1914 British Ace

by Griff Hosker

  Gordy and Ted looked at the aeroplane shaking their heads. “Lucky, lucky, lucky!”

  “I know Gordy. I can’t believe that a piece of scrap wood kept me in the aeroplane.”

  “Did he panic?” I nodded. “I thought so. You had it under control. Captain Burscough would have flown straight as a die.”

  “I know but I guess I will have to get used to Captain Dixon.”

  In the end I didn’t. He went to the major and they had a long talk. He left the squadron the next day. The major had me in the office to explain. “You did very well the other day Flight Sergeant and I appreciate your attitude. Many other men might have said something. I am pleased that you did not. Captain Dixon is returning to England for a while. He will train young pilots. He is an excellent pilot you know.”

  “I do sir. It was just one mistake.”

  The major leaned back and nodded. “Very philosophical of you however the fact remains that both of you could have been killed and a valuable aircraft destroyed. How long will it take to repair it?”

  “If we had a propeller then we could be flying by the end of the week. We just have to rebuild the tail but the quartermaster tells me he is waiting for spares.”

  “Yes I know. Well repair it and hopefully Captain Burscough will have returned by then. Dismissed.”

  I turned to go and then turned back, “Sir, may I ask you something?”

  “Of course. You have earned that right.”

  “Would it be possible, at some time in the future, for me to become a pilot?”

  He smiled, “I see you and Flight Sergeant Hewitt have been talking.” I nodded. “I’ll tell you the same thing I told him. Take me up in the Avro and let me see what you can do. He is going up the day after tomorrow. Is that fair enough?”

  I grinned, “More than enough, sir. Thank you.”

  When I saw Gordy I looked at him askance. “And just when were you going to tell us about becoming a pilot?”

  Ted’s cigarette almost dropped from his open mouth. Gordy looked embarrassed. “When I actually became one. Sorry lads. I didn’t want to put a hex on it.”

  I smiled, “Don’t worry you will pass and, just so you know, I am having a bash too.”

  “You don’t mean I will have to sir the two of you?”

  “Ted, we aren’t even pilots yet let alone officers.”

  Ted shook his head, “I can see it happening already. Yes sir, no sir, three bags full sir.”

  Gordy looked at me. “When are you going to try out?”

  “I thought I’d see how you do. But I wouldn’t mind a couple more lessons over the next few days.” They both gave me a quizzical look. “Captain Dixon is returning to England to become an instructor.”

  “That is probably for the best. Not everyone is cut out for combat and he is a good flier.”

  None of us resented someone who did not have the nerve to be an air warrior. It was a hard job and not everyone was cut out for it. Our attitude was that a man should admit to his limitations before others got hurt. The memory of Lieutenant Ramsden came to mind. He had hidden his flaws and men had died. I respected Captain Dixon far more. He was a real man.

  As it turned out we were all grounded for a week by vicious storms. No one moved on either side of the lines. It meant the aircraft were all serviced and we even managed to replace the propeller. We rigged rear facing Lewis guns on the other two aeroplanes of the flight although neither Gordy nor Ted relished having to fire them in action.

  Gordy said, “I have even more incentive to become a pilot now. Bill here is the amazing trapeze artist but I am not.”

  The sergeant’s mess had enjoyed teasing me by singing the music hall song about the young man on the flying trapeze. When I walked in the mess they all sang:

  He'd fly through the air with the greatest of ease,

  That daring young man on the flying trapeze.

  Surprisingly they never tired of it. Even some of the officers thought it was amusing. I took it in good part; if I had shown any kind of discomfort they would have taken it as a sign of poor character and so I smiled and I bowed each time they sang it.

  When the skies did clear we all watched as Gordy took off with the major as observer for his flying test. He had been given clear instructions: take off, perform a figure of eight around the field, a barrel roll to port and one to starboard, climb to five hundred feet and then dive to fly across the airfield at one hundred feet. Basically the major wanted to know not only if he could fly but also if he could handle combat situations. From the ground it looked immaculate but we knew that the major was a fussy judge. Nothing would get by him.

  The major gave nothing away as he walked away from the aircraft. We all crowded around Gordy. “Well, lads, I am now a pilot!”

  It did not change things immediately. We were still short of aeroplanes but we had volunteers from training depots in England who wished to be observers. My attempt to become a pilot had to be deferred. There was to be a new offensive and we had been tasked with photographing the area around Neuve Chapelle and Auber. Lorries arrived with cameras and the observers were all given lessons in photography. Later these would be attached to the aeroplanes but as March 1915 approached, we had to take the photographs by leaning out of the aeroplane. They were a little blurry. We now had wooden buildings. Some Royal Engineers had spent February constructing barracks and messes as well as workshops. We used one of the new workshops to learn how to take photographs.

  As luck would have it Captain Burscough returned from his convalescent leave. I did not need to have the trauma of a new pilot. He was fully fit and keen to get back into action. He had a brown paper parcel with him and he proudly handed it to me. “Here as promised, a leather flying coat.”

  “Sir, you shouldn’t have.”

  “Of course I should but perhaps you won’t need it now that you have learned to be a trapeze artist.” He was grinning as he said it. Word had soon reached him of my feat.

  We took off as a squadron and headed south east. We had rarely visited this quiet area of the front and it was new territory for us. The Germans had no aerial defences in the region so we had few machine guns and no aeroplanes to contend with. It was actually a pleasurable experience and we spent a couple of hours flying as low as we could go photographing the railways and the trenches. Others would analyse them but we all knew that our next task would be to support the attack.

  Our next flight was on the morning of 9th of March. We were to destroy any enemy aeroplanes and balloons as we could. For that reason we flew as a squadron with five aeroplanes being supported by six much higher up. We had learned to protect ourselves once we were in enemy territory.

  It was my first flight with the rest of the newly armed aeroplanes. Our aircraft had been nicknamed the Gunbus for we all now sported three machine guns. We might not be either the fastest or most agile of aeroplanes but we were the most dangerous. We bristled with weaponry. The armourer had even got us some small bombs. We had had a demonstration of their use but, so far, we had not used them in action. There were racks fitted to a couple of the aeroplanes to hold the deadly projectiles.

  We reached the German lines and quickly destroyed the four balloons that we found. Our foray with the cameras had alerted the enemy and we saw a Jasta of Aviatiks and Albatros heading for us. We flew in a line abreast of five aeroplanes. As the senior officer Captain Burscough and I were in the centre. Above us Major Brack and the rest of the squadron were waiting to pounce on any aeroplanes which attacked us. The enemy formation was three wide and four deep. Against our firepower that was a mistake. We flew directly at them. Each aeroplane fired their two Lewis machine guns and a wall of bullets tore through the poorly armed Germans. The captain and I managed to destroy one almost immediately and a second, from the second tier, headed home with smoke trailing.

  The major’s attack completely destroyed the Jasta. We shot down three aircraft and all of the others were damaged. We had done our job and we returned home
elated. Our infantry attack would be a surprise. The enemy were blind and would not be able to discern the troop movements.

  After we had landed we saw that there were tables laden with bombs. The armourer grinned at us. “Right lads, you have shown you can use a machine gun. Now let’s see if you can use a bomb. There are four for each aircraft. My lads will fit racks to the outside of your cockpits.” He laughed wickedly, “The last thing we need is for one to go off during takeoff.”

  While the pilots all went to their briefing we helped the mechanics and armourers fit the racks to those aeroplanes which did not have them yet. The balance of the aeroplane was vital and no-one wanted them in the wrong place. I insisted that they be put slightly behind me towards the pilot’s seat. I had enough weight in the front already. We finished by noon and the bombs were fitted. All we had to do was to detach the bomb from the rack and then throw it towards the ground. The fins on the back helped to steer the device and it would explode upon impact. We had no idea what our targets would be but we were like children on Christmas day with a new toy. This was exciting and new.

  We took off at dawn and headed south east. Other squadrons could be seen to port and starboard. Our target was the railway lines we had photographed. Once the attack of the infantry began the generals wanted no support to reach the beleaguered Germans. Having photographed them then we knew where they were. We were not the leading flight this time. The major did not anticipate any German aeroplanes and so we flew in line astern. That way we could go to secondary targets if we were successful with the primary.

  There was a little anti-aircraft fire but it was not enough to cause us concern. It would have taken a very lucky strike to hit one of the bombs. We found the railway and the major led the attack. The first three aeroplanes managed to destroy the track and the major waved us further east. We saw smoke in the air; it was a train. The aeroplane ahead of us dived and the observer threw his bomb. I saw it explode at the side of one of the freight wagons. Then it was our turn. I deliberately threw it early and I aimed at a point ahead of the train. As we pulled up I saw the track as it was flung in the air and I heard the screech of brakes as the train tried to stop. Glancing over my shoulder I saw that Gordy had managed to drop his bomb on the engine. There was an enormous explosion and we could hear the screeching of the railway cars as they slewed off the wrecked track.

  Once again the major waved us up into the air and we bombed a marshalling yard. This was almost too easy. They had no defences and we had time to aim our bombs. When it was wrecked we all had bombs left and we were waved west, towards the battle. We could see the smoke in the distance and hear the crump of the heavy weapons. The Germans knew they were being attacked. We found a road and it was filled with a German column of infantry. We dived and threw out bombs at the helpless infantry below us. They had nowhere to escape. Once our bombs had been thrown we flew up and down machine gunning the road until our magazines were empty.

  Oddly enough I did not feel elated but deflated. We had slaughtered the Germans with impunity. I knew we were saving British lives but it did not seem right somehow. It was not playing the game. The Germans had had no chance to fight back.

  The mood in the squadron was, however, one of unbridled joy. We had done our job and more. The major came into the sergeant’s mess that night with a wonderful boyish grin all over his face. “Well done boys. Thanks to your efforts we have broken through. The Germans are retreating.”

  We found out that the canals we had seen to the south had been attacked by the other squadrons. Nothing had reached the front. For the first time in the war the Royal Flying Corps had had a decisive effect. The soldiers might have only gained a few miles but this was the first gain since October and promised to be a sign of things to come.

  At the time we all thought that the war would soon be over but that was not the case. Still that night was one of celebration. We had suffered no losses and the enemy had suffered a bloody nose.

  Chapter 19

  We were brought down to earth the following day when the Germans counterattacked. We had no more bombs to use; we later discovered that the artillery had also run out of shells too. We were forced to fly with just our machine guns. As we headed over the trenches we found a hotter reception that we had had the previous day. Roaring dangerously low over the trenches, newly prepared by the enemy, we found that they had machine guns aimed into the sky. I saw at least three of our eleven aircraft turn back with damage from ground fire. We pushed on until we saw another column of infantry hurrying to get to the front.

  Once again we had been given the role of attacking. The three of us had a reputation for steadiness which the major appreciated. He knew we would not deviate from our line and would hold our nerve. The Germans were always quick learners and they had mobile machine guns which they hurriedly set up. As we roared across the treetops we were met by machine and rifle fire which was most unnerving. Standing at the front to the Gunbus, you felt dreadfully exposed. Short bursts were not effective and I held down the trigger until the bullets had all been used. When the captain saw me change the magazine he pulled the nose up to get us out of the line of fire while I reloaded. The third pass would allow him to fire his fixed machine gun. I had the advantage that I could traverse my gun through a hundred and eighty degrees he could only fire at whatever was in line with the front of the Gunbus. As we flew for our second pass I saw a mobile machine gun to the right. I fired a steady stream and saw the crew cut down and the gun knocked over. I hoped I had damaged it enough to stop it firing at the other aircraft in the flight. I finished off the magazine by firing at the motor car which was on the roadside. I reasoned that it would have officers, probably high ranking, on board and their loss was worth more than their men.

  When I had emptied the Lewis Captain Burscough began to fire his fixed machine gun. I took out my Lee Enfield and aimed at those who looked to be in command. I was not certain if I hit any but I knew it would have an effect. Soaring into the sky and the relative safety of the higher altitude I saw that one of the other aircraft was pouring smoke from its engine. Lieutenant Hanson would be lucky to get back to the airfield. We went into a defensive formation as we headed back to our lines.

  I turned to cock the rear Lewis and watch behind us. I could see the major with his surviving aeroplanes spread out in a thin screen as they, too, made their way home. Then I saw black dots appear. They were being attacked by German aeroplanes. We could do nothing about it; they were behind and above us. We had to escort our damaged comrade back home and besides that we were all getting low on fuel. This was not a steady flight at the same altitude. We had climbed and dived numerous times. Running out of fuel behind enemy lines was not an option.

  It was with some relief that we saw the damaged aeroplane land safely. The mechanics raced across to deal with the small fire and then we all landed. There were just four of us left from the original five. The major, I feared, had fared worse.

  After we had climbed from the cockpits I noticed a colonel walking towards us. I did not recognise him but his lordship did. He snapped a smart salute, “Colonel Sykes, sir.” We all stood to attention and saluted. He pointed to the black dots approaching the field. “Is the squadron commander with those aeroplanes?”

  “The major is on his way, sir. That is his flight.”

  The colonel’s features changed and he smiled easily. “Don’t panic, Lord Burscough. I am not here to chew you out but rather to find out some facts.”

  I saw the relief in his face as the captain said to us, “I think you chaps can check the aeroplanes over. I am not sure what damage we suffered back there.”

  “Sir!”

  Even though we were curious as to know why we had been visited we knew that we had to work on the aeroplanes. The battle was not over; that much we knew from the number of reinforcements being rushed to the front. We would be in action again the next day. I worried about my Gunbus. It took punishment day about day and we repaired the canvas and wo
od every day. Soon it would be no longer original but an aeroplane of repaired parts.

  As usual we had suffered the most damage. We had been at the centre. I left the mechanic, Joe, to check the engine and refill the oil while I began to assess the parts which needed replacing and the ones which needed mending. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the major’s flight land. The colonel and Captain Burscough whisked him away and we were left alone on the field. We would be lucky to have five serviceable aeroplanes for the next day.

  It was almost time for food by the time we had repaired the three aircraft from our flight. They would all fly the following day but only the major and Captain Brown would be able to fly from the rest. Some of the ones which had returned would only be fit for spares. From twelve aircraft we now had just five; such was life in the R.F.C.

  After we had washed up we piled into the mess for food. Now that we had a wooden building it felt cleaner and it was certainly warmer. There was a fug of hot food and cigarette smoke as we trudged in. Flight Sergeant Lowery waved us over to sit with him at his table. We were now the four senior flying sergeants in the squadron and there was a bond between us. Sometimes the armourer and quartermaster would join us but that night both were busy ordering spares and repairing guns.

  “You know that big wig who was waiting for the major?”

  “You mean the colonel?”

  “That’s right. Well he is second in command to General Henderson, he’s the bloke in charge of the Flying Corps.”

  “Phew. Are we in bother then?”

  “Nah, just the opposite. They were talking while I was in the outer office. The door was open and I heard every word.”

  He waited expectantly. Gordy shook his head, “What are you waiting for? A round of applause.”

  He looked miffed, “Just building up the tension.”

  “Don’t worry, pal, we have had more than our share of tension lately.”

  “Well it seems we are the only squadron who send out the planes as a squadron. The rest just send one or two out or a flight at most. We have had the most success and, until today, the least casualties and damaged aeroplanes.”