MC, Third Battle of Gaza

[SilverFox100]

I recently found a distant relation of mine, 3rd cousin, through doing my family history, who received an MC in WW1 whilst I believe flying a Royal Aircraft Factory RE8 for the 14th Squadron, during the 3rd Battle of Gaza. His citation says "On the night of 1/2 Nov 1917, on the Gaza front, he successfully bombed hostile active batteries from a low altitude, thereby stopping their fire, when our artillery unable to reach them". He was awarded the MC on 18/1/18. I believe the RE8 was a two-seater?, and was a reconnaissance and bomber plane, and therefore would assume that he would have had a observer flying with him. In this plane, it carried up to 224 lbs of bombs. In those days was it not a case that they would have dropped the bombs by hand, as I always thought, or during this battle would the pilot just have flown without an observer?, in which case how would he have dropped the bombs? Am I thinking too simplistically with this and had they at this time something more sophisticated they used. If the observer was indeed also in the plane, would he not also have been awarded an MC? The relation in question is Charles Edward Hastings Medhurst, later made a Sir and became an Air Chief Marshall. Can any of our resident experts help me with this? Thanks Mike

[MikeMeech]

Hi Mike

The hand dropping of 'bombs' by the RFC was only used very early on in the war. In April 1915, William Rhodes Moorhouse won the first 'air' VC in a bombing mission on Courtrai Railway Station. His aircraft, Royal Aircraft Factory BE.2b No. 687, was equipped with a 'bomb rack' under the fuselage for a 100 lb bomb, he had to fly it without the observer to take that weight.

By the time of the Third Battle of Gaza and the RE.8, bombs and observer could be carried. The RE.8 could be fitted with bomb racks under the wings and fuselage, the 224 lb of bombs you mention sounds like it was carrying two 112 lb bombs.

The role of the RE.8 was mainly as a 'Corps' aeroplane supporting the troops on the ground through; eg. Artillery Observation, Contact and Counter Attack Patrols, photo recce and ground attack/bombing missions. In the Theatre you mention during 1918 some were equipped with a container that could drop 60 smoke bombs to create a smoke screen, or 120 Mills bombs (grenades) on enemy infantry, all with the observer on board.

I hope that is of use

Mike

[SilverFox100]

Thanks Mike for your informative explanation. If the RE8 was fitted with 2x112lb bombs in the racks fitted to the fuselage/airframe I assume that there was some sort of release mechanism that the pilot could use in the cockpit. At this time, had they also developed some sort of viewfinder that the pilot could view from to decide when to release his bombs or was this down to the skill of the pilot to get his plane into the correct position and drop his bombs? Thanks. Mike

[MikeMeech]

Hi Mike

Rather like the development of Machine Gun sights for air to air use, 'bomb sights' were developed during the war. There were a whole series from 1914 onwards, from 'nail sights' and many others including C.F.S. 4 and C.F.S.7, 'Course Setting', 'Drift', 'Wimperis', 'Equal-distance', 'Lever', 'Negative Lens', Periscope', 'Travers' etc. A good place to start is 'The Origins of Strategic Bombing' by Neville Jones, William Kimber 1973. This has some information on the development of sights.

Technical development was going on throughout WW1 nothing remained static either in equipment or tactics.

Mike

[SilverFox100]

Thanks Mike understand a lot more now, regards, Mike