1918 We will remember them (2 page)

Ted actually smiled, “Oh yes! Let’s have some of that.” He sometimes had a wicked sense of humour. Many new pilots ended up being violently sick after having to sit in the open cockpit and being thrown around by another pilot.

We used the new pilots as gunners before they went into combat just to show them what it was like.  It also gave them a healthier appreciation of someone who might be sat behind them unable to make any of the important decisions.  When we had flown the Gunbus it had been even more important for there the gunner had to stand and fire without any safety belt.  The Bristol was not as bad but the gunner still had to stand and fire sometimes.

We spent the morning putting every new pilot through the ordeal of being a gunner.  Freddie and I dived, swooped and generally gave them a hard time.  Two of them vomited the moment their feet touched the ground. The gunners, all of whom were sergeants, found the sight of the young pilots shaking as they climbed down from the aeroplanes hilarious. It would be the only time they would experience it but Ted and I knew that it would make much better pilots of all of them.

The colonel waved me into his office.  “How did it go, Bill?”

I smiled and nodded, “As it always does, sir. They will have far more respect for their gunners.” I took my pipe out and began to fill it.  Archie poured me a large malt.

“It might be a little wasted on some of them. Half of the squadron will be flying Camels.”

“Well that is good news at least.”

“You may be right but it makes it harder for the ground crews.  The two aeroplanes are as different as chalk and cheese.” He held up his glass, “Cheers.”

“Cheers.”

“Anyway it will mean some reorganisation. Ted is getting his majority.  Don’t say anything just yet but I will have him leading the Bristols. You can command A-Flight.  I am afraid that will be made up of  new pilots. Your old flight, well I was going to ask you about that.  Who would make the better flight commander?  Freddie or Johnny?”

That was an easy question. “Freddie.”

“Good.  You can tell him then.  We will see if we can get him promoted. We have a lot of goodwill at headquarters.  We might as well use it, eh?”

“Do we fly any differently now then sir?”

“We are on our own here Bill.  It is Archie, remember. It wasn’t that long ago we were the same rank.” I nodded. “You are still the hunters.  From what you say these new triplanes will run rings around the Bristols.  We are fast but we are much bigger than they appear to be from your description. They would have a field day with us. I have a feeling that we will have to do the observations.  The RE 8 and the new FK 8 look like they are too easy to knock out of the skies; even by the Albatros and old Fokkers.  At least the Bristol is a fighter.”

“Any chance of getting more Camels?”

“I think the powers that be favour the new SE 5 or the SPAD.  We will just get what is given.”

“Righto Archie.  Well I had better pop along and see Freddie and then get my new pilots together.”

“Send Ted to me when you see him, will you?”

Freddie was by his Camel talking to his mechanic.  We both appreciated our mechanics.  They had the ability to get an extra mile or two an hour out of the buses and that could make all the difference in combat.  Once the riggers had done their work they could leave a bus alone until it was damaged.  The engines were different; they seemed to be almost organic and they changed as they became older. They needed attention every day they flew.

“Could I have a word, lieutenant?”

“Yes sir.  I’ll see you later Bert.” His mechanic went back to his work and Freddie joined me.

“Trouble, Freddie?”

“No sir.  It was just that the old bus misfired once the other day.  Bert thinks he knows what it might be but it will mean stripping the engine. I won’t be up again today.”

“That is not a problem. The front appears quiet.”

“Good.  We could do with the rest.  Any idea when Johnny will be back?”

“That depends on the base hospital.  Doc Brennan reckons it will be sooner rather than later.  We will just have to use him sparingly when he gets back.” Freddie was quick on the uptake and he had read a message beneath my words. “Yes Freddie I need to speak with you about the flight.  The Colonel is giving me A Flight.  That means C Flight is yours.  Can you handle it?”

His face gave me the answer.  “If you think so sir then I’ll give it a go.  What about Johnny?  I mean is this because he has lost an eye?”

“No, not at all.  Even a fully fit Johnny would not make a difference.  You were my first choice all along.”

“Thank you, sir.  I won’t let you down.”

“I know.  That goes without saying. Now you will have Alldardyce and Duffy from A flight.  They are good chaps. That means you will only have two new fellows: Carpenter and McDonald.  You will all be flying Camels like A Flight. Their gunners can go to the other flights.  The new pilots will need the experience of good gunners.”

“Do Duffy and Alldardyce know yet?”

“No.  Would you like me to tell them?”

“No sir.  If it is my flight then I need to take command.”

“I have no need to tell you that we can’t afford to lose new pilots so it is up to you to keep them alive.  Train them the way I trained you and they should be all right.”

He nodded.  “That means you will have five new pilots to train sir.”

I laughed, “Yes it looks like I will be running the kindergarten again. Oh see if the gunners who are now redundant want to transfer to other squadrons or be part of the defences of the field.”

“Sir.”  The new pilots were in the mess busily looking at the identification charts for the enemy aeroplanes.  It would have to be updated to accommodate the new triplane. Freddie nodded. “I’ll go and see Alldardyce and Duffy sir.”

“Righto.  I’ll have a word with Ted and then I’ll see all the pilots.”

Ted was in his room smoking and staring at the ceiling. He missed Gordy.  They had been friends even before I had joined the squadron and they were inseparable. “Ted, the Colonel wants a word with you.  He has reorganised the flights.  I now have A-Flight.  I am going to have a word with the new pilots. Freddie is being given C Flight. If you join us after the colonel has seen you then we can get the new pilots organised.”

Ted frowned, “Why does the Colonel need to see me?”

I laughed, “You are getting the sack of course! Just go and see him eh, you miserable old bugger!”

He stood shaking his head. “Nothing good ever happens to me. It will be some shitty little job I’ll be bound!”

He was incorrigible.  I could not wait to see his face when he returned. The young pilots in the mess were still engrossed in their homework. I tapped my pipe on the table.  “If I could have your attention for a few moments…” Silence descended.  “I know that you are all still full of the excitement of being gunners.” I looked pointedly at the two who had vomited.  The others laughed at their discomfort. “We need to get you organised into flights.  Your buses will be here in a few days. When they get here we will have to hit the ground running.” That grabbed their attention. “I will be commanding A Flight and we will be flying the Sopwith Camel. The officers in A Flight are: Lieutenant Fall, Lieutenant Clayson, Lieutenant Hickey, Lieutenant Jenkin and Lieutenant Hazell.” The slapping of backs and the smiles did my ego a world of good.  It was allied to the disappointment on the faces of the ones not in my flight.

Freddie came in, “Lieutenant McDonald and Lieutenant Carpenter, you will be in C Flight also flying Camels with Flight Commander Carrick.” Until Freddie’s promotion was confirmed it would not do to give him his new rank. The two pilots looked pleased.

Ted came in with a big smile on his face.  I walked over to him and shook him by the hand.  I said, quietly, “Congratulations, Major.”

“Don’t jinx it Bill.  It might not happen.”

“Of course it will. I have taken the Camel pilots.  You have B and D Flights left.  I will leave them to you.”

“Thanks!”

“A and C Flights come with me.”

Freddie and I led the new pilots out. “We’ll show them the bus and tell them how it flies.  It is a couple of hours before dinner.  We should be able to give them enough information to keep them awake all night eh?”

“Yes sir!”

The eager young faces stood staring intently at me.  All that is, except one, Lieutenant George Jenkin looked a little bored.  I put it down to the fact that they had had a busy day up to that point. 

“The Camel is a wonderful little aeroplane but it can be, sometimes, a little difficult to control.  I hope you all have enough hours in the type.  If not then please tell me or Mr Carrick and we will bring you up to speed. You and the aeroplanes are both too valuable to lose before you get into combat.” I clambered up to the top wing.  “We will have your Camel fitted with a rear view mirror.  Why Sopwith do not fit them I have no idea but we find them invaluable. Use it at all times.  It will tell you where your friends are and, more importantly, where the Huns are.”

“Before we go to the aeroplanes a few words on how we fly.  The Germans like to fly three abreast.  Sometimes they fly five abreast. We fly in line astern and echeloned so that we can all fire quicker.” I demonstrated by putting my hands one above the other.  “The twin Vickers will not jam and they have a good range. It will mean that the second can fire without hitting the Camel in front. I lead one column and Mr Carrick the other…”

“That’s a little unfair isn’t it sir?”

I saw that it was Lieutenant Jenkin who had spoken. “I beg your pardon?”

“Well I mean, sir, how are we going to become aces if it is you who are shooting down all the Germans?”

I was dumfounded and I struggled for words.  It was Freddie who turned on him. “It means that Major Harsker will have to bear the brunt of the enemy fire and you will all have more chance of survival!”

I put my hand up. “And this is not about how many aeroplanes we can all claim.  We are a squadron and we fly together. We, as a squadron shoot down as many German aeroplanes as we can.  Who shoots them is irrelevant.”

“Yes sir but the fact remains that you are an ace.  I want to be one too.”

Some of the other new pilots gasped at the effrontery of that statement. “I will be happy, Lieutenant Jenkin, if you manage to survive your first aerial combat.”

He smiled, “Oh don’t worry about that sir.  I will.  It’s in my blood, don’t you know.  My uncle was Major Lanoe Hawker.”

“And if your uncle was here now he would tell you what I am going to tell you.  You obey orders and fly as we tell you to or you will be grounded.  Is that clear Mr Jenkin?” I had raised my voice and I left him in no doubt that I meant what I said. I saw Freddie fuming in the corner. He nodded sullenly.

One good thing about the interruption was that no one else dared to interrupt for the rest of the afternoon. We let them go to get changed for dinner and Freddie walked with me.  “If you like sir I’ll have young Jenkin in my flight.  I’ll teach him how to follow orders.”

“No, Freddie.  I have met pilots like him before. I will make sure he is in the middle of the flight with a more reliable pilot fore and aft.  That way he can’t get himself or anyone else in trouble. I must confess his arrogance and his confidence are something unexpected.”

We used the time well before the new buses arrived and the men were drilled into the systems Freddie and I wanted them to follow. We watched them as they did take offs and landings.  We saw who the good pilots were and who needed work.  Jenkins was satisfactory.  We would get a better idea of how they might fare in aerial combat once the buses arrived and we could get them all in the air at the same time.

Annoyingly it was the Bristols which arrived first but it gave me the opportunity of watching Ted and his two flights.  The new pilots all had an experienced gunner who was worth his weight in gold.

Gordy also arrived with the new Bristols, having cadged a ride in the rear cockpit of one of them. He was like a dog with two tails and bored us rigid with his tales of nappies, his gurgling son and the boy’s smile which Ted assured him was wind. He was so full of his son that he seemed oblivious to Ted’s promotion and the fact that we both outranked him.  Perhaps fatherhood would do the same to me; if that day ever arrived.

Archie decided that the Bristols could have a short safe patrol to the east while we waited for the Camels to arrive for our younger pilots. Freddie and I took off with the Bristols.  I was anxious to see how the new pilots fitted in with the more experienced fliers.

I noticed Lieutenant Jenkin watching with the rest of A and C Flight as we took off.  He had been withdrawn since I had snapped at him and the others had distanced themselves from him. It had not been a good start for the young man.  However others had had poor starts and turned out to be good pilots.  We would have to wait and see.

We climbed to get above the twelve Bristols.  Compared with the tiny Camels they were huge. They were a very tempting target for the Hun.  I hoped that it would be an easy day for the new pilots. Ted and Gordy would not venture much beyond the front lines but it was important for them to know where it was.  Freddie and I would do the same with the Camels when they arrived.  It was a glorious August morning.  The sun blazed down and there was not a single cloud in the sky. Back in England the farmers would be taking advantage of the sun and the long days to get the harvest in.  In this sector there were no farmers. It was a wasteland of mud and wire.