1915 Fokker Scourge (British Ace Book 2) (3 page)

He sat down again, “Anyway I just wanted you to know where you stood. Of course any advice you can give the new pilots abo
ut shooing down the Germans would be appreciated.  However if an untrained sergeant can shoot down four then it cannot be that difficult now, can it? Dismissed.”

I kept hold of Gordy’s arm as we walked back to our tent to pick up our flying gear.
As soon as we reached our tent and were out of ear shot he exploded. “What an arrogant little jumped up so and so! Who the hell does he think he is to come in here and talk to us like that?”

“Our new acting commander I think. Listen, Gordy, the colonel will not be away for too long and when he comes back he will reverse these decisions.”

“I hope you are right.  At least we get to fly again and that is one thing at any rate.”

As we walked to the aircraft I noticed some new flight sergeants and warrant officers. Obviously Major Brack had not just taken experienced pilots.
There were a couple, in crisply pressed uniforms, who looked out of place.  They stared at me as I approached Sharp.

Sergeant Sharp was waiting at the aircraft. He looked to have recovered from the dose of gas he had received over Ypres.  “Well, Charlie, what is the new bus like?”

“She hasn’t been up yet but she sounds more powerful. Did you have a good leave sir?”

“I did. Well let me have a look at the new bus and then we’ll get her up.  The new major wants a detailed report about the performance.”

I saw the look on Sharp’s face.  It was a picture and told me that he had had a run in with the major too. I was now an officer and I had to keep my feelings to myself.  The major would have to have my support even if I did not like what he was doing. I made sure that I went over every inch of the aircraft and then we took off.

I was disappointed at first.  It was a more powerful engine and the take off time was marginally shorter but our speed through the air didn’t seem any faster than the earlier model. Sharp had not fixed the improvised speaking tubes we used as yet and so I tapped him on the head and pointed up. As soon as we climbed and levelled out I saw that we were moving faster.  I gauged that by Ted’s aircraft which was still at a low altitude.  I began to leave him behind. That would be useful if we came up against faster German aeroplanes. We flew for the prescribed time and then landed.

I helped Charlie examine the engine and then left him while I went to write my report. I knew that I would be judged on this first report and I was the first pilot to report to the major. Captain Marshall was still the adjutant and he grinned when he saw me.  “Why, you are keen, Bill.”

“Yes sir, new commanding officer and all that.
I do not want to upset him too soon.”

His face darkened, “Temporary.” He lowered his voice, “The Colonel will return.” We both heard a cough from the major’s tent and Captain Marshall said, “You had better get in then.”

I handed in my report and as I turned to leave he said, “Just wait a moment Lieutenant Harsker.” He read through the report and nodded, “A sound report, good.” I breathed a sigh of relief.  “However it has come to my attention that you have been guilty of some lapses of military protocol.” I wondered what he was talking about. “You addressed your Flight Sergeant by his first name.  That will not do.  It breeds a familiarity of which I disapprove and secondly I noticed that you were working on the engine.  I can understand a sergeant doing so but you are an officer.  Please behave like one. You have been elevated from the ranks of manual labourers. Please conduct yourself appropriately. I do not expect to see you doing that in the future.”

I left feeling more depressed than I had for a long time.  Even when I tried my best and gained a little approval I was still criticised. I began to regret my decision not to follow Major Burscough to his new squadron.  Perhaps I could apply for a transfer.
I have always had this ability to argue with myself in my head. By the time I had reached my tent I had talked myself out of it.  I did not want to leave my friends and that included Charlie.  In addition it would please the major if I did so and I was not willing to indulge that man.  If he wanted to play by the regulations then I would oblige him. Sergeant Armstrong in the Yeomanry had taught me how to use regulations to help you.”

Charlie gave me a strange look the next day when I formally addressed him as Sergeant Sharp and deigned to inspect the engine. “Have you set up the speaking tubes yet, Sergeant Sharp?”

“Er, yes, Lieutenant.”

“Good then let us be about our business.”

Once we were aloft I said, “Sorry about that, Charlie.  I was reprimanded by the new major yesterday for being informal.  There are a couple of new sergeants who were watching us and I think that one of them must report to the major.”

I could hear the relief in his voice, “I thought I had upset you sir.  I think I know the one you mean; Flight Sergeant Shield.  He transferred here with the new major.  None of the lads like him.  He walks around as though he has a broom stuffed up his arse.”

I laughed, “And I am afraid that I won’t be able to get my hands dirty with you.  Much as I would like to.  However there is nothing to stop me from watching you closely so that I keep my eye in. Right let’s get on with this test. We will try a climb and see what the rate is and then I will try a few spins at altitude.  The new bus is faster the higher we get and that might make for better turns.”

We both knew that if you could turn inside an enemy then, with the flexibility of a moveable machine gun you had a chance to cause some damage. Now that we had the speaking tube attached it was much easier and I could warn Sharp about any sudden
moves I might make.

It took until the middle of June for all of the new officers to arrive.
Major St.John Hamilton-Grant gathered us all together a couple of days after the last of the new pilots had arrived.

“Gentlemen
, we are leaving for France.  Today the spares for the aircraft, the fuel and the ground crew will leave by lorry.  There will be a separate convoy with our new tents. You will need to pack your bags for the Quartermaster Sergeant to take to the new base.  The aircraft will leave tomorrow morning at six o’clock.  We will be flying directly to our new base which is between Ypres and Loos.  I believe some of the pilots know that area. It is clearly marked on the maps which Captain Marshall will issue as you leave.” 

He strode to the map on the wall and pointed to the red dot which would mark our new home. “The sector is quiet at the moment but there is likely to be an increase in ground activity soon which is why we are being sent there now.  We should have at least a week to familiarise ourselves with the field and the dispositions of the troops. Any questions?”

Gordy stood and asked, “Sir, any news on the colonel?”

I saw the major’s face darken and watched Captain Marshall shake his head slightly. Although a reasonable question it highlighted the fact that the major’s power was only temporary. He coughed and looked down to shuffle some papers on his desk.  “I believe there is no change in the condition of the colonel’s son and so I do not expect him to join us in the foreseeable future.”

When Gordy sat down I could see the anger on his face. Ted joined us as we walked back to our tents.  We had to pack our bags. “I feel sorry for the colonel and all that but he owes us something.  He was the one who promoted us.  If the three of us were still sergeant gunners this wouldn’t be a problem.”

“Gordy, the genii is out of the bottle.  You can’t put it back in.  All three of us were pleased to be promoted. And don’t tell me you would happily go back to being the gunner for one of these new wet behind the ears Beer Boys.”

Ted chuckled, “He’s right Gordy.  We have to make the best of it.”

“By bloody hell
, I never thought I would see the day when you would be the optimist and I would be the pessimist.”

The three of us laughed and I put my arm around Gordy.  “I think, my friend, that your new relationship with Mary might have something to do with that.”

He looked at me as though I had slapped his face and then he slowly nodded, “You could be right. Well if you pair can live with this bastard then I will have to make the best of it too.”

It did
not take long to pack the bags and Sergeant Sharp carried his and mine to the lorries. It would not have done for an officer to carry his own bags. We kept enough clothes for the following day.  There was enough storage space in the Gunbus to carry quite a lot of equipment. I had made sure that the Lee Enfield, the Luger and the ammunition were stored in the aeroplane.  Both had saved us when we had had problems with the Lewis.  Of course we made sure that neither the major nor his spy, the odious Flight Sergeant Shield, saw them.  They would definitely be viewed as a breach of King’s Regulations.

As we had expected
, when we did take off the three of us were the tail end Charlies. If the major thought it would be a humiliation he was wrong. I, for one, enjoyed watching the erratic flying of the line of aircraft in front of us. With the exception of the major and Lieutenant Campbell the others were rising and falling with alarming regularity.  Of course the major could not see what was happening behind him.  Had I been in command I would have chosen the place we now occupied.  I could tell which pilots would struggle once we were in combat situations.

I almost laughed out loud when the major could not find the airfield.  It was obvious we were lost when we began to circle some thirty miles from Ypres. I wondered if our fuel would run out as we continued to hunt for our new home.  Eventually I saw Gordy take matters into his own hands.  He flew to the side of the major and waggled his wings; the sign for follow me.  He then flew off towards Ypres. We knew where the town was and Gordy and I had looked at the map the previous day. We had a rough idea where the field would be. Finally, before Gordy became a dot in the distance the major followed.  Within fifteen minutes we were landing on our new field.

If Gordy thought that his initiative would garner a reward in the form of a better attitude from the major he was wrong. He was dressed down before the whole squadron for having broken formation.  He was punished by being restricted to his tent for a week when not on duty.  Ted and I ensured that he did not spend time alone but the punishment was seen as unfair and increased the rift between Gordy and the major.

“The man is
bloody incompetent Bill! You do not get lost going to your new base! Even a raw Second Lieutenant knows that! God help us when we get to fly combat.”

The new field was adequate but a little short for my liking.  The old Gunbus would have struggled to get off with a fuel load of fuel and bombs. In addition none of us were happy about living in tents. When we approached the major about building wooden accommodation he became irate. “Gentlemen this is not a holiday.  We are soldiers.  The men in the trenches would love to have the comfort of a tent and so will we.  There is nothing wrong with the tents.

Of course once it rained and the ground became churned up with mud he changed his mind but that would be a month away and so we endured the unnecessarily hard life of a canvas camp. The new standing orders were displayed for all to see.  They were depressing. We were each allocated a sector, an altitude, a specific route and a time when we would patrol. We were forbidden to leave our sector even if one of our colleagues was in trouble. When we saw the regulations even Billy Campbell joined our discontented trio.  As one of the younger pilots he had accepted all that the major had said until the orders were pinned up.  He had flown in Belgium and knew the folly of such a strait jacket.

“This is madness.  If we fly the same height, the same place and the same time then the Hun will know.  It will not take him long to have something waiting for us when we get over there.”

I had thought this too but I had a half solution. “The thing is, lads, that we might all take off at the same time but we can vary our speed to reach the allocated sector at a different time each day. We can also vary the route we take over the sector and, unless we are unlucky enough to be next to the major, then we can vary the altitude.”

Ted was back to being grumpy again, “What if we are attacked?”

Gordy snorted, “I, for one, am not leaving any of you in the shit! I will help anyone who is attacked.”

I shook my head, “This one will court martial you Gordy. He is itching to find an excuse.  You know that.”

He shrugged, “I think a court martial might be just the thing. Do you think that people like General Henderson would approve of his tactics and his orders?”

We had met the General who we knew approved of the colonel’s methods.  “You may be right but you need to be careful Gordy.  This is war time. They use the death penalty.”

With that sobering thought we prepared our aeroplanes for our first flight over the battlefield.

Even though it was summer there was little sign of green growth.  From the air the battlefield looked brown and was riddled with the black scars of trenches lined with faded sandbags and the sparkling savage teeth of the barbed wire.  Once the autumn rains began it would become brown and rusted but for now it still looked like new metal. As we flew over the British trenches we saw the arms waving.  I think we brought relief from the monotony of trench life. Once we had crossed No-Man’s Land the air cracked and crackled with gunfire as they tried to shoot us down. Despite our standing orders I took the Gunbus up a couple of hundred feet.  It made the chance of us being hit less.