Sebtoombs

Welcome Albrecht! I look forward to your adventures! Great work with the picture of Jean Hierott. Peroni I hope you guys have behaved yourselves on leave! Looking forward to the rest of the stories! 14-25 July Haven't seen any enemy aircraft at all over the last few days. I think we have scared the blighters off. We have been involved in a number of recon patrols. Spotting troop movements and flying over Hun airfields to find out what the Devil they are up to. I've heard rumours of german single-wing scouts that are apparently very dangerous - but haven't seen one. Methinks that Davies and I will give it a jolly fright if it comes near us. Guns or no guns! One of my photos The dawn patrols are eye-wateringly early but the feeling of us all lined up and raring to go is a feeling of pure exhalation. While some chaps I went to school with are having a terrible war and families around the world grieve I must say I am having the time of my life. 0445hr the sun is barely cresting the front and we are lined up ready to go! Salute!

I can help you add a photo ... next pilot (if there is one) let me have your photo and I'll sort it out for you. We cant do it mid-career I'm afraid. take care!

If your crate is going to continue being called Mr Osbourne's plane (tugs forelock in deference) he bally well need to learn how to shoot. Brilliant chapter Rain! I love the details and touches. Hopefully not long until the RFC get Lewis guns in their BE2cs. Chesham Grammer School ... Looking forward to the next chapter!

Paroni Armand and Jean are doing a good job escorting and driving off the enemy! Maeran sorry the riverside idyll had to come to an end. _________________ The good weather over Flanders Fields have come to an abrupt end, clouds started to gather. No more so than when my downed Aviatiks was denied to me. "Sorry, Andrew's the Artillery chaps that captured them have taken full credit. " I was fuming! "... You'll just have to get another and make sure we are round this time to witness it." It got worse. I had a phone call from my father the same day (He is Station Commander at RNAS Eastchurch and close friends with the First Sea Lord and carries a fair bit of clout). "Why the blazes are you not in Manston! I promised your mother that I'd keep you near me. From what I hear you're acting the bally goat" He carried on without even taking a breath, "There are rumours going around that you have adopted that silly little saying "attack everything!" - it has to stop! Understand!!" I thought he'd stopped and was about to speak when the old volcano erupted again. "I've also heard you've looped your BE2. What the blazes!!!!! IT ENDS NOW." With that, the call ended - reasonable chap my old man. Thankfully none of the chaps knows anything about my high ranking father, and I want to keep it that way. 6-10 July were fairly standard stuff. Recon over Marne, some long patrols on both sides of the lines and a trip on coastal patrol to Zeebrugge. I was given a 48-hour pass and enjoyed with Davies a very enjoyable trip to Paris. Though Davies remains a silent odd fish if I'm completely frank. On the 13th I was down for the afternoon patrol when at lunchtime two cheeky swine appeared over the airfield again. We scrambled quickly! I was leading B fight for only the second time, the first being at the end of June. This time I dismissed circling above our base as a foolish waste of time and headed due east climbing at 50 knots the whole way following what I suspected was the Hun's line of retreat. At 8000ft I doubled back, west, to St. Pol-sur-Mer and sure enough, the Hun were indeed returning to their lines. We were on a perfect intercept course for them. All the advantages were ours! We dived on them causing them to separate. Davies and I stuck with one like glue. We dived and split the pair Davies really has got his eye in Davies' shooting is first class and after about 120 rounds from the Lewis the engine was seized and the pilot was slumped over in the cockpit. The EA started a steep descent which turned into a nose dive crashing then exploding into flames in a field on the western outskirts of Nieuport. It was both a joyous and strangely sobering moment. I think at that moment I realised what so many men had realised before - war isn't just some game. I said a prayer for the pilot and observers families and flew west to St Pol-sur-Mer. I said a quiet prayer for families who would no doubt grieve very soon "No doubt about that one Andrew's, not only did half the squadron witness that, but most of Nieuport too! Capital, old fruit, CAPITAL!" The CO slapped me on the back as I stepped off the wing. He nearly knocked me flying. I'm not quite so stable without my stick. Within a few hours, the claim was confirmed by a number of witnesses. First confirmed victory!!