Diary And Letters Of A World War I Fighter Pilot, The by Christopher Burgess Page B

over the lines pretty nearly every fine day for the past week & I have had one scrap. I haven’t done in any Huns yet! The first day we were out was rather unfortunate as we had two missing & 1 wounded.
    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 -
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    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.
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    Guy to his sister, Winnie .
    11th November 1917 .
    65 Squadron R.F.C.
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    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.
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    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