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

by Christopher Burgess

  I was out with ‘A’ flight – 5 machines – & we dived on a couple of Hun L.V.G. two-seaters. They at once hove off for their own lines & we lost them. I fired my guns at one of them & the observer fired at me but to no purpose.

  They were v.well camouflaged & looked something like this [No picture available]

  I was most awfully excited while it lasted.

  The worst part of going over the lines is the “Archie”. That is simply awful! You are sailing along quite peacefully when suddenly you hear a “Woo-ourf!” – you simply spin your head round & see a black blob just behind you. Then you see two or three more little blobs all round you & a second after you hear more “Woo-oofs”! It is most alarming till you get used to it. The other day you could trace our path by the trail of “Archies”. Fritz is a harmless little chap but apt to be peevish when irritated. He is a jolly good shot too!

  I saw an albatross scout fairly close the other day. Having been shot he went down in a kind of floppy spin.

  Well, the post goes -

  Bestest Love my dearest

  From your Brother Boy

  DIARY Saturday 10th November

  Rain, Rain, Rain all day. No flying. Down to Bailleul in afternoon. Got a stove. Played bridge and lost 4 fr 50c! Rotten. Wrote letters in evening to Eily, Mrs Russell Taylor, Joy, Carrie, Chris. Major Cross in for Supper. O.B. orderly officer. Not so cold. Bedroom warm from the stove.

  Guy to his sister, Winnie.

  11th November 1917.

  65 Squadron R.F.C.

  Dearest Joe,

  Congraggos on your safe return to civilisation after having the [?] terms of the Alps, I do wish I was at home to see you, however when I get some leave – ah! that will be très bon. Well I am lurching along all right & am so far unpunctured & in one piece. I haven’t been over the lines yet but have often been up on defensive patrols up & down one side of them. The ground in this part of the lines is a ghastly sight. Imagine a tennis lawn after heavy rain – clay soil. Then reconstruct your ideas after ten dozen ladies in high heeled shoes (the kind that “give such a good grip you know”) have been trampling all over it for about half an hour & after a puppy has been digging holes in it (mine craters) – then shove a few heaps of broken bricks about it (towns) then arrange a series of electric flash bulbs all over it & light them on & off at intervals (guns). Then flood half the lawn & imagine more rain. Then go up a step ladder & survey the whole effect & you will have an accurate impression of what the Lines look like from the air. The effect will be improved if you choose the coldest day & arrange for a band or something noisy to give the proper noise of the engine! I saw a Push from the air the other day – a wonderful sight. The gun flashes were multitudinous. We have the cutest little huts here; they look some thing like this: [No illustration]

  DIARY Sunday 11th November

  V. thick most of morning. Short line patrol washed out – because of clouds, v.cold. No E.A. seen. Up for a flip in afternoon. Huge scrap with Keller [Lieutenant C.F. Keller]. Beat him once and was beaten once.

  To tea at No 1 with Moore, v.good tea. Not to church all day – must go next week. Read in evening.

  65 Squadron R.F.C.

  12th November 1917

  Dearest Dad & Mum

  Across the Lines at last! The weather is lovely this morning & at 11 o‘clock 6 machines of “A” Flight went up on an “Offensive Patrol” – about 6 miles over the Lines. Then “Old Bill” went home with a missing engine & we five carried on. At first it was all right but then we started getting “Archied” & that really put the wind up me. You are flying along when suddenly a black blob something like this:

  ‘A’ Flt on Offensive Patrol. Signed in lower right corner: G.M.K.

  suddenly appears near you & then you hear a “woof” & probably several more “woooofs” all round you. They got the range almost exactly so we dived & lost height. Peace for a bit till they got the range again & so on – we went along doing turns all the time. The shooting was too jolly good for us! No one was hit tho’. Then suddenly our leader dived & we all saw two Hun L.V.G. two-seaters. The leader went for one but didn’t get it & I went diving down at the other one but my Aldis sight was oily so I just fired blindly, then he stuck his head down & hove off home.* [Asterisk refers to note in Guy Knocker’s hand]

  I followed for a bit & I heard his old observer pooping off at me like 6! But as I was only 3000 ft & 5 miles behind [the Lines] I thought I had best chuck it, I don’t think I hit him. Gad – I was excited! Then I joined the formation & went home! Pitt in “C” Flight was wounded in the leg this morning & got his bus badly shot about – he is in hospital. No one got a Hun. Last night I went to tea with No1 Squadron with Moore – a man I knew at Croydon. I didn’t get to church but must try to get next Sunday. Am v.fit.

  Bestest love,

  Bunsoy.

  *Capt Morisson [sic] was missing after this scrap. I learnt from him in 1927 that he had followed this Hun over as far as Lille & had shot him down. On his way home he was himself wounded & shot down, remaining a prisoner till the end of the war.

  DIARY Monday 12th November

  Lovely day. Up at 11 for South line patrol over the lines – ‘Archie’ awful! [Dadezele?] to Quesnoy. Dived on 2 L.V.G.’s at Armentières. Indecisive. Wind up! Great fun the scrap. Pitt wounded, Scott [Lieutenant D.H. Scott] got a direct hit from Archie, Morrisson [see above] missing. Up on S.O.P. again at 2.00 pm. ‘Archie’ round Comines simply awful. Saw some Scouts. 1 L.V.G. no scrap. V.misty on the ground. All returned o.k. Only 4 on this patrol.

  Headache in evening. This game is not at all safe. ‘Archie’ is awful!

  [2nd Lieutenant W.H. Hemming?] crashed taking off. Broken legs – awful smash. A very unfortunate day on the whole! 4 buses written off completely.

  13th November 1917

  Thanks for your letter dated 11th. I have written to you every day & will try to continue to do so. I am getting quite good now! Yesterday afternoon we went up on another show across the Lines. This time we got “Archied” very badly. When they got our range we dived to lose height. On one occasion the wily Hun anticipated this move & we dived into a perfect nest of them! I was simply scared blue & crouched down in my bus & looked as small as poss! No one was hit at all but after that we didn’t fly in a straight line for more than 10 seconds. “Fritz” is a playful little chap but apt to be peevish when irritated. “B” Flight fired a lot of rounds into a town behind the Lines, this annoyed Fritz terribly & they got well “Archied”. We saw two or three Albatrosses [sic] well above us & one two-seater below us which we dived on but he hove off at once! Those two L.V.Gs which we fought in the morning were a white livered pair for as soon as they saw us they turned for home flying as hard as they could & made no show at all. I think Higgins killed the observer in the first one, anyway we frightened them badly!! Pitt was wounded in the leg yesterday morning & is now doubtless on the way home to Blighty – lucky beggar! Balfour [Lieutenant B. Balfour] had an explosive bullet in his petrol tank which fortunately did not light it. *Morrison in “A” Flight was with us when we dived on the L.V.Gs & has not been heard of since; I guess he must have landed in Hun Land as I don’t think he was shot down.

  Scott [Lieutenant D.H. Scott, M.C.] in “B” Flt was killed. “Archie” really doesn’t worry you much but is a bit annoying at first.

  [The German aircraft referred to above and frequently in these letters, is the “Albatros” – with one “s”. Guy Knocker consistently misspells it as “Albatross”. He occasionally uses the plural form “Albatrii”. He is not alone in this!]

  The following is my first impression of the L.V.G. & about as I saw it first. He was well camouflaged & painted all colours – they nearly all have swallow tails. I am not on patrol at all today & fetched a bus from a “Park” further back this morning. Thank Joe for her letter.

  DIARY Tuesday 13th November

  Misty nearly all the day. I went down to Serny in morning with C.O., Cox & Balfour to collect 4
Camels. Got back o.k. not on patrol all day – thank Goodness. Terrific gun fire in evening at about 5pm and all night especially at 11.30pm – towards Armentières and “Plugstreet”.

  Cummings in for dinner and another from No 1. Read and talked to T.E.E. after dinner. Bed at 11 – slept excellently.

  14th November 1917

  No letter from you today but I guess it has been delayed. Yesterday was pretty misty all day but some patrols went up – they saw nothing. I had a day off & wasn’t put down to go up, so stayed on the floor – quite pleased too! Today there has been a fog & it is still too thick for flying. To think that a fortnight ago I was longing for fine weather! Yesterday at about 5. p.m. perfectly terrific gunfire started an absolutely continuous rumble & went on practically all night increasing in intensity for about ¼ of an hour about 11.30. We don’t know what it all meant but guess it was Fritz being playful & having to be suppressed! I think I am going to a show in the town this evening. I haven’t got my muffler yet but guess it must be on the way. I hope you have had all my letters up to date. I have written every day except one a long time ago, I hope Joe gets the one I sent her. Well I guess I’ll stop now as I can’t think of any more to say!

  DIARY Wednesday 14th November

  Thick fog nearly all the day. No patrols at all. Read in morning. Up for a short flip in afternoon. Contour chasing and looping. Nearly all the Squadron went mad.

  Down to Bailleul in evening. The Tivoli full up. Talked to Madame for ½ hr. To Club with Cox [Captain G.M. Cox] and Withington [Captain T.E. Withington]. Back in tender. Played bridge in evening lost 1 Fr 50c.

  15th November 1917

  This morning I was on Dawn Patrol. At 6.15 six shivering & bad tempered mortals crept into their airships & leapt forth into the very air! It was a lovely blue sky but misty on the ground with a strong west wind. “Archie” was not v.good today & we didn’t get much of it – for which I was truly thankful. In fact he didn’t worry me at all – I was much too busy watching 9 little black specks above & behind us! These were the wily Albatrosses. “B” Flight was also up & the Albatrosses dived on them & I think “B” Flight brought two of them down. They didn’t worry us at all. Then at 10.30 a.m. we went up again. This time it was very reassuring as “B” Flt. joined us making 10 buses & there were some Nieuports & S.Es about too. The air over the Hun Lines was simply black with our machines, it was pretty cloudy & we only had about half a dozen “Archies”. It was a priceless sight to see our machines dashing up & down, completely demoralizing Fritz for we hardly saw anything of him. We saw some Nieuports scrapping with two Albatrosses & one two-seater even dived down to join in the fun! This completely put the wind up the Hun for he immediately hove off. I didn’t get a shot in as there wasn’t time but I saw the Albatross scout – He looked something like this:

  Very well camouflaged – in fact you could hardly see him against the shell holes. He had a paint brush tail with a one piece elevator, you will see the difference if you refer to my sketch of the L.V.G. I was just starting to get excited when the scrap broke off. We are now using explosive bullets in our guns – the Huns always do so I don’t see why we shouldn’t. It’s pretty well na poo Hun if one hits home. Well no more now. I am very fit & well. Thanks so much for No10 [letter]. The muffler has arrived & it is topping!

  DIARY Thursday 15th November

  Up on dawn patrol – 6.30 am! Lovely morning, hardly any ‘Archies’ – on Northern Patrol. Saw Huns behind, did not attack us at all. ‘B‘ Flt had a scrap. Cocks [Captain G.M. Cox?] & Symons [Captain H.L. Symons] got a Hun each – v.good too! Up again at 10.30. Cloudy – no ‘archie’ at all to speak of. Acting with ‘B’ Flight – stacks of our machines. Huns kept well away! Came in for the finish of a scrap. Nieuport and 2 albatrosses and 1 L.D.G. Indecisive. Did not fire. For [?] flip to Armentières at 3pm. Saw no Huns but got 4 archies a time. Hove off! To the ‘Tivoli’ with Tiplaft in evening – v.good. Dinner at the club. Had some Beaune!

  Major Nethersole [Major N.H.B. Nethersole] in to dinner and also Gorringe. Quite warm, Bed.

  16th November 1917

  Thanks very much for your letter dated Nov 11th I also heard from Gally, Elsie & Dorothea.

  There is not much fresh news. Yesterday afternoon I went for a short flip up to the Lines at a place South of this famed of Bairns father to see if I could catch any old Hun twin-seaters doing Art. Obs. [Artillery Observation] but there weren’t any. However I fired a few rounds from my guns over the Hun trenches (just to show there was no ill feeling) & went on. I was well behind our lines when suddenly Woof! Woo-oof! Wuff! Woo-oof! up came 4 “Archies”. I hove off!

  Just heard I am for Patrols now & the post goes out at once. Bestest love, Bunsoy.

  DIARY Friday 16th November

  Dud all day, thick fog. I was a duty officer. ‘B’ Flt on patrol, nothing seen. In camp all day.

  Slept in squadron office – warm & comfy. Nothing of interest.

  65 Squadron R.F.C. France

  17th November 1917

  Sorry I had to break off my last letter so abruptly but I was told that I was wanted at once for patrol as the weather had cleared up & “C” Flight being short of pilots I was to go with them. However one of “C” pilots took a bus up for practice & took one wheel off when taking off, he knew nothing about it so of course crashed landed – but he wasn’t hurt & the bus went onto its back. This left “C” with only 3 machines & so the patrol was washed out & I didn’t go up after all. But the post had gone by that time.

  Yesterday I was Orderly Officer & spent most of the time censoring letters, quite an amusing job, most of the men romanced horribly! However armed with a large pencil I cut out any place names. I had to sleep in the Squadron Office near the phone but was very comfy. We are getting another stove for our hut.

  Thanks for your letter of the 12th. I went to a very good sort of Music Hall in the town the other evening – it is run by the Canteen Committee. The Squadron has amassed quite a menagerie of pets, one tiny little terrier pup, one French police dog pup, 3 pigeons & a goat. The latter got on the table in the Mess the other day & started to devour the sugar. There has been thick fog here all day & consequently no aviation – tant mieux! We are playing the “Ack Gunners” of the Squadron [at] “soccer” this afternoon as we can’t get anyone to play “rugger”.

  DIARY Saturday 17th November

  Dud – Got up early! Did stunts on the parallel bars. Had a bath. Played soccer v the A.M.’s in afternoon – 2-2. Played v.badly indeed! Moore over to dinner in evening. Watched him playing poker from 9 – 11.40! Fearfully bored! Invited to dinner at No 1 tomorrow with Withington.

  Got a new stove in our room. o.k. Played Auction & Cut Throat before dinner – did not lose for a wonder! No flying all day.

  65 Squadron R.F.C. France

  18th November 1917

  Thanks for your letter of the 15th also for the gloves & photos which are both excellent. I played “Soccer” yesterday afternoon very badly. I can’t stand “Soccer”. We drew with the men 2-2. I had a man Moore whom I knew at Croydon in to dinner last night & I am going over to dine with him tonight. This afternoon we are playing No1 Squadron at rugger, I am playing, I think. I know this is Sunday but you can’t waste the opportunity of getting some exercise on a “dud” day. I went down to the town to go to Kirk this morning at 11 but there was no service, so I think I am going this evening at 6 if poss. Sundays out here are just the same as other days as regards the work. This morning at 9 am. I went up on patrol but it was very thick – clouds at 3000 ft so we did a patrol up & down the trenches, just our side of them at about 2000 ft.

  We went over the scene of the recent activity – there is no distinct trench line & the troops appear to be holding shell holes full of water to boot. We saw no Huns & they only put up a couple of shells at us which were nowhere near us. You can find your way by compass all right when it’s dull – fly due West & you are bound to come to the Lines. I played Auction again yesterday bef
ore dinner & won for a wonder alas not heavily enough to see the colour of my francs again! There is a Capt. Fullard in No 1 Squadron who has got 40 Huns he broke his leg yesterday at Soccer. Rotten luck wasn’t it? Crump!! Something has just gone off with a hut-shaking crump! The wily Gothas me thinks depositing eggs! Well na poo pro tem.

  Bestest love from the Bunsoy.

  As I have said, I will write every day whenever poss. but if I should miss one day occasionally through not being able to write before 2 pm when the post goes, please don’t be alarmed! G.M.K.

  DIARY Sunday 18th November

  Fairly thick. Up on patrol at 9am, did a Line Patrol at 2000! A couple of Archies. No E.A. seen. Over the trenches at Passchendaele – awful mess they are in.

  Rugger v No 1 in afternoon v.good game – lost 6-0. I played fairly well. To dinner with Moore in No 1. To Church in Bailleul before v. good dinner indeed.

  65 Squadron

  19th November 1917

  Thanks most awfully for the “topping” bag, it is most beautifully made & is just the thing to hold my belongings which are at present higgledy-piggledy in a box, (which is what you would expect from me!) This morning we went up for a practice patrol & tried to teach a new pilot to fly in formation! He simply terrified me by dashing madly about the sky – apparently trying hard to run into everybody. We went up to the Lines & fired our guns & saw an old Hun two-seater which hove off at once. I went up again at 12.30 to see if I could get him but he was not to be seen. I saw two lines of trenches & fired my machine gun at the Eastern ones. I hope they were Hun trenches & not our own!