Joy ride over the lines.....

[alex_a]

Hello guys

I thought that you might like to see the last page in my great uncle's log book, up to the day before he died. it's a bit confusing as I can't make out one or two of the words. these are indicated by a question mark.

Sep 10 (1917) Report to no. 9 Squadron

Sep 10. Joy ride over lines.

Sep 11 Lt Young Pilot -? Attacked by Hun ? Nieuport over ? (possilby Pickem), gave him a drum. Time in air 2 3/4 hrs.

Sep 12 A.O 15:15 - 17:15. Time in air 2 hrs.

Sep 13 A.O 4:50 - 6:55. Time in air 2.5 hrs.

Sep 14 A.O 9:30 - 12:35 Time in air 3.05 hrs.

If anyone can shed anymore light on this I would love to hear from you. Why an allied aircraft was mentioned at the same time as a German I can't honestly think but does anyone know of Lt Young of no9 squadron?

Anyway, I hope you find this of interest and if you would like me to post more of this document I would be very happy to do so.

Regards

Alex

[Dolphin]

Alex

Thanks for your interesting post.

I recall from your earlier posts that your great uncle was 2Lt Arthur John Powney.

The enemy 'Nieuport' encountered on 11 September is a puzzle. One possible explanation that springs to mind is that it might have been a description of an Albatros, due to the V-strut arrangement used by both Albatroses and Nieuports, though the two types don't look much alike apart from their interplane struts. I believe that captured Nieuports were used once or twice by German pilots, but the practice was very far from common.

I'm sure we'd appreciate any more extracts from your great uncle's logbook that you could post. Had he served in any other RFC unit before joining No 9 Sqn?

Regards

Gareth

[alex_a]

Thanks Gareth, yes, indeed he was 2Lt Arthur John Powney. He transfeered from the Royal Engineers, where his rank was (I believe) was sargent. he does mention no 9 reserve squadron but I don't know what the term 'reserve' implies?

I will post more soon!

Regards

Alex

[MikeW]

Alex,

it's not unusual for pilots to have referred to both "Nieuports" and "Vee Strutters" in their log books when they obviously meant Albatros DV scout. This was most common when the DV first appeared.

The Germans did, of course, fly Nieuport copies, the most famous of which was probably the Seimens SSW D1. I don't suppose any of these saw operational service though - can anyone confirm?

Mike

[Dolphin]

The Germans did, of course, fly Nieuport copies, the most famous of which was probably the Seimens SSW D1. I don't suppose any of these saw operational service though - can anyone confirm?

Mike

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Mike

In the section on the Siemens-Schuckert D.I in Peter Gray and Alan Thetford's German Aircraft of the First World War the authors say that although most SSW D.Is were used by flying schools, "small numbers appeared on the Western Front with Jastas 1-5 and 7, 9, 11 and 14. Two machines were delivered to Armee-Flugpark Sud".

In Fighter Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War, W M Lamberton says "Many of the SSW D.Is, therefore, were supplied to units on the Russian Front, where the opposition was less severe."

About 250 D.Is were initially ordered, and ninety-four D.Is, one D.Ia and two D.Ibs were constructed.

Regards

Gareth

[alex_a]

Thanks for the replies guys. I have been looking through his journal and mostly gives "time in air", but one or two entries I find interesting.

10/6/17 Lt Richard, School of Instruction, Hendon.

14/6/17 Norwich Aero, Instructional ride.

3/7/17 FE2B 4859, Passenger, self, time in air 15 mins.

10/7/17 Machine AW 1503. Too bumpy for dual.

If anyone knows who Lt Richard was, what happend to FE2B 4859 and what AW 1503 was I would be glad to know.

Regards

Alex.

[Dolphin]

If anyone knows who Lt Richard was, what happend to FE2B 4859 and what AW 1503 was I would be glad to know.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Alex

I can partly answer your questions:

4859 was an FE 2b built under contract by G & J Weir in the batch 4838-4937 - I've no idea what eventually happened to it;

'AW 1503' would have been A1503, an Armstrong Whitworth FK 3 (known as the 'Little Ack') built under contract by Hewlett & Blondeau Ltd in batch A1461-A1510. The FK 3 was mainly used as a trainer, though some saw combat in Macedonia; a photograph is below.

I hope that this helps a little.

Gareth