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Royal Flying Corps,
Hounslow Heath.
8.10.17
My dear old Dad,
Umpteen dozen returns of the
third, your birthday. I meant to have
written you for the day but Hell
I forgot to write. Do you know I’m
darned busy they keep me going
like blazes 27 pupils to look after, and
only 7 of them able to fly themselves as
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The Raiders Retreat
7.8.17
Dear Old Dad,
Soft time be damned! Just got your
Letter of 30th, do you know what we are
doing? Night raiding my boy, night raiding.
First you find your objective then you bomb
it Singing to the tune of “A perfect Day” the while:-
“As we draw near the end of a perfect raid”
“I sit in my quirk all alone.”
I will leave the verse unfinished as don’t know
Who may get hold of this letter!! We had a
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Quirk Manor 17.7.17
Dear Old Dad,
The cake and ultimatum have arrived,
hence this. The cake was good, please thank
the manufacturer, and tell her I will write off
a dish of letter soon. I got caught good, and
proper, a few days ago it will make you laugh!
I received an invitation to tea from the nurses at
the local C.C.S. so ofcourse {sic} accepted prompt
like, and duly turned up. After tea there was
a general thrill went round on hearing of H.M. visiting
Corps Cleaning Dressing Station opposite, so in
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~ No.8 Squadron ~
18 May
to 21 May
Dear old Dad
Wilt do slight job for me? I enclose
cheque for £1. for Johnny Morgan’s licence. Thanks
v.much if you will. The above is symbolical
of a dose of leave which I am expecting shortly.
Bill, a brother flight C.O., goes early this next
week, then Lewis, one of my pilots the week after,
and I go next. What ‘opes? {sic} I will probably
be home for my birthday so tell Mary with
suitable messages from me to have a dish of
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[P. 1]
10 mai :
J’ai vu aujourd’hui une des choses les plus impressionnantes de ma vie. Le combat singulier d’un triplace français contre un monoplace allemand qui s’est terminé par l’écrasement du triplace en flammes dans nos lignes.
Le combat fut absolument splendide des deux parts et livré par l’allemand avec une maitrise extraordinaire
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Quirk Cottage
10.5.17
Dear old Dad.
What lovely weather! What heat! What a
life! So many thanks for your letters of 29; and
4, and the congratulations contained in the letter.
Please convey my thanks to Sisters Edward, and
Theitre. About leave, people in the squadron
are getting it again in order of their last
entry into the country. Three months must elapse
after entering the country before one is again
eligible, so that I am not eligible before May
27, and as things go now my turn may come
in June, towards the end I expect.
I am writing this on the verandah {sic} which we
have fixed up outside the “Cottage” and have
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The Dormitory
No. 8 BEF
29.4.17
Dear old Dad.
Summer like Spring is really come &
we are all flying just for the joy of it.
Eddy came over to dinner two nights ago on a
side-car, and gave me an awfully nice
surprise. He is a cheery bloke dear old thing.
He looks awfully well too, inspite of his late
attack of Hun malady. The following day
he came over on his own monster to lunch
and stopped with us until six o’clock when
he landed his biplane, and proceeded to stunt
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Quirk cottage
BEF
11.4.17
Dear old Dad.
Still smiling and well. Have you been getting
any P.Cs.? Am writing to tell you the latest yarn to
be passed round in your mess. It is quite a nice one.
“ ‘Phone message to brigade. Lorry blocked by a tank
on Cambrai road. Result satisfactory, a Ford.”
How’s that? G.O.C Flying Corps landed here a few
days ago, and congratulated us on our excellent work.
And expressed a wish that we would let you at home
know what we are doing. (By the way this mustn’t
be published now, because it would mean a count
martial for me!) So I am going to let you into
some of the work we do. You can tell people about it
as much as you like. In the first place there is no
reason to be alarmed at our casualties we are not
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-No. 8 squadron-
-B.E.F.-
9th Mar 17
Dear old Dad.
That was a good spot of leave
By Jove. I was getting a little bit shakey {sic} before
I left here, and now we feel ready for
anything. Losses have been a bit stiff
since I came back, & I’ve attended (?)
double funeral, and skipped another,
cheeky isn’t it? However most of these
things can be accounted for by inexperience
+ Reçu pour le transport en ambulance de Jean Chaput, juillet 1915. De la collection du Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace.
+ Receipt for the ambulace transport of Jean Chaput, July 1916. From the Collection of the Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace.
+ Quittung über den Krankentransport von Jean Chaput, Juli 1916. Aus der Sammlung des Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace.
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19 juin 1916
Si je continue pendant une dizaine de jours à faire la guerre comme ces trois derniers, je vais certainement me faire descendre. Par trois reprises différentes j’ai reçu des balles dans mon appareil et
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[P. 1]
22 mai 1916
Ma chère Jeanne
Je crois qu’il y a fort longtemps que je ne vous ai envoyé de nouvelles. J’ai été très occupé ces temps-ci. Il a fait des temps radieux et j’ai travaillé beaucoup pour préparer une expédition
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30 avril
L’aviation allemande se souviendra de cette journée ; elle a voulu montrer de l’activité, mais elle l’a payé cher. Un Aviatik tout neuf et chargé de bombes a été abattu par le canon. Un Albatros a dû atterrir du côté de Ste Menehould par suite de balles dans le moteur. Un autre avion est tombé du côté de Verdun ; enfin j’ai abattu un Fokker.
J’avais été réveillé vers 5h par tout un vacarme de bombes, de moteur, éclatement d’obus contre avion etc. Je me suis habillé en hâte et j’ai bondi dans mon
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[P. 1]
24 avril 1916
Je me suis couvert de ridicule aujourd’hui. J’ai fait 4h ½ de vol, et comme résultat j’ai abîmé mon appareil. Je m’étais offert le luxe d’attaquer dans leur lignes deux avions allemands qui croisaient ensemble ; tandis que deux autres étaient aux environs. Ma mitrailleuse a raté et reraté : j’ai dû abandonner et j’ai reçu 3 balles. 1 dans la queue de l’appareil, 1 dans le plan gauche, et une dans le droit; celle-ci a fendu un mat et le longeron avant du plan supérieur.
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[P. 1]
29 mars 1916
J’ai enfin obtenu un Nieuport. De nouveau en prenant cet appareil j’éprouve une fois de plus la sensation désagréable de monter un engin neuf, qui n’a pas été mis à l’épreuve par soi-même. Il marche bien cependant ; et contre toute attente ne me change pas trop après le Morane.
Mon brave Marot me le prépare, et [ illisible ] minutieusement. Quelle sera la destinée de cet avion ? Je veux qu’elle soit glorieuse comme celle de son devancier.
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[P. 1]
18 mars 1916
Dans la matinée je fais une première croisière ; pas un ennemi en vue. Après le déjeuner, nouvelle sortie ; avec le Capitaine. Pas de combat.
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[P. 1]
Le 3 mars 1916
Mon cher Papa,
J’ai été désolé de quitter Paris ou tout au moins ses environs sans avoir pu vous dire au revoir. Marot a dû vous le dire, j’ai été expédié directement en voiture légère en moins de 2 heures, je suis arrivé sans encombre à B.L.D. [Bar-le-Duc] dans la soirée du 1er. Presque impossible de trouver un logement. J’ai fini par trouver un taudis dans un hôtel [illisible] et j’ai partagé un mauvais lit avec un de mes camarades de voyage. Le lendemain je me suis présenté au
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[P. 1]
17th Jan. ‘16
Dear Father.
How is life? Are there any more
engagements in the family? Vin? Laddie?
Sanday my flight commander, has just got the Military
Cross for Valour in the air. Likewise Gilbert, an
observer, both for work done before I came here. I
believe they were some stunt jobs they did too. It has to be something pretty good to get recognised
in the R.F.C you know. Best of all good old
Sison has got the cross too! I am so glad. You know he did twenty long reconnaissances {sic} last
Summer! He is an awfully stout lad. I should like
to see my pilot Allcock get something too. I expect
he will someday he is an awfully fine pilot and
+ Deutsches Maschinengewehr 08. Aus der Sammlung des Imperial War Museums London (Q 35445).
+ German Machine Gun MG 08. From the Collection of the Imperial War Museum London (Q 35445).
+ Mitrailleuse allemande type MG 08. De la collection du Imperial War Museum London (Q 35445).
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[P. 1]
19th Mar. ‘15
Dear Father
Ever so many thanks for the parcel of
supplies which arrived yesterday in excellent order.
My good hostess was absolutely charmed with the
“cadeau” and insists on “concerving” it for the special
occasions when she gives a “soiree” entre sa famille
or in other words intends to use the things on
special occasions only. You have no idea what
rottenly made stuff they use out here it is
mostly lead I think, & the knives never cut.
Half the village has been in to inspect I am
told, but luckily I’ve been out!
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