1917 Eagles Fall Read online

  I laughed, “We were lucky to get three.”

  Archie caught my eye and shook his head. “I don’t think, laddie that they will give them to us. The best replacement we can hope for is the new two seater Bristol F2. That’s a canny aeroplane. It has the same speed as the Pup but it has a rear gun too.”

  I could see that Charlie was still disappointed. After I had changed I went along to see Lumpy. “I hear you have a new single seater sir?”

  There were no secrets. I felt a little guilty. “Yes, we had them up this afternoon.”

  He waved me forward, “I am glad. It probably sounds daft but I would have been a little jealous if you had another gunner. We were a good team, weren’t we sir?”

  “Lumpy, we were the best. Without you in the front cockpit I know I wouldn’t have lasted this long.”

  “Very kind of you sir. They are shipping us out tomorrow so could I shake your hand sir.”

  “With pleasure.”

  He gripped my arm, “I have been honoured to serve with you Captain Harsker and I look forward to reading about your exploits as the war goes on. There’ll be another medal for you before too long. Mark my words.”

  “Don’t forget you have a little ceremony to get your M.M. That means Buckingham palace.”

  He brightened, “Really.” He suddenly appeared to remember something and he reached into his bag. “Could you post this for me sir? It’s to Jack’s wife. I am not certain when I will be able to.”

  “I will.” I read the address, “Stockton on Tees, isn’t that close to Shildon?”

  “Aye it is, sir. I might call and see her when I get home.”

  “I’ll find out which hospital you are in.” I smiled, “I know a nurse in London you know?”

  He laughed, “We all know. Perhaps I will drop lucky too eh sir?”

  Chapter 10

  The wounded were taken to the railway line before dawn. German bombers had been bombing the railway lines and travelling during the hours of darkness was seen as the safest method. I wish I had had the opportunity to say goodbye to Lumpy properly. I resolved to see him on my next leave. The doctor had given me the address of the hospital where he would be recuperating and I would write to Beattie to see if she could visit. I had little opportunity to mope for we were ordered into the air. The German bombers which had raided the railway were also emulating us and driving deep into our rear areas and damaging our supply lines.

  Freddie had completed his artwork on the three Pups. He and Johnny were keen to have the same design as me and so he painted a horse on each of our Pups. Mine was rearing and was white whilst they had a prancing horse each, one black and one chestnut. They looked good and mine, in particular, stood out against the brown fuselage.

  We took off and flew due north. B Flight was the umbrella. We had much greater altitude and our speed meant we could come to the aid of the rest of the squadron quickly. We only had nine airworthy Gunbuses. The ground crews had been too busy with the Pups to repair the damaged Gunbuses.

  As we headed north I checked that I had my Luger and my two Mills bombs. I had promised Lumpy that I would deliver his last two presents for him. I would keep my word.

  Johnny spotted the Albatros CIIIs as they headed east. There were twelve of them and they had climbed to over ten thousand feet. That was a thousand feet above the ceiling for the Gunbus. We, however, could climb even higher. We ascended. It was a pity we had no means of communicating with the rest of the squadron. I just hoped that their gunners would alert them to our climb.

  We banked to come east as we climbed. I was not certain if they had seen us but I was fairly certain that they would not have encountered a Pup in this sector. The fact that they did not deviate from their course suggested to me that our small size had hidden us. They were now below us. I daresay that their observers had seen the Gunbuses and would be watching for them. They were in for a shock.

  They were flying in three lines of four. It made our life much easier. I armed my Vickers and signalled the attack. The Pup seemed alive as it leapt towards the Germans. It felt more like were an eagle hunting rather than a friendly little pup. This Pup had teeth. I opened fire at two hundred yards. I used just ten bullets. It was a greater range than I usually fired at but I was aware that my new Vickers had the ability to fire further. I saw the bullets tear into the rudder of the rearmost aeroplane. I lifted the nose a fraction and fired again. This time I gave a longer burst as I saw the bullets stitch a line through the observer and into the pilot. The doomed craft plummeted to the ground.

  I heard the sound of two heavy Vickers machine guns from port and starboard. My wingmen were in action too. I closed with the second Albatros. I had quickly adjusted to the huge propeller in front of me and I saw just the German aeroplane. I put myself below the arc of the Spandau in the rear of the Albatros and then I gave a long burst which tore into the belly of the German aeroplane. Smoke began to pour from the engine as it spiralled down to attempt a landing. He would probably save his aeroplane. We were like foxes in the henhouse. The Germans panicked as we zoomed around them. We were just too fast and nimble. It must have been like trying to swat an annoying fly.

  I brought the Pup under the tail of the flight leader and opened fire. I shredded his tail. I knew what that felt like. It began to descend rapidly and that was the signal for whole squadron to dive and reach as low an altitude as possible to rejoin the Gunbuses.

  I had overtaken all of the Germans and I banked to bring the Pup behind them again. I was at least ten miles an hour faster. I used my speed to follow an undamaged Albatros as it tried to make it across No-Man’s Land before I caught it. He made a brave attempt and took his Albatros almost down to the barbed wire. His gunner wasted drum after drum as I jinked from side to side. I fired a burst which hit his fuselage. The shock of the strike made the pilot lose concentration for a second and the nose pitched down and into the German trenches. I barely escaped the concussion as the Albatros struck some ammunition.

  I banked and climbed as the angry bullets from soldiers on the ground zinged around me. I realised I was alone and I hedge hopped home. The rest of the squadron had landed and were anxiously looking east for my return.

  I jumped out of the aeroplane and began to check for damage. The way the bullets had been zinging around me I was convinced that there must be some holes. I found just one or two in the fuselage. I patted the wing. “You’ll do for me you little beauty.”

  I had a grin from ear to ear. Gordy smiled, “That was impressive!”

  “They were only the CIII.”

  “You managed to turn them inside out. That is three more kills for you and your new wingmen got three between them. I think that calls for a celebration tonight.”

  We swung from trough-like lows to ecstatic highs in the squadron. I suppose it was the nature of the beast. Life at five thousand feet was precarious. If you survived then you partied.

  Charlie sat next to me when the party was at its height. Gordy on Ted’s back pretending to be knights and fighting Johnny and Freddie with pillows. The younger pilots were egging them on.

  “You know sir,” I glared at him, “I’m sorry, Bill. The thing is I have never felt as alive as right now. And that is down to Alice. I have a future after the war but I am scared of being shot down. I didn’t used to be. I had nothing to live for but five pilots killed and all those gunners too, well, it has set me to thinking. I now have something worth living for in my life.”

  “That’s the worst thing to do.”

  “What? Thinking?”

  I nodded. “You are a damned good pilot and a damned good gunner. It is a good combination: ask Ted and Gordy. You just need to trust your instincts. I know exactly what you are going through. Beattie and I want to get married too but the war is in the way. We can’t do anything about that but I know that if I worry too much then I am more likely to get killed or wounded. Lumpy’s life was saved by a cheap bugle. You never know what will come to your aid. Keep doing wh
at you do Charlie and stop worrying. It can do no good. When I am in the air I empty my mind of everything except for flying and shooting down Huns.”

  Even as I told him that and he nodded I felt like a hypocrite for his feelings were exactly the same as mine. I needed to convince myself. We had three days of inaction as we patrolled and saw nothing. That suited me for I grew to know the Pup a little more with every hour in the air. I listened to the engine and knew what each irregular beat meant. I was annoyed when we followed the three days of no Germans with four days of no flying because of atrocious weather. The more hours in the air meant the more likely that the aeroplane and the pilot would become as one.

  On the fourth day a motorcycle messenger brought us sealed orders. When Archie opened them he flung them on to the desk and opened the malt. Randolph read them out to the four Flight Commanders gathered in the office. “The squadron is to patrol deep behind enemy lines and take photographs. There is an offensive in the pipeline.”

  I sat back and lit my pipe. “That means that every German aeroplane for miles will be able to get to us and have a field day.”

  Archie nodded. “We will need to change our tactics. Your new flight works well but there are only three of you.”

  “Did General Trenchard say when the new Bristol fighters would be arriving? Their extra speed might make all the difference.”

  Captain Marshall held up a handful of letters. “I write to them every couple of days and I am told that we have to wait.”

  I had my pipe going and, as usual, that had helped me to gather my thoughts. “I think we are all missing the point here, sir. We can’t go in as a squadron. They will want photographs over a large area. We will be spread out. That makes us even more vulnerable.”

  I saw Charlie’s face drop as he realised that there would be no Pup umbrella above him. The best we can hope for is that we can use each flight to photograph one area and, at the first sign of trouble they head west. I could have my flight spread out to help whoever was in trouble.

  “That still means we are going to take losses.”

  I nodded. “And until we get the Bristols that will remain the case. We are going to be sending a lot of letters home.”

  Nature, in the form of inclement weather, came to our aid again and we were spared having to venture into No-Man’s Land. What we did discover was the identity of the area we were to photograph. It was the area east of Arras and Cambrai. We knew the southern sector quite well but we also knew that it was the hunting ground of the Red Baron, and his Flying Circus as the newspapers had dubbed them. Jasta 11 was steadily building up a reputation as a squadron of efficient and deadly killers. The nature of the weather in northern France meant that while we might not be able to fly, someone sixty miles away on the battlefield could. General Trenchard had sent a letter to every squadron telling them to only send patrols out in numbers which were able to defend themselves. It was not enough.

  I studied the map of the area we were likely to be flying over. We had a rough idea where some of the German airfields were and I marked them on my own copy of the map. We would have to learn the skill of flying, reading a map, observing and flying our guns. My new flight had no observer who could do that for us. I made certain that both Freddie and Johnny were familiar with the area.

  “The thing is, chaps, that we are more than likely going to have to separate. We have a whole squadron to watch out for. We will not have the luxury of watching each other’s backs. We will be watching the squadron’s back. I have asked Flight Sergeant Lowery to fit a small mirror on the top wing so that we will have an idea what is behind us. I am afraid that each of us will be the last aeroplane to leave the German lines.”

  Johnny nodded, “It is like being the scrumhalf at rugger.” He grinned. “Until I was in the fourth form I was only little and I was the scrum half. Well everyone was bigger than me so I learned to be sneaky. I twisted and turned and used my small size to evade tackles. That is us in the Pup. We have to dodge, weave and stop them getting hold of us.”

  Freddie became animated, “It might seem daft sir but if we are in trouble then we should get closer to them. Remember the other week when we were still flying the buses you made two German aeroplanes crash into each other. We are a good six feet shorter than anything we will come up against. If we get amongst them they won’t be able to fire for fear of hitting each other and there will be a danger that they crash into each other. It would buy time for the squadron to escape.”

  “It is worth a try. Well done you two. Keep coming up with ideas like that and you get an invite to the wedding.”

  Johnny became quite excited, “You have picked a date then sir?”

  I grinned, “Of course, when the war has ended! So we all need to stay alive until then.”

  The best news we had was a delivery of letters from home. I had three. When I returned to my room after our planning meeting I saw Bates grinning from ear to ear. “We have letters from home, sir.”

  I saw mine on my dresser. “We, John?”

  He looked a little embarrassed, “Well sir, I took the liberty of writing to your mother to thank her for her hospitality and to Miss Porter to… well she asked me to write to her, sir and let her know how things were with you.”

  I adopted a mock serious expression, “So, Bates, you are a spy!”

  “Oh no sir, it’s just that…”

  I put my hand on his shoulder. “I am just teasing, John. I think it is wonderful. I am sure that your letters will be far better written than mine.”

  “Anyway sir, I have drawn your bath and your whisky is there. Enjoy your letters.”

  I laid the letters out in the order I would read them. Sarah’s first, then mam’s and Beattie’s last. It was the way I ate my Sunday dinner; vegetables first, then the meat and finally the roast potatoes. I always saved the best until last.

  Sarah’s letter was full of the sadness over Lord Burscough. As I had expected, it would have had a devastating effect on the whole house. Sadly there was worse to come for the death duties meant that Lady Burscough would struggle to maintain the estate. Sarah was worried that parts would have to be sold off. She didn’t say so but I knew that my parent’s cottage might be one of the things that would have to be sold. Where would they go? They had lived in the cottage their whole married life.

  I opened my mother’s letter more worried than before. Thankfully she appeared to have not had any idea about the possible problems to come. Her letter was obviously written not long after we had left and before the news of Lord Burscough had reached them.

  December 1916

  My Dearest son, Bill,

  It was lovely to see you and your young lady before Christmas. It was a wonderful surprise. And your manservant, John, is a lovely man. He fitted in really well and your dad said that Cedric and the other servants at the Big House liked him too. You look after him! Good servants are hard to find.

  Have you and Beattie set a date yet? Your sister Kath shows no sign of giving me grandchildren. Don’t let the war make you delay, son. Poor John and Tom went before they could leave a mark on this world. You have done a great deal already but marry her! We are not getting any younger! Your dad and I couldn’t be happier about your choice. She is the first girl you have brought home and, in our eyes, she is perfect.

  Our Alice came home for Christmas and she seemed changed. She looked older but she is happy. I thought she would hate London but she seems to love her job. She didn’t say anything but I think she must have met someone down there. It is typical of the little madam that she hasn’t brought him home for us to meet. She is not as thoughtful as you. But at least she is happy. And our Bert doesn’t write or visit often enough.

  Keep your letters coming. We read them over and over.

  I remember you and Bert each night in my prayers and I pray that God spares you. Your dad and I are so proud of you Bill I can’t tell you properly. God speed and we love you.

  Mum xxx

  I read th
e letter twice and poured myself a second whisky. I hoped that Lady Burscough could do something for them. I hated to think of them on the street or even in the workhouse. That would kill my mother for sure. I would make certain that didn’t happen.

  I sniffed Beattie’s letter. She must have used a few drops of her perfume when she had written it. If I closed my eyes I could imagine her next to me.

  January 1917

  Dearest Bill,

  I am sorry I have not written until now. You would think that Christmas would be a quiet time but we had huge numbers of wounded officers from the Somme Offensive. I had to work double shifts. Luckily the other nurses are back from Christmas leave now and life is a little easier.

  It is heartbreaking to see some of the maimed officers who come through our doors. I worry that their lives have almost ended and many are barely 20!

  Your ears must have been burning last week. We had a Colonel McCartney of the 17th Liverpool Battalion. He had lost a leg. We were chatting and I mentioned your name and he knew you! What a small world eh Bill? He couldn’t stop singing your praises. He said if we had more pilots like you and the others then they would have taken fewer casualties. He asked me to remember him to you. I am always proud of you but when I heard that it made me realise what a difference you make. Take care of yourself! I want to be Mrs Harsker and I don’t suit black!”

  I have only seen your Alice once in the last few weeks but she is very taken with your Captain Sharp. He seems a nice chap and they looked good together. I know your mum worries about her but tell her that Alice has an old head on those young shoulders. She needn’t worry about her.

  I will need to finish now, my love. My eyes are closing. I love you and pray each night that you are safe. I hope that Lumpy and John are well. Tell them that I remember them in my prayers too but all my love is reserved for you.