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Letter from Douglas to his mother
NAS: GD486/102
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Indian Expeditionary Force ‘D’
9 March 1916
Dear Mother
I haven’t written you for some time: but have plenty of spare time now as I am machineless. I came up to the front from Basra on the 25th [Feb] in 4hrs 10mins flying against a strong head wind: not counting a stop of 1½ hours half way for lunch. I reached 9,500 ft on the way up – I had to get over a sandstorm. I had to come down immediately afterwards to let a certain place know that I had passed and came down too quickly, result – air sickness. I was violently ill over the side & came down in the desert about 20 miles behind the lines in order to have a rest...
… the next day – 26th, I went to bomb the Turkish aerodrome a little journey of 30 or 40 miles into the enemy’s country! Setting my bombsight at 4000 over our aerodrome, I went over the lines at 8000 but on throttling down my engine to descend to 4000 again, the throttle froze shut!!! I made for Kut [Kut al Amara] for all I was worth & passed over the besieging force at 2000 feet getting 3 bullet holes. One bullet passed just between the detonators of two bombs & strafed part of the bomb frame. Just then my throttle unfroze & I climbed back to 4000 & dropped 4 bombs on the enemy’s aerodrome. The first strafed a tent & the other 3 made a little circle round one machine but I’m afraid didn’t do much damage. The next 4 days I spent in bed with bad diarrhoea.
My second flight on the 2nd March was about 50 miles into the hills to see if any Turks were encamped at some of the big villages whence by the way they draw all their supplies. There was nothing much in that although it was frightfully cold and all my fingers were dead white when
I came down in spite of thick gloves.
My third flight – armed with a camera and 3 dozen plates to make a complete survey of a certain Turkish position… We had taken about six photos when the petrol pipe broke – height 6000ft. So
I turned and made for as near home as possible thereby spoiling a photo my observer was taking… I came down as slowly as
I knew how and landed about 4 miles from the Turks and about a mile from our lines. A party of men dashed forward and wheeled the machine into one of our camps.
I had lunch with the Divisional General, borrowed a horse and did the 10 miles back to General Head Quarters as fast as possible, collected a gun limber [a form of two-wheeled gun carriage to tow back the damaged plane], six mules, two mechanics, petrol and repair parts and returned.
Three hours on a horse for the first time in my life. We repaired the machine and flew back just before sunset and the evening straf. Result two days in bed and also the saving of my life as another man whose machine was out of order was sent out on my machine and was shot down and killed…
Must catch the mail
So much love
Douglas
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