WWI (2)

History - World War I (2)

…… powers of leadership, remembering how he made them feel at home, assuring them that everything possible was being done for them. The General’s art of persuasion must have been mighty indeed as the Officers’ Mess was in fact equipped with one set of cutlery between eight officers. Another important visitor during the early days was General Sir Douglas Haig who arrived unannounced during the afternoon of 6th November and asked to be shown the machines, and to be introduced to the pilots.

The Squadron started operations on 3rd November, with No.22 Wing and 5th Brigade, RFC but partly owing to bad weather, organisation was far from complete. The Squadron Commander remembers how he had to travel, round in search of timber and money. Nevertheless on 10th November, amply fed by bully beef and biscuits, the Squadron got its first “Hun”, a “Roland”, shot down by Flight Sub-Lt Galbraith in a ‘Pup”.

This Canadian pilot is mentioned often in the Squadron Diary for his tenacity in attacking the enemy. His Squadron Commander states: “His work with us was beyond praise. No Hun retreated too far behind the line and no formation was too formidable for this stout-hearted Canadian to attack”. On 13 August 1916 he, with other officers of the Royal Naval Air Service including Flight-Commander Huskisson, were presented to King George V. Unfortunately, Galbraith left on December 1st due to ill health. The Squadron suffered its first casualty on November 23rd, when it lost Flight Sub.-Lt. Hope who failed to return from patrol. Christmas and the New Year arrived and despite the urgency of operations, the dreadful weather, and the primitive surroundings, the Squadron managed to celebrate in the traditional way. Writing more than ten years after the end of the war the recipe of “General Longcroft’s Hot Rum Punch, Mark 1” was still remembered! The story of January is a very miserable one indeed with intensely cold weather and a succession of casualties at the end of the month. These included one of the Flight Commanders, Mackenzie, whose loss was considered by all to be irreparable. The groundcrew of those days must have been true heroes, doing their duties despite “wet billets, frozen guns, fractious engines, trials of the road, and all the rest of it”. On February 3rd the Squadron returned to Dunkirk, relieved by No. 3 Squadron,