IWM/TNA/GreatWarDigital.
The railway in question, incidentally, is the line running northwest from Tournai towards Kortrijk, just after the branch off west towards Lille.
The view of the woods today, looking from where the blue car is shown on the map, is this:
The view looking north to the woods by the railway line where the fires were at I.31.c – complete with blue car. If you tap or click to see a larger image, you should be able to make out the masts of the railway’s present day catenary system in front of the trees.
The map reference of the car’s location, in First World War terms, is 35.O.1.a.7.3. You can see the location today on Google Maps at https://goo.gl/maps/wkfzpNFVGeC2.
Bursts from Lewis
According to the SRB, the Lewis gun fired bursts at one of the Fokker biplanes that were seen over zone N.A. But if we believe Greg’s log book, the Vickers gun fired 100 rounds, and the Lewis gun fired nothing. It looks as though one of these entries is a mix up, but who can now tell which was right?
Back home to Chocques
From Pont-à-Chin on the River Escaut, north of Tournai, back to Chocques was 34 miles (55 km). This is almost three times the distance from Merville to Rely, which was a frequent journey home for Greg not so many weeks ago. An indication that 42 Squadron will soon need to move again.
Farewell to E27
According to his log book, this was Greg’s final flight in E27, which had more or less been his usual machine. (According to the Squadron Record Book, Greg flew E27 on a short travelling flight on 22 October 1918, which his log book records as having been in 2517. But whichever is correct, both sources agree that this was his last war flying patrol in E27.)
E27’s History
E27 had been built by Siddeley-Deasy in Coventry in March 1918, as a gift from the Chiefs of the Northern Shan States, Burma. It was despatched to the British Expeditionary Force (c/o No 1 Aeroplane Supply Depot (ASD), then at St Omer) the following month. E27 was allocated to 42 Squadron on 11 April 1918 – three days after Greg had got his wings at Yatesbury:
Greg had first flown E27 on 11 June 1918. This was the occasion when he got hopelessly lost, and he landed at Bergues, near Dunkirk. It was also when he wrote the name Gwen next to E27 in his diary. Greg took up E27 most flying days since that day, until he went on leave on 18 September 1918. But when he came back he only flew this aeroplane occasionally. Today marked his 63rd flight in the aircraft. It was his final patrol, and possibly his last flight, in it. The records show that E27 was marked ‘time expired’ on 1 November 1918. The squadron handed it back to No. 1 ASD (which by then had moved to Marquise, between Boulogne and Calais, and located more precisely here) on 8 November 1918.
Observers came and went, but E27 – whether named Gwen or not – was the nearest Greg had to a constant companion. And in the end, the aircraft just wore out.
RE8 Serial No E29, a sister aircraft to E27, built at the same time (March 1918) by Siddeley-Deasy in Coventry. E29 was named Lamberhurst. On the subject of RE8 names, it may be that E27 was named Gwen, possibly officially or just affectionately by Greg – see the post for 11 June 1918. Click for larger image. Photo marked public domain by Wikipedia.
Meanwhile, in Lille…
More British troops entered Lille from the west. They got a warm reception, as these Imperial War Museum photographs show.
Today was the day of the liberation of Lille. It was a momentous day for the populace, when the British Fifth Army under General Birdwood entered the city. It was also significant day for Greg: he records for the first time that he was reconnoitring east of Lille, near and around the Fort du Vinage. He noted the destructive trail left by the withdrawing German army, and he reported the newly established German line south of Roubaix.
Log Book
Date: 17.10.18
Time Out: 14.10
Rounds Fired – Lewis: -
Rounds Fired – Vickers: -
Bombs: -
Time on RE8s: 173 hrs 35 mins
RE8: E27
Observer: Scarterfield
War Flying: 2 hrs 15 mins
Height: 2000
Course/Remarks: Reconn. 5000x E of Lille
5000x E of Lille
There is a bit of a puzzle in the log book entry: what does the x denote?
The first issue is what letter it actually is. I have transcribed it as a superscripted ‘x’, as that seems to me to be the most likely option. But it could, just conceivably, be a ‘t’. But in that case, what might a ‘t’ stand for? From the Squadron Record Book (SRB), extracted below, we can establish definitively that it doesn’t mean British troops. The entry clearly states: “No British troops seen East of Lille”. And although German troops east of Lille would be unremarkable, the SRB merely refers to a “few odd German infantry with civilians on road…” The same reasoning would also rule out tanks (if the quantity of 5,000 hadn’t ruled them out anyway).
But in any event, the superscript looks more like an ‘x’ than a ‘t’. And it is hard to think of a plausible word beginning with an ‘x’ that it might stand for.
So what else might ‘x’ mean?
Might it indicate height? 5,000 ft is certainly a reasonable height for an RE8 to fly at. But on this occasion both the log book and the SRB tell us that Greg flew no higher than 2,000 ft. So that’s not it.
My working hypothesis is that ‘x’ indicates distance, specifically yards, on the ground. The maps that Greg was working with all had numbered 1,000 yard sub-squares, within 6,000 yard lettered squares. (See the article on Counter-Battery Patrols for an explanation of how the map reference system worked.) So pilots would be well used to gauging distances in 1,000 yard units. Given the locations that Greg reported on in that patrol (from the SRB again), it is likely that he was flying some five map sub-squares east of Lille, which is to say 5,000 yards east of the city. But even if this is the correct explanation, I don’t know why he wrote ‘5000x‘ and not ‘5000 yds’. Any suggestions or alternative explanations welcome.
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 Scarterfield
Duty: Reconnaissance
Hour of Start: 1410
Hour of Return: 1625
Remarks: FIRES at the following places:-
Farm F.25.d.4.5
Houses K.6.a.4.6
Factory Q.1.b.0.4
" K.20.d.5.0
" K.15.central.)
" K.2.c.0.5 ) Commenced during patrol.
Enemy trench system in wood at L.22.a.&.b. apparently unoccupied; full of water.
Few odd German Infantry with civilians on road L.15.d.& L.16.a.
BRIDGE destroyed at:-
Railway over road at L.13.d.4.5.
" " " K.24.d.6.4.
" " " K.23.d.9.3.
" " " K.22.b.6.9.
All bridges and locks on Eastern water defences [see below] of LILLE destroyed.
EXPLOSIONS at:-
1534. K.5.c.6.8. (Apparently dump)
1535. F.26.a.Central.
Large fires burning in LANNOY and on Eastern outskirts of ROUBAIX.
Bridges along river from L.9 to L.29 all destroyed.
Forts BABYLON, du VINAGE, & de MONS [en BAROEUL] occupied lightly by patrols.
Fired at with rifles from FORT DU VINAGE. [see below]
1530. Two civilians at Fort roads [sic: cross-roads?] at K.18.central, proceeding from direction of ROUBAIX to LILLE.
No British troops seen East of LILLE.
Enemy outposts appear to be holding a line roughly running though L.16, R.10 & X.5. Few odd patrols & civilians seen W. of this line.
A.A. Vigorous burst of accurate A.A. fire over L.24. & L.29 at 1525.
Vis poor. Height 400/2000’. Obs by P.&.O.
This lengthy Squadron Record Book entry confirms that the action was shifting to the east of the city by mid-afternoon. Much infrastructure had visibly been destroyed by the withdrawing German army. It was a remarkable day, given that it had started with the British front line being some 4½ miles (7 km) northwest of Lille, towards Armentières:
The British Front west of Lille on the morning of 17 October 1918. By the afternoon, the city would be liberated. Adapted from a map accompanying General Haig’s despatches on the final British offensive. Click for larger image. Map credit: IWM/TNA/GreatWarDigital
And here, on a larger scale map, are some of the locations mentioned in the SRB entry for the mid-afternoon reconnaissance patrol undertaken by Greg and Lt Scarterfield:
Map showing observations on reconnaissance patrol on 17 October 1918. Adapted from a 1:40,000 scale map. Each numbered square is 1,000 yards. Click for larger image. Map credit IWM/TNA/GreatWarDigital.
Fort du Vinage, and Anti-Aircraft Fire
Greg says that he was fired at with rifles from the Fort du Vinage (also known as the Fort du Haut Vinage). He can’t have been flying too far from it to see this happening. Fort du Vinage is about five sub-squares (5,000 yards) east of the centre of Lille.
Also, he reports a “vigorous burst of accurate A.A. [anti-aircraft] fire over L.24. & L.29 at 1525”. Those sub-squares are about five sub-squares east of Mons-en-Baroeul, on the easternmost outskirts of the city.
These points support the idea that the ‘5000x‘ in the log book is a reference to 5,000 yds east of Lille.
Bridges on Eastern Water Defences Destroyed
The old city of Lille was surrounded by water. Over the last hundred years, Lille has expanded greatly. The southern and eastern water defences of the old city have been filled in and are the course of Autoroutes that form part of the city’s boulevard périphérique. The northern part of the old eastern water defences now also accommodates the high speed rail line from Calais and London and is the site of Lille Europe station (“Lilleurope” as they announce it on the Eurostar trains). Both the tracks at this point and the station are underground.
Lille in the First World War, from a 1:40,000 scale map. Each numbered square is 1,000 yards. Click for larger image. Map credit IWM/TNA/GreatWarDigital.Central Lille today, from 1:25,000 scale map re-scaled to match the First World War map above. Click for larger image. Map credit IGN France/GreatWarDigital.
The German Line
Greg records that “Enemy outposts appear to be holding a line roughly running though L.16, R.10 & X.5”. This line runs more or less due south from Roubaix, some 4 miles (6.5km) east of the centre of Lille. It passes through Anappes and Sainghin. Annappes is now part of Villeneuve-d’Ascq, which is itself part of the Lille-Roubaix-Tourcoing conurbation. Sainghin (today Sainghin-en-Mélantois) is just near the important high speed rail junction southeast of Lille, where the lines from Paris, Brussels and London all meet.
Lille from the Air
Greg had a couple of aerial photographs of Lille in his collection. They are unmarked and undated, so it is hard to know when they were taken. But it is likely to have been today or later, given the occupation of the city beforehand. Possibly they were taken after the armistice. But in any event here they are, with corresponding contemporary views from Google maps:
Vertical aerial view of Lille in 1918, showing Lille Flandres station (bottom right) and what was then the Théâtre de Lille, now the Opéra de Lille (centre left). Click for larger image. Photo credit: Greg’s War Collection.The same aerial view today, courtesy of Google. The new Lille Europe station is off the field to the top right. Click for link to Google maps.Slightly oblique aerial view of Lille in 1918, showing the city centre and the Place de la République (bottom centre left) Click for larger image. Photo credit: Greg’s War Collection.The same aerial view today, courtesy of Google. Click for link to Google maps.
It is evident from the two 1918 photographs that, although knocked about, Lille did not suffer physical destruction to anything like the same extent as Ypres, some 17 miles (27 km) away to the northwest. The contrast with the aerial photographs in the following post for 28 September 1918 is quite telling:
Liberation was in the air, and not only in Lille. In this newly published article, Michael Seymour explains what it meant for the people of Lille and elsewhere:
