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.
In a day that came close to ending in disaster, Greg and Capt. Gordon were down to do a shoot – the last time in the war that Greg was down to do one. But it was unsuccessful, presumably because of poor weather. In a subsequent adventure behind enemy lines, a rifle shot from a German soldier at an occupied chateau nearly did for both of them. Unsurprisingly, they found that strafing an occupied chateau is dangerous.
Log Book
Date: 2.11.18
Time Out: 13.00
Rounds Fired – Lewis: 400
Rounds Fired – Vickers: 100
Bombs: 4
Time on RE8s: 187 hrs 5 mins
RE8: 2517
Observer: Cpt. Gordon
War Flying: 1 hrs 55 mins
Height: 3500
Course/Remarks: Shoot 6” How (99). Unsucc. Pet. tank shot.
Unsuccessful Shoot
We have no further details of the shoot, other than it was with 99 Siege Battery RGA, who were firing 6-inch howitzers, and that it was unsuccessful. (Greg had shot with 99 Siege Battery previously, on 22 August 1918 and 24 August 1918.) The intended target must have been something east of the River Scheldt/Escaut, as that was where the British front line was only yesterday. Given what we know from the rest of the day’s event, it seems likely that it was the weather that washed out the shoot.
Petrol Tank Shot
The laconic, three last words of the log book entry cover are a very sparse indication of what Greg and Capt. Gordon got up to next. It became something of a Gregory family story. It’s worth bearing in mind that Capt. Gordon was not only Greg’s observer this day, but was also his senior officer.
Rob Parsons, Greg’s son-in-law and my stepfather, recalls Greg recounting the events of that murky afternoon like this:
Gordon had decided that flying conditions were still good enough to go and annoy the Hun, even if it was only a spot of defenestration. So off they went, with a very reluctant pilot, in search of a little sport. Just as Greg was hoping he could say the fuel state meant they must turn for home, out of the murk appeared the perfect target in the form of a German-occupied Chateau. So he obediently descended to the level of the upper floor, through the windows of which Gordon emptied the drum of his Lewis gun. Meanwhile, as Greg climbed away and turned for home, Gordon had changed the drum and ordered him to go back because he “hadn’t done downstairs!”
It was during this second pass that, not surprisingly, the Huns started to shoot back. As he began to climb away, Greg recalled seeing a German on one knee, in classic toy soldier pose with rifle, shooting at him from the corner of the Chateau. That’s when a shot punctured the fuel tank and he began to be drenched with fuel. Fortunately, the aircraft didn’t catch fire. Anyway, he instinctively opened the throttle as far as it would go and began to climb as hard as he could. There the throttle stayed until he ran out of fuel.
Until then of course, he was being sprayed with fuel and he said he was close to getting frostbite. The fact that he returned safely is proof that he gained enough height to cross the enemy lines without being potted at by otherwise unoccupied Huns in the trenches. They made it back, and the aircraft was back in service the next day.
So, eight days before the war was over, it nearly ended very badly.
Sidelights
The log book and family recollection are all we have to go on for these events (oh that the Squadron Record Book were available!) Nonetheless, there are a few interesting sidelights that illuminate what went on.
Rounds Fired
First, note the number of rounds fired, as recorded in the log book. 100 rounds were fired from the Vickers gun, which was pilot-operated and forward facing. And Capt. Gordon fired 400 rounds from the Scarff ring-mounted Lewis gun in the rear compartment. Greg never recorded more rounds fired in from the Lewis gun a single patrol. This was certainly consistent with a major shoot up, at least in small arms terms.
The Petrol Tank
Secondly, consider the position of the petrol tank. The tank was an elliptical-sectioned cylinder running fore-and-aft, and mounted immediately behind the dashboard. In this photo of the front cockpit of replica RE8 A3930 at the RAF Museum, London, the pale grey bottom of the tank is just visible below the bottom lip of the dashboard. And the fuel filler cap is further forward on the top.
Front cockpit of replica RE8 A3930 at the RAF Museum, London. The bottom of the grey fuel tank is visible below the dashboard. Fuel filler cap on top. Click for larger image.
The position of the tank can also be seen in the top left drawing from The Vintage Aviator Limited’s RE8 Gallery collection here.
So the tank was essentially above the pilot’s legs. It was therefore no surprise that petrol from the punctured tank drenched Greg with fuel. He was extraordinarily lucky that a fire didn’t break out. He was also lucky that the bullet didn’t hit him.
An Extraordinarily Safe Job?
Thirdly, it may not be accidental that Capt. Gordon did not apparently write to his mother about the events of today. One wonders whether he recalled that only yesterday he had written to her:
This is an extraordinary safe job & no one gets hurt at it. So don’t you worry, dear old bird.
Given that he had himself been hit in the (wooden) leg on an earlier flight, and only one week ago today Greg’s propeller had been split by shrapnel, it is clear that a good deal of luck was involved in ‘not getting hurt’ – or worse. Today’s events underlined that. But no doubt Capt. Gordon was writing more to reassure his mother than to be candid.
A Mere Bagatelle
Where was the chateau that they shot up? The log book doesn’t record it; Greg was no longer writing his diary; and of course we don’t have the SRB entry for the day. However, with a bit of deduction and a liberal amount of conjecture, it may have been the deliciously named Château Bagatelle at Wattripont on the road running northeast from Tournai towards Renaix (Ronse).
The evidence is this. Wattripont is a plausible distance from Ascq – 19 miles (30.5 km). It’s about the same distance beyond the British front line as the line was from Ascq. And it’s in a plausible location, in fact almost familiar territory. Greg’s recent reconnaissance and counter-battery patrols had been reporting on locations north and northeast of Tournai. Only two days ago on 31 October 1918, he had reported fires and explosions in DB zone. Wattripont is in EB zone, 6,000 yards to the east, as can be seen on this map:
Wattripont, and its location in relation to Ascq, showing the relationship between zones DB and EB. Adapted from a map accompanying General Haig’s despatches on the final British offensive. Click for larger image. Map credit: IWM/TNA/Great War Digital.
And Wattripont has a good candidate chateau with two floors: the now comfortable looking Château Bagatelle:
Château Bagatelle, now a comfortable looking hotel and spa. Click to visit their website and see more present day photographs. Photo credit: Château Bagatelle.
So just maybe this was the chateau in question.
Another Near Disaster
Today’s near disaster was just days before the armistice. It bookends another near disaster five months ago, when Greg crashed on his first day on the Western Front on 4 June 1918. Though that time he couldn’t blame the enemy.
In what would turn out to be Greg’s last successful shoot of the war, Capt. Cedric Foskett Gordon was Greg’s observer for the first time today. Captain Gordon was one of the senior officers of B Flight, 42 Squadron and was evidently a remarkable character.
Log Book
Date: 1.11.18
Time Out: 13.15
Rounds Fired – Lewis: -
Rounds Fired – Vickers: -
Bombs: -
Time on RE8s: 185 hrs 10 mins
RE8: 2407
Observer: Cpt. Gordon
War Flying: 2 hrs 15 mins
Height: 7000
Course/Remarks: Shoot Portuguese. Successful.
“Shoot Portuguese”
This is nothing to do with shooting Britain’s Portuguese allies, of course. Rather, it is everything to do with observing a shoot involving Portuguese artillery.
For reasons explained in yesterday’s post, no Squadron Record Book entry is available for today:
Because of that, we don’t know much about the shoot. The battery, though, was evidently one of the few remaining Portuguese artillery units. The Portuguese Expeditionary Corps had suffered badly on the first day of the Battle of the Lys, on 9 April 1918. As a result of this, by the end of the war Portugal had only nine artillery pieces left, according to the Passion and Compassion 1914-1918 website. Two of them were heavy howitzers: a British 6″ siege piece, and a similarly sized Franco-Portuguese 15 cm T.R. Schneider-Canet-du-Bocage. Given that Greg’s shoots tended to be with heavy (siege) artillery batteries, it was possibly that it was with these howitzers that he was observing and directing artillery fire today.
What might the target have been? We don’t know. Maybe it was one of the usual suspects: a hostile battery (Greg’s most frequent target), an ammunition dump, trenches, or a strategically important crossroads. Or it might have been something unusual, thrown up by the unprecedented circumstances in these last, heady days of the war. In any event, the target must have been east of the River Scheldt/Escaut, along which the British front line still ran in Greg’s sector. Some miles both to the north and and to the south of Tournai, though, further eastward progress had been made:
The British Front on the morning of 1 November 1918. Adapted from a map accompanying General Haig’s despatches on the final British offensive. Click for larger image. Map credit: IWM/TNA/Great War Digital.
Captain Cedric Foskett Gordon MC, CdG
Greg’s observer today was Captain Gordon. Capt. Gordon was one of the two commanding officers of B Flight of 42 Squadron. He was evidently quite a character.
The following brief distillate of Capt. Gordon’s life comes, with permission, from Matt Ball’s informative Sevenoaks WW1 blog (see main link below or here):
Early Life and Wartime
Cedric Gordon was educated at Lancing College, were he excelled in sports. In 1910, he was commissioned into the North Staffordshire Regiment. He was sent to France on the outbreak of war and was wounded twice. In 1915 he was awarded the Military Cross for leading an attack on a village.
His second injury was the most serious and resulted in his losing a leg. You might be forgiven for thinking that this would be the end of his war service but Cedric joined the Royal Flying Corps and continued his wartime service as an observer and air gunner on the Western Front. He was subsequently awarded the Croix de Guerre in 1917, was mentioned in dispatches four times and awarded the military class of the OBE in 1919.
According to a nephew, quoted in his obituary, Cedric was shot at during one flight with the bullet shattering his wooden leg. On landing, he was said to have found the stray bullet in his pocket and was confined to bed until the camp carpenter had made him a new leg.
Post War
After the war, and having gained his pilot’s licence despite his wooden leg, Cedric was sent to Russia with British forces to aid the White Russians in the Crimea in their fight against the Bolsheviks. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and received the Order of St Ann and the Order of St Stanislas from the Russians. After leaving Russia, he flew in Palestine, where during one flight for reconnaissance work, he was forced to land in the desert and was, according to his obituary ‘picked up by a band of friendly Arabs’.
Cedric later worked for British intelligence in mainland China, before returning to England and taking command of the RAF Bloom Centre. During the Second World War, he was eventually put in charge of the South East Air Training Corps and was also a member of the Home Guard.
Retirement
On his retirement, he returned to Lancing College, where his brother Edward was a Master, to become Bursar. Later in life he became well known in Sevenoaks for his involvement in the local scouting movement.
No doubt it was Capt. Gordon’s unusual circumstances that meant he was one of two officers in B Flight to hold the rank of Captain. The other was Capt. Bill Ledlie (of whom more here).
First Day Back
As it turns out, 1 November 1918 was Capt. Gordon’s first day back at the squadron at Ascq. For part of October he had been on leave in the UK. When he returned, he found that his dog (who rejoiced in the name of Waso) was missing. His own account of the day and the latter part of his journey back is preserved in a letter to his mother. This letter is one of a number kindly made available by Cedric Gordon’s nephew, Keith Gordon. As Matt Ball notes in another post on the Sevenoaks WW1 blog (see below, but also linked here):
What emerges from these letters is a strong sense of a close, spirited family, each with at least one nickname (Cedric’s was ‘beast’ owing to his general strength), and a spirit of adventure embodied by Cedric himself. No doubt some of his insouciance is designed to reassure his worried mother, to whom all of these letters are addressed…
With that as background, here is the text of Cedric Gordon’s letter of 1 November 1918:
All Saints Day (1 November) letter to darlingest Mother from 42 Squadron, RAF, BEF
I have arrived at last.
To go on where I left off. O’Keefe & I went & lunched at an estaminet where we had an excellent fish, some veal & a bottle of red wine, all of which made me far more contented with the world at large. This done, we returned to our vigil at the Town Mayor’s office & at about 3pm our Tender finally arrived. After a long & uneventful journey we arrived at the Squadron about 7pm.
Waso was reported missing, believed to have been stolen by a general belonging to the Corps. This was rather depressing, but the major who commanded 42 Sqn promised to take me round to the Corps with a view to returning my hound. I had dinner with HQ Mess & then went round to my Flight Mess (B Flight) & found them full of good cheer & beer. We had quite an amusing evening. I have got a very nice billet. There are quite a number (at present unknown) of French people living here. They have provided me with a very nice room upstairs & a large bed, sheets etc & a very small basin! The natives speak very bad French & I can’t make a great deal of headway with them, however they are very friendly.
This morning…
…I rose about 7.30am & sorted out my hut, such of it as hasn’t been lost during my absence. I spent the morning playing about with a Lewis gun & this afternoon I went up for a short time. This is an extraordinary safe job & no one gets hurt at it. So don’t you worry, dear old bird.
This evening…
…I went down with Hunter (the OC) to the Corps to interview this General man who had acquired Waso. I looked through the glass door & saw old Waz inside, so softly I opened the door & Waso came bounding out. She was awfully pleased to see me, almost as pleased as I was to see her. After a bit I got hold of the General who was a very nice fellow. He said he found her many miles away & had adopted her. I expect someone had picked her up in a lorry or some vehicle & dropped her off after a bit.
He was very loath to part with her & said he was very fond of her, which is not surprising. However, he gave her up & I promised him a puppy when the next instalment arrives, & we parted friends. Normally people go to bed here about 8.30pm, which is rather dull. They are, on the whole, a very comic crowd, but there are several very nice fellows.
I have missed you…
…most awfully. It is rotten leaving you, however before very long now the war will be over & Waso & I will return to the family. No more news at present. Very fondest love darlingest. Best love to Karf who, together with my old Mother, made my leave absolutely splendid. I hope Am is well. God bless you darlingest.
Photos
Greg had a few photos of Capt. Gordon in his collection. The two of them must have been in touch after the war, as that is evidently when at least a couple of the photos were taken. I’m grateful to Keith Gordon for his help with identifying the locations of the last two.
Captain Cedric Foskett Gordon. Credit: Greg’s War Collection. Click for larger image.Captain Cedric Foskett Gordon. Credit: Greg’s War Collection. Click for larger image.Captain Cedric Foskett Gordon. This was a post-war photograph from the time he was a member of the Mission to South Russia (1919 – 1920). Credit: Greg’s War Collection. Click for larger image.Captain Cedric Foskett Gordon. This was a post-war photograph, taken during his return to UK from South Russia. Credit: Greg’s War Collection. Click for larger image.
A Telling Tale
To get a further flavour of Cedric Gordon’s character, here is a link to Matt Ball’s second post on Cedric Gordon, which contains the text of several more letters. The last of the letters, dated 24 September, is worth reading in particular. It is about a scouting excursion on the ground beyond the lines.
Another disappointing shoot today. After yesterday’s perplexing lack of success with 346 SB because the shell bursts could not be observed, today’s shoot with 1/1 West Riding Heavy Battery (two 60 pounders) was thwarted for another reason: enemy aircraft.
Log Book
Date: 16.9.18
Time Out: 10.35
Rounds Lewis: -
Rounds Vickers: -
Bombs: 4
Time on RE8s: 160 hrs 50 mins
RE8: 2500
Observer: Lt Bett
War Flying Time: 2 hrs 55 mins
Height: 5000
Course/Remarks: Shoot with 1/1 West Riding. Unsucc. E.A.
Squadron Record Book
Squadron Record Book. Click for larger image.
Type and Number: R.E.8.2500
Pilot and Observer: P. Lt Gregory. O. Lt Bett
Duty: Art Reg on Cross roads.
Hour of Start: 10.35
Hour of Return: 13.30
Remarks: U. with 1/1 W.Riding H.B. (2-60 pdr) on crossroads N.23.c.0.9. [at FROMELLES] (P).
Called 11.15. K. 11.17. [signals being received] L.11.19. [battery ready to fire] G. 11.20. [fire]
37 ranging rounds:- M.C.9. 1 A. 1 B. 8 C. 2 D. 25 W.
Unsuccessful owing to E.A. 11.55. sent M.Q. E.A. [wait: enemy aircraft] 12.15. send A. and G. [stand by; fire] Battery did not fire and in answer to R.U.F. [are you firing?] put out E.A. 12.35. battery put out L. 1 burst observed and 6 W. 12.42. another E.A. appeared W. of FLEURBAIX and battery again ceased fire. Several bursts missed owing to A.A. [anti-aircraft fire]
C.I. [returning to aerodrome] sent 12.45.
11.15. fire burning in wood at J.18.d. & 24.b. (N. of LILLE). [same location as yesterday's reported fire]
12.05. 2 R.E.A. [reconnaissance enemy aircraft] R.12. sent.
12.15. explosion at H.6.d.8.9.
12.40. 1 F.E.A. [fighter enemy aircraft] about 5000’ over G.24.
1 E.K.B. [enemy kite balloon] at approx. J.6.d. A.A. active.
11.10. 4-25lb bombs dropped at H.34.b. 4 bursts observed.
Vis. good. Height 4/6000’. Obs by P. & O.
So three enemy aircraft – two reconnaissance and one fighter – spoilt the party. This meant that the shoot on the crossroads at Fromelles was unsuccessful. We don’t know precisely where the battery was located. But we do know that two reconnaissance enemy aircraft over R.12 sufficiently disturbed them to stop firing. So we can reasonably conclude that the battery was probably somewhere to the south of Estaires. The following map shows the locations of more precisely known features and events:
Map of Fromelles, Estaires and Armentières. Adapted from a combination of 1:40,000 scale maps. Each numbered square is 1,000 yards. Click for larger image. Map credit IWM/TNA/GreatWarDigital
1/1 West Riding Heavy Battery
The 1/1 West Riding Heavy Battery of the Royal Garrison Artillery was a unit of the part-time Territorial Force (TF). The TF was a forerunner to the Territorial Army (TA). Wikipedia reports:
1/1st West Riding Bty was detached to 49th Bde RGA (normally composed of 8-inch howitzers) with Fourth Army from 21 August to 16 September, during the Second Battle of the Somme returning to 28th Bde thereafter. It was with 28th Bde during Fifth Army’s pursuit of the defeated German army towards the Scheldt in October 1918, when the ‘heavies’ were principally employed on harassing fire on the roads and tracks the Germans were using, and on concentrations of fire on headquarters and exits from villages, while trying to avoid civilian casualties. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Riding_Heavy_Battery,_Royal_Garrison_Artillery, References omitted]
We know from Greg’s and 42 Sqn RAF’s records that on 16 September 1918 at least two 60-pdrs were already in the Lys sector with the Fifth Army – prior to the push to the Scheldt, east of Lille (although they couldn’t know yet that that would happen). And with their target being the crossroads at Fromelles, it looks as though they were indeed “employed on harassing fire on the roads and tracks the Germans were using”.
BL 60-Pounder
The 1/1 West Riding HB’s weapons were breech-loading 60-pounder (often abbreviated to 60-pdr) guns. Although nominally ‘heavy’ guns, they were not as heavy as those operated by the siege batteries of the RGA. (Even the ‘small’ 6-inch Howitzers fires 100 lb shells.) But they were true, 5-inch calibre guns, with a relatively long barrel (14 ft for the Mk Is).
The following photo, from the Imperial War Museum’s collection, shows a column towing a 60-pdr. The barrel is shifted backwards, i.e. towards the direction of travel of the column. This is to even up the weight distribution between the wheels of the gun carriage and those of the limber.
The IWM’s caption refers to the location being St Venant. More precisely, it is the bridge over the weir on the River Lys, next to St Venant lock, just north of the village. The direction of travel of the artillery train is south. The railings on the bridge have since been replaced. But railings of the same pattern are still in position by the adjoining wharf, on the left in the following Google Maps street view image Today they are painted a cheerful bright green.
Google Maps street view, looking north from St Venant towards the lock and weir on the River Lys, with the wharf on the left.
An unsuccessful – and probably frustrating – shoot with a new battery (346 Siege Battery, RGA). It was unsuccessful because Greg couldn’t see the bursts of the shells, and he didn’t know why he couldn’t. Greg’s observer today was Lt Bett, but in another sortie Lt Mulholland has a lucky escape.
Log Book
Date: 15.9.18
Time Out: 14.10
Rounds Lewis: -
Rounds Vickers: -
Bombs: -
Time on RE8s: 157 hrs 55 mins
RE8: 2517
Observer: Lt Bett
War Flying Time: 1 hrs 25 mins
Height: 4000
Course/Remarks: Shoot with 346 SB, 6” How. Unsucc.
RE8 2517
Greg’s usual ‘bus’, RE8 E27, was presumably with the mechanics. He had described the engine as ‘rotten’ yesterday. Greg flew 2517 on one earlier occasion (21 July 1918), and would fly it more often as the war progressed.
Squadron Record Book
Squadron Record Book – click for larger image
Type and Number: R.E.8.2517
Pilot and Observer: P. Lt Gregory. O. Lt Bett
Duty: Art Obs on H.B. Destructive.
Hour of Start: 16.20
Hour of Return: 17.45
Remarks: U. [unsuccessful] with 346 S.B. (4-6” Hows) on H.B. [Hostile battery] at N.17.c.15.52. (P).
Called 16.40. K. 16.42. L. 16.45. G. 16.47.
10 ranging rounds:- 1 C. 9 W. Salvos unobserved.
Battery firing, but unable to see any bursts. Vis. good and unable to account for inability to see bursts.
C.I. sent 17.15.
16.50. fire in wood in J.18.d and 24.b. (Nth of LILLE).
17.00. sent N.F. [Now firing] N.12.a.5.0. (A). Result unobserved.
17.05. sent K.K. on flash in I.2.a.
A.A. active. E.A. and E.K.B. nil.
Vis. good. Height 4000’. Obs. by P. & O.
The locations in the above Squadron Record Book are shown on this map extract:
Map of Fromelles, Armentières and Lille. Adapted from a 1:40,000 scale map. Each numbered square is 1,000 yards. 213 Siege Battery’s target was in square N.17. Click for larger image. Map credit IWM/TNA/GreatWarDigital.
The hostile battery that was 213 SB’s target was near Fromelles (bottom left of map) not far from Aubers. This is where Greg saw a lighthouse in a pre-dawn patrol on 14 July 1918.
Greg’s observer three days ago, on 12 September 1918, was 2/Lt Arthur Mulholland. Today, Lt Mulholland was up with pilot 2/Lt R.M. Marshall on a counter-battery patrol in RE8 2649 (which Greg had earlier flown on 13 July, 7 August and 8 August 1918). According to a casualty report in file AIR 1/859 at The National Archives:
[C2649 RE8] Shot down by EA at Sh36G7 on artly patrol. 2Lt RM Marshall slightly wounded/2Lt A Mulholland Ok
‘EA’ is enemy aircraft. ‘Sh36G7’ is 1:40,000 map sheet 36, square G7, which is just north of Estaires:
Map of Estaires. 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.
Fortunately, where they were shot down was more or less over the British front line at the time. They made it back to safety. Greg was next to fly with Lt Mulholland at the end of October.
As the eastwards momentum continues to build, Greg has a successful shoot with 99 Siege Battery on a hostile battery in square L28, just to the west of Estaires and some 3 miles (5 km) east of Merville. The battery is located near an elaborate defensive system of trenches and wire.
Log Book
Date: 24.8.18
Time: 15.35
Rounds Lewis: 400
Rounds Vickers: 300
Bombs: 4
Time on RE8s: 141 hrs 45 mins
RE8: E27
Observer: Lt Pring
War Flying Time: 2 hrs 15 mins
Height: 4000
Course/Remarks: Shoot with 99 SB on L28. Successful.
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 Pring
Duty: Art. Obs. on H.B. Destructive.
Hour of Start: 15.35
Hour of Return: 17.50
Remarks: S. with 99-S.B. (2-6” How) on H.B. at L 28 b 68.96. (P).
Called at 15.55. K 15.58. G 16.03.
34 ranging rounds:- 1 OK, 3Y, 1Z, 8A, 8B, 5C, 7W. Salvos MC7 & MB7.
V 16.46. G to V 43 mins.
Ranging pit hit during ranging. House at L 28 b 9.9 hit and partially demolished during ranging.
CI sent 17.35. Total rds fired 200.
15.50 2 EKB [Enemy Kite Balloons] E. and N.E. of ESTAIRES.
16.30 2 " near LAVENTIE.
16.15 Fire at L 23 d 6.9 (HOUSE)
16.35 KK [signal for seeing flash of artillery fire] on flash seen in G 28.
Vis: good. Height 3500’. Obs by P & O.
400 L.G.[400 rounds from Lewis Gun] and 300 V.G.[Vickers Gun] into ESTAIRES & along ROADS from 2000’.
4-25lb bombs on L 33 d 7.7. Bursts obs.
Shoot with 99 Siege Battery near Estaires
Here are the locations mentioned in the report:
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.
For more detail of what went on in a shoot, how to read a squadron record book entry of a shoot, and what the codes mean, see:
Square L28, west of Estaires, contained not only the hostile battery at which Greg’s shoot was directed, but also several presumably important positions that were well defended by trenches and wire, as this extract from 1:10,000 scale trench map shows:
Estaires and square L28, from a 1:10,000 scale trench map dated 16 August 1918. Trenches are shown as castellations, and wire by Xs. Click for larger image. Map credit: IWM/TNA/GreatWarDigital
Trenches showed up starkly in vertical aerial photographs in oblique sunlight, as the following two (unlocated) examples show:
First vertical aerial view of unlocated trenches. Click for larger view. Photo credit: Greg’s War Collection.Second vertical aerial view of unlocated trenches. Click for larger view. Photo credit: Greg’s War Collection.
TodayGreg spent the day on a shoot. He was directing the fire of 99 Siege Battery onto a target in square R3, near Lestrem. His mind probably occasionally wandered to his sister Alice Gregory, whose birthday it was today
Log Book
Date: 22.8.18
Time: 17.20
Rounds Lewis: -
Rounds Vickers: -
Bombs: -
Time on RE8s: 137 hrs 00 mins
RE8: E27
Observer: Lt Hodgson
War Flying Time: 2 hrs 05 mins
Height: 5000
Course/Remarks: Shoot with 99 SB. Successful. R3.
Shoot with 99 Siege Battery on R3, near Lestrem
This was the first shoot that Greg did with 99 Siege Battery RGA. He does not record their equipment, but it was probably howitzers with a bore of at least 6″. [Update at 15:00: An entry in the Squadron Record Book for 24 August 1918 says that 99 SB was equipped with two 6″ howitzers.]
The target is not noted in any more detail than the 1,000 yard map square. But square R3 encompassed what looked like a small field marshalling yard where a field railway met the Lys valley main line from Armentières to Merville. The yard is hatched on the map to denote it as an ‘area of interest’ and could well have been the target.
Square R3, near Lestrem, from a Log Map dated 20 July 1918. German positions and workings in red. Areas of interest are hatched in blue. Each numbered square is 1,000 yards. Click for larger image. Map credit: IWM/TNA/GreatWarDigital
Alice’s 27th Birthday
Back home, Alice Gregory – Greg’s sister – celebrated her 27th birthday today.
Alice Gregory, Greg’s sister, picking apples, probably in the orchard at the family home in Holyhead, North Wales. Click for larger image. Photo: Greg’s War Collection
Following on from yesterday’s unsuccessful shoot with 213 Siege Battery South, another shoot with the same battery was scuppered by a wireless failure.
Log Book
Date: 13.8.18
Time: 15.10
Rounds Lewis: -
Rounds Vickers: -
Bombs: -
Time on RE8s: 126 hrs 15 mins
RE8: E27
Observer: Lt Hodgson
Time: 1 hr 50 mins
Height: 7000
Course/Remarks: Shoot with 213 SB South. Wireless failed.
Diary
Tuesday Aug 13th. Shoot with 213 SB (South). Wireless failed.
Wireless Failed
This was the first time that Greg recorded difficulty with his wireless. In contrast, there were (so far) some 20 instances of engine trouble and three instances of camera trouble.
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
Sevenoaks WW1 
