Flying Fury by James McCudden

Author:James McCudden
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-935149-75-0
Publisher: Casemate Publishers (Ignition)
Published: 2009-10-19T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER VIII

OFF TO FRANCE AGAIN–THE OLD GAME AGAIN– BOMBING ESCORT–HOW TO BUILD AN ORCHESTRA– ROUTINE DUTIES

SOON AFTER I HAD had lunch, I was told that I was going to France on what was termed a Refresher course, the idea being to send out three fighting instructors who had scrapped the Huns before, in order that they could obtain the latest data and learn the most up-to-date tactics, so that when they returned they could give the pupils the very newest information. The course was to last three weeks, and the three chosen were Captain J. B. Quested, Captain Le Gallais and myself.

We had all been on the same aerodrome in France in 1916, and we were all very pleased to be going out again. We arrived at Boulogne on the evening after having bid adieu once more to the cliffs of Dover, and on disembarking I found that I was posted to No. 66 Squadron, which was equipped with Sopwith Pups.

A tender met us at Boulogne, and inside two hours I was in No. 66 Squadron Mess at Estrée Blanche, where I again met Major Henderson, who was in command. I was told that whilst with No. 66 Squadron I would do exactly the same work as a flying officer.

On the 13th I went up in company with Major Henderson to look for high two-seaters over the lines, and after we had been in the air an hour we saw one just west of Lens, whom we attacked with great vigour, but he eventually outdistanced us and got away.

The same evening I was out on patrol for two hours and a half with Captain J. O. Andrews and four others. We crossed the lines at Lens, and flew over towards Douai at about 12,000 ft. Enemy activity was not pronounced, and after flying about over Hunland for a long time we came across a patrol of S.E.'s of No. 56 Squadron with their machines all painted various colours. One I distinctly remember was striped red and white and looked like a zebra.

Towards the end of the patrol, we encountered a patrol of six Albatros scouts over Bullécourt, but they got east of the line before we could attack them, and not having the speed we were unable to overtake them. We turned away from them, and as soon as we turned they turned also, and commenced firing at long range, and fairly spoilt the lovely summer blue sky with their beastly white tracer-bullet smoke. We returned to our aerodrome and landed just before dusk.

This aerodrome at Estrée Blanche had four Squadrons stationed there, S.E.'s, Camels, Spads, and Pups. Consequently there was always competition, manifested in many forms, which of course created efficiency. Another advantage of having so many Squadrons together was that one met many more people whom one knew, and on the whole all of us there had a very good time.

It was amusing to hear all the four Squadron-Commanders arguing about the respective merits of their types of

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