Diary And Letters Of A World War I Fighter Pilot, The

by Christopher Burgess

  Well dear son your active service has now begun and there is lots of hard fighting yet in front of our Troops, in which you will take your share. May God in His mercy keep you in safety at all times, and may the Everlasting Arms be underneath and around you is my earnest prayer. You have been a dear good son and never occasioned your mother or father a moment’s anxiety as to your conduct. I have not the slightest fear that you will always do your duty nobly and fearlessly. Whether you get rewards or not I feel that there is no flying officer in your Corps who will have a record for duty well and truly done more bright than yours.

  Your mother will have told you that we got you another pair of gloves for you – they were not quite the same as the ones you lost and were 10/- cheaper – 35/- instead of 45/- – but I think you will find they are just as warm and the gauntlets are wider and deeper. It was very bad luck losing the other pair. They were ‘jumped’ I suppose – they had your name on them too so there was no excuse. I suppose they never turned up as you didn’t say anything about them in your note received this morning. Many thanks for the excellent photos of the Squadron and the ‘busses’ which I am delighted to have and will get framed. I do hope the weather on the other side will improve a bit. They seem to be having it worse than we are.

  We shall live now for your letters. I hope you will tell us all you can about yourself and your life. If you want anything I am sure you will let us know.

  Eily was rather sorry to go back this morning to her hospital work – but she will be all right when she gets back as she really likes the work. It was very nice having her for a week and her being able to see you. Winifred [Winifred, red-haired, ‘Ginny’ to the family, Guy’s favourite sister] is the next one for us to look forward to seeing.

  I have heard nothing yet about the numerous applications I have put in for deployment and expect we shall find ourselves at Weymouth by the middle of next month.

  Well dear son I must bring this to a close. I hear an aeroplane buzzing quite close and I should have rushed to the verandah to see if it was a ‘Camel’ from Wye a few days ago, but now I don’t care if it is!!

  May God bless and keep you, dear old boy, and with my best love

  Your very affectionate Dad

  Cuthbert G. Knocker.

  P.S. When you meet the Hun give him one from me – he deserves all he gets and a good deal more.

  Service Overseas with 65 Squadron

  27 October 1917 – 31 December 1917

  The squadron flew to France on the 27th October 1917.

  The C.O. held a meeting of all pilots at Wye just before we flew across to France, and I remember he said that we were not going to France for the sake of our health, that casualties were bound to occur but that he wanted no mention of any casualties ever to be made in the Mess.

  The Squadron equipped with 130 H.P. Clerget Camels flew to St. Omer on 27th Oct. and the transport under the command of Capt. Higgins and ground personnel went out by ship at about the same time.

  The Squadron was later re-equipped with 160 H.P. Clerget engines.

  Guy M. Knocker

  “Somewhere in France”

  65 Squadron R.F.C.

  27th October 1917

  Dearest Dad & Mum

  This morning at 9.20 am we all set forth & crossed the Channel in great style. We flew over at 12,000 ft – it was frightfully cold crossing – this is a terrible war! However we got over O.K. We passed over Folkestone so I don’t know if you saw us. I chucked out a note but unfortunately it got caught in my tailplane & didn’t drop. I got my haversack inside my fuselage all right. We arrived at the Base at --- in about 45 minutes & we all landed all right but very cold. Then we got over here, put away our “buses” after which we got out an R.F.C. tender & were taken to a place North of --- to see our Aerodrome. It looked quite good but we shall have to have tents – No bon!

  The place was about 9 miles from the Lines & we could hear the shells bursting. We saw a “formation” going across & could see them being “Archied” like billy o’! The roads are pretty bad out there – pavé in the middle & mud at the sides – the pavé is worse than the mud! Then we discovered that we were not to go to this Aerodrome so we took the tender to another one South of it. We shall go there by & by – you’ll hear from me when we do. We passed through some towns which had been shelled but we were not near enough the Line to see much except Archies & kite balloons marking the line. We got to the other place & had a look round, there is no room there at present but one Squadron is moving before Nov 2nd & we are taking its place. Huts & a very good Mess I believe. Then we took the tender back to the base. I got out my haversack & we are now billeted in the town. I am in a brasserie & am very comfy with Mr Billy & some others. I had dinner in the town at an hotel, a very good one as I was pretty hungry! We are going to stay at this base till there is room for us at the Aerodrome. I am airing my French with much gusto! This town is bombed pretty often & there is a rumour of a raid being on at present but I have heard nothing & think it must be a false alarm. The aerodrome we are going to is in France not Flanders. We couldn’t get away yesterday as it was raining all day over here, I am so sorry you went up to Archcliffe for nothing at that ghastly hour. It is awfully sickening about losing my gloves; I fear they must have been stolen. I rather wish I had changed my money in England as I paid for a meal here with £1 & only got 25 frs. for it! None of our transport has arrived yet! I guess we will rest here till we get up the line. I don’t know when I will get your letters, not till we are settled down I suppose. I am writing this in my billet this evening & have been discussing the great sacréness of the Bosche with Mme la propriétaire who hates air raids! I wonder if you “got it” tonight at Dover. I am very fit & happy!

  DIARY Saturday 27th October 1917

  Up at 7. a.m. Got out machine and ran up engine. Got into air at 9.20. Major leading – very fast. Took 6,000 ft. to get into formation. Passed over Folkestone and crossed Channel at 12,000 – beastly cold.

  Landed O.K. at St Omer at 10.05. Took tender from Omer to Poperinghe where we had lunch. Pop full of troops and a few houses had been shelled. Went to aerodrome at Lovée after lunch, 3 miles North of Poperinghe. Bad aerodrome. R.E.8s [21 Squadron] and Spads [23 Squadron] there already, only tents! No bon. Saw shells bursting and a formation being “archied”. Took tender to Bailleul where we are going when the Nieuports [No 1 Squadron) leave. R.N.A.S.] Triplanes [No 1 Squadron R.N.A.S.] there. Went back to Omer via Cassel. Roads very bad in Flanders.

  Dinner at Hotel de France. Billet tea at Brasserie 172 Rue de Dunkerque. Comfy bed – slept well. Talked to Mme [Madame] – Air raid at night – heard nothing.

  [Note: Actually 65 Squadron replaced the Triplanes, No 1 Squadron R.N.A.S. and not No 1 R.F.C. as stated here.]

  65 Squadron R.F.C.

  28th October 1917

  All this morning we just loafed about the ‘drome at the base & did nothing in particular except have a look round as we had no orders. After lunch we were told to fly our “buses” up to the aerodrome at the place we went to first yesterday – not the one we are eventually going to as there is no room there. We had orders to leave them there as there is apparently some danger of them being bombed down here.

  So we flew up. I had a very nice Pup as my engine was running beautifully; it took about 25 minutes to get there. When we got fairly far up I could see the flashes of the guns & also a line of grey smoke marking the Lines. I also caught a glimpse of a well known town just behind the present line which has been pretty well shelled to bits. We all landed all right & put our buses in the sheds to wait till we come to fetch them by & by – you’ll hear from me when we do so. Then we had tea with a Squadron of Stationary Engine Scout pilots – one of them I knew as he was at Croydon with me. They seemed a v.nice crowd & they had a very comfy little Mess & huts. Shaped like this – [No illustration available] – they had a wall of sandbags all around them as the place is sometimes bombed. Some of them had just come back from “Patrol
” & told various yarns. Then we took a tender back to the base (there is nothing like the R.F.C. for motor trips!). On the way we passed a column of troops coming up to the Trenches & a long line of lorries full of men going back to “rest camps”. From the aerodrome I could hear the guns fire on the front v.plainly, there was a good deal of it tonight, we got back here in time for dinner about 8. p.m. I am writing this in my billet before going to bed, we have to go up to the aerodrome tomorrow at 9 a.m., that is as far as I know of our future doings! I don’t think we shall go up to the Line till our kit etc., arrives which ought to be some time yet. I don’t think we are actually to commence hostilities till Nov 15th but I don’t know yet for certain.

  Well I’m awa to ma bed so good night!

  P.S. I caught a glimpse of a Bosche [sic] machine over our lines today being “Archied” like fun! I couldn’t get to church today as I had no time at all – I was rather sorry.

  G.M.K.

  DIARY Sunday 28th October 1917

  Brekker at 9.00 at Hotel de France. Tender to aerodrome at No 1 A.D. Loafed about all morning and looked round aerodrome.

  After lunch flew buses’ to aerodrome at Lovée to prevent them being bombed at St. Omer. Saw gun flashes and the long grey smoke of the lines and also part of Ypres. Could hear heavy gunfire all along the front, specially at Ypres and south of it, after landing.

  Had tea with Spad Squadron, just back from offensive patrol. One had got a Hun. Took tender back, v.slow as they didn’t know the way and a bad driver – v.cold. Home via Hazebrouck – why I can’t think. Took 2 hrs – beastly cold. Dinner with Weedon, O.B. & L.W.

  Back to billet – air raid warning – washout. Formation to Lovée was excellent and much slower than yesterday.

  65 Squadron R.F.C.

  B.E.F. France

  29th October 1917

  This morning after brekker at 9.30. a.m. we went by tender up to the aerodrome where we left our machines yesterday. We took off by flights & “A” Flight went for a sort of tour round the Lines. The weather was pretty thick & so we didn’t see very much but what we did see of the ground was wonderful, you can form no idea of the ghastly state of it up to the Lines. Imagine huge stretches of brown grey mud – no grass to be seen – simply covered with great shell holes half full of water. I don’t suppose there were more than 10 yds between each hole – just like a tennis lawn would be if, after heavy rain, 50 people in high heeled shoes trampled over it. A lot of wooden huts could be seen among the shell holes & now & again flashes of batteries firing from out of the mud. I also saw a couple of large mine craters like small ponds full of water. We landed at the aerodrome at the place we are going to bye & bye – you’ll be wanting to know the name – [Bailleul]. We had lunch here – a v.comfy little Mess hut. After lunch I found some trifling thing wrong with my “bus” & so I couldn’t get off with the rest. They went further down the Lines keeping our side of course & I believe they got “Archied”! I waited till my bus had been patched up & then set off home alone. I kept well our side of the Lines! By this time the weather was quite clear & I could see v. plainly all that is left of a certain very well known town – it is a pretty awful sight! Absolutely shelled to pieces & it looked as if it had been gutted by fire, there were heaps of shell holes round it. I was not “Archied”. To the north of this Town could be seen huge flooded areas, the flashes of guns & bursting shells could be plainly seen; I landed at the original aerodrome. I watched some of our buses over the Lines being “Archied” & they appeared to get it pretty thick, it looks something like this [Here follow three blank lines, where the drawing would have gone...]

  After we had all landed we went & had tea at the Squadron, then – the Major [Major J.A. Cunningham DFC, CdG] being in our tender – we went down to the Wing H.Q. to receive orders for tomorrow, from there back here to the base. Tomorrow I believe we are to have another of these Comic Cook’s Tours to the Battlefields of France! It is most frightfully interesting, we aren’t allowed over the “Lines” as yet & so it is quite safe. There is a comic Air Raid on here at present but the firing has stopped so I guess it is all over. It is a lovely night & I expect London is catching it in the neck. Our kit hasn’t arrived yet but I think it is on the road. I hope you have got the other letters I wrote. I haven’t had any yet but I don’t expect to till we settle down. The “all clear” has just sounded.

  Well no more now. I will write every day if I possibly can.

  Bestest love to you both from the Bunsoy.

  P.S. I met Dunkerly from Tadcaster here today. G.M.K.

  DIARY Monday 29th October.

  Up to Lovée by tender at 9.30. Flew by flights round Ypres, Dickebush & Claor [?] to Bailleul, visibility poor. Ground simply covered in shell holes – mud awful.

  Landed o.k. at SPAD aerodrome at Bailleul, lunch there. Guard -----shorn off pressure tank by A.M., after lunch flight left without me. I waited till it was fixed up and then got off, looped once. Flew N. Scholer Mont Rouge and Kemmel to Ypres – Pop. road. Went down as far as Ypres – Ypres in an awful state – saw batteries firing. Landed at Lovée o.k. Watched ‘Archie’!

  Tea at R.E.8 Sqdn. poor mess. Tender to Liting H.Q. and then to Omer; strafe coming off tomorrow. More tours round lines. Dinner at Le Commerce. Air raid at night – heard guns etc. Lovely moon. Expect London got it badly in the neck.

  65 Squadron R.F.C.

  30th October 1917

  Another day’s adventures – Quite thrilling this time! We left here as per usual at 8.30 a.m. by tender & went up to the place where we left our air ships. There was a howling gale blowing & as we saw on the aerodrome a machine, which had been doing contact patrol, completely crashed on landing the Major deemed it wiser for us not to fly today – v.nice too! I am sure half of us would have crashed if we had! So we took the tender down to the place we are going to bye & bye & had lunch there in the town. Before we had lunch “Old Bill” & I were strolling down a street when suddenly – Boom – Wheeee – Crump!!! A huge cloud of black smoke & a house about 200 yards further down the street simply dissolved into brick dust! A hefty great Bosche [sic] 9.2” Howitzer shell simply wiped it off the earth. No one was hurt but it made me jump about 20 ft into the air! We thought that part of the town rather unhealthy, so we hove off & had lunch. Afterwards we strolled down & had a look at the mess – the whole frontage had just fallen flat! As we were watching them clearing away – Boom – Wheeee – another one went over us but as we did not hear it go off it must have been a dud. By this time it was raining hard so we took the tender round to the R.N.A.S. Aerodrome, where we shall be going as soon as they move out & waited for the Major, who was visiting another Squadron. Several more shells went into the town while we were at the ‘drome but none near us. Then we “tendered” back here for tea which I had in the Y.M.C.A. Officers’ Club – a very comfy place. There were two tenders of us coming back & we had a race – we passed the other one going at about 40 m.p.h. along a narrow road – it was great fun!! At dinner this evening I met Critchley from “The Shop”, he has just come out in the R.H.A. & at present he is wandering round France trying to find his Battery! We are going up to the Line to fly round again tomorrow I think if all’s well & weather permits – I am getting a bit fed up with tender trips on bumpy roads! No kit as yet! Altogether it has been rather an exciting day – being shelled is a trifle unpleasant mais c’est la guerre! I am very fit & happy but have had no letters from home so far. I hope you get all mine, I have written every day since I came out & posted them where & when I could. I believe there was a small “push” up North this morning & v.successful.

  Well cheerieho & the bestest love to you from the Bunsoy. G.M.K.

  DIARY Tuesday 30th October

  Left by tender at 9.00 am, went to Lovée – very windy. R.E.8 crashed v badly, Observer killed, pilot badly injured. No flying on a/c of the wind. Push took place early this morning – very successful. As far as the outskirts of Passchendaele.

  Took Tender to Bailleul. C.O.
lunched at 170 Squadron, Lovée. Lunch in town, Bailleul shelled! House struck 200 yards from me by a 9.2” shell – dissolved in smoke! 2 other shells over the town.

  Raining hard by lunch. Went to No 1 R.N.A.S. Sqdn Mess – C.O. v late – v fed up. Turned up at last – Tender back to St Omer. Raced other tender and beat it! Great fun v.cold and wet.

  Tea at Y.M.C.A. Club. Read after tea. Rain off. Bought socks. Supper in town – Bed.

  65 Squadron R.F.C.

  31st October 1917

  Dearest Dad & Mum,

  Just a wee short letter tonight as I am very tired & will have to be up early tomorrow. This morning we flew from our aerodrome all up & down “The Lines” around. There were 11 Hun machines above us one time but they did not trouble us & as we aren’t allowed to scrap just yet unless attacked we left them alone. I saw them but didn’t know they were Huns ‘till I got down. This afternoon we did another short patrol. There was a smart “push” going on in part of “The Lines” & we watched the guns firing. We could also see great clouds of smoke, either a gas attack or a smoke barrage – I don’t know which. I saw those mine craters which we were told about some time ago at ----; huge things full of water. Our transport has at last arrived! Well no more now as I am going to bed.