Artillery Officers Duties

[Guest A John Denyer]

Did junior officers fly with the RFC as observers picking out targets, observing the fall of shot; during the final stages of the Great War. Trying to fill in a few missing details of my Grandfather war service. Do balloons figure in this ?.

John

[rflory]

In the last years of the war there were numerous exchanges of officers between the RFC/RAF and the RA, usually for a week to two weeks. RFC/RAF officers were sent to RA batteries to observe the operations of the battery to which they were assigned and RA officers were attached to RFC/RAF squadrons and it appears that some of them observed fire from aircraft. Additionally some RA officers actually became air observers with the RFC/RAF and in at least a number of cases stayed with the RAF after the war (while others transferred back to the RA after the war). At least one RA Lieut. Col. commanded an air observation squadron during the Great War. RA officers also observed fire from tethered balloons.

Who was your grandfather?