RFC Terms/ Slang

[Starlight]

I have been reading my grandfather's war diaries of 1917/18 and have come across some terms that I have not been able to identify. He was a corporal in #6 Squadron (in charge of Wireless at the start of the third battle of Ypres) and mentioned the following:

Johnny Bobbing (he had to understudy for a sergeant who was going on leave and wrote "was bobbing all day")

Puff Shoots (one day he entered "puff shoots in the snow")

Torpedo ("working with Lt Wilson in the lorry on his wireless torpedo")

Can anyone help me with any of the above?

[Edward_N_Kelly]

I have been reading my grandfather's war diaries of 1917/18 and have come across some terms that I have not been able to identify. He was a corporal in #6 Squadron (in charge of Wireless at the start of the third battle of Ypres) and mentioned the following:

Johnny Bobbing (he had to understudy for a sergeant who was going on leave and wrote "was bobbing all day")

Puff Shoots (one day he entered "puff shoots in the snow")

Torpedo ("working with Lt Wilson in the lorry on his wireless torpedo")

Can anyone help me with any of the above?

Could we have a bit more of the context for each one ?

Edward

[Starlight]

Hi Edward,

I'm not sure if I can add much as the diary entries are rather cryptic.

There are four entries re "bobbing"

1. "Bobbing all day" - 06/07/16. This was at the Abeele aerodrome where #6 Squadron was based at the time, flying BE2 (d's and e's). As my grandfather was not an observer (though he did go up on occasion to test developments in wireless and the various new codes), I assume that it was an operation at the camp itself.

2. "Lt Hickie warns me to understudy Sgt Barnes - Johnny Bob!". - 15/07/17. My grandfather had recently been promoted from 1st Class A/M to Corporal (Squadron Orderly Corporal) and often visited the Batteries with Lt Hickie (in tender and by plane - by now RE8's). Sgt Barnes went on leave two weeks after this entry. As the aerodrome was bombed many times, could "bobbing" be to do with trench works around the aerodrome?

3. "Bobbing all day. Confined to camp". This was entered on two consecutive days, 21/11/17 and 22/11/17, three days after the squadron moved from Abeele to Bertangles Aerodrome.

There is only one entry re "Puff Shoots", on 28/12/17 at Bertangles when they were confined to camp because of the poor conditions. The entry was "Puff shoots in the snow, bitterly cold"

There is only the single mention of the "torpedo". Most of the wireless equipment was kept in the lorry, which was driven around from the aerodrome to the batteries. My grandfather worked in it a lot. I've researched the word 'torpedo' and I do not think it could have been refering to an aerial torpedo, as the testing of this I believe was confined to Britain and not in France.

Does this help at all.

Regards

Steve

[Starlight]

I've found a couple of diary entries that add a bit more:

"Palmer burnt with a puff" - 03/01/18

"Digging dugouts in front of the huts. Bobbing on bombs"

Anyone out there with any ideas?

[ChrisM]

There is a lot of information concerning signals which you may find interesting in the following Canadian site:

http://www.img.forces.gc.ca/commelec/Brhistory/chap4_e.htm

On the subject of puff shoots I quote one passage from it which must relate to earlier RFC practice:

".........Next came the subject of Artillery reconnaissance. Briefly summed up, it meant outside work on the aerodrome regardless of the season. The only radio apparatus was a transmitter carried in the aircraft and operated by the pilot. Two-way communication? Definitely! On certain signals from the aircraft the wireless man ran out and put out ground strips. When acknowledged by the pilot, the wireless man then pulled the strips back in. A unique system of pinpointing was carried out by firing small charges of powder which simulated artillery shell landing and bursting. This exercise, called a "puff shoot" had one other interesting feature. The frequency used for transmissions was smack in the middle of the broadcast band. The majority of exercises were carried out with a background of music from CFRB, Toronto. This anomaly can be explained by the fact that all equipment used was of RAF design and therefore for use with European frequency allocations..........."

"Bobbing" - can only assume that this is used in the sense of "fishing", for bombs in craters perhaps?

Chris

[Starlight]

Thanks for the information on puff shoots Chris - most helpful. I will look at the Canadian site.

[John_Hartley]

Starlight

Might be well worth posting this query at The Aerodrome Forum. What those guys don't know about flyers is not worth knowing.

John