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World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great 1914 1918 first battalion regiment
Sgt. Frederick Barrett
Royal Flying Corps 18 Squadron
from:Nile Street, London
In the early days, when the Squadron was in France with the Vickers FB5 Gunbus, they had pilots but no gunners. My grandfather, Frederick Barrett was ground crew but would be grabbed to do the job as he was very light (around six stone on enlistment) and short and a good shot with excellent reactions. They later got trained gunners.
Pilots would also often test fly the planes by taking mechanics into the air. It apparently improved the focus of the ground crews.
In 1916 they began night operations and had to light the field for returning aircraft. The landing lights were jam tins with oil and rags. When they recognised a returning aircraft by engine noise, they had to rush out and light tins to guide the aircraft in, and then extinguish them afterwards. Apparently, the planes were outclassed for daylight operations and they had suffered excessive casualties.
In the occupation at the end of the war, my grandfather told me the Sergeants could leave camp after their morning duties. Local German women were suffering privation and would wait outside the camp some with prams and young children. He said the men, like him, would get a loaf of bread and other food and take their pick. He would then be welcome to their homes for a couple of hours and even get a homecooked meal if he had brought the makings. He found it hard to feel animosity toward ordinary Germans like himself who struggled to feed their families after that. He came from a poor East End background himself and did not pass up the opportunity of being able to meet the locals. One was a captain's wife and a number were very middle class, posh to him but hungry. He often wondered if troops taking advantage of the occupation helped create the underlying sense of injustice that fostered support for extremist politics among women in Germany. He got a silver medal in boxing for the squadron.
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