‘A Short Life in the Sky’: the story of a WWI pilot
Pilot training in Windermere, May 1915, (NRS reference: GD486/34)

Transcript:

Royal Hotel, Bowness-on-Windermere, 16 May 1915

Dear Mother,

Sunday today! the first flight took place this 
morning. After getting up about 3.30am we got to the 
School & had the Avro out by 5.10am and then Mr 
Ding himself came out & took me up for my ‘joy ride’ in the 
NAC [National Air Communication] Mono[plane]. I had an awful job getting the machine 
started. The propellor is behind the main plane and to 
start it one must stand on the float under the plane 
& shove at the propellor through the wires. After about 
15 min[ute]s puffing I got it off & away we went. I didn’t 
notice the lift at all and forgot to look over the side 
till we were about 600 ft high. We went up to Bowness 
& back again and then took a circle round & came down [15 minutes in all].