‘A Short Life in the Sky’: the story of a WWI pilot
Almost crashed, August 1915 
(NRS reference: GD486/62)

Transcript:

Sunday 15th Aug[ust] 1915

Navigation School
H M Dockyard
Portsmouth

Dear Mother

So sorry you are not so well. It is a pity the holiday did not do you any good.

The Engineering course is now over: the Exam was on Friday & in spite of raging toothache I managed to come out top with 85% (next 75%) I had the tooth (2nd last top left) removed yesterday afternoon & feel all right today though my face is a bit swollen. The tooth was the one I had the nerve taken out of. It had evidently not been properly cleaned and was in a far advanced stage of disintegration. It reminded me of the 'Echo walk' three years ago. Tomorrow, in white trousers & white sweater I go to the Naval Barracks for drill & on Friday back to flying -

three cheers. It may not be to Hendon as that place is rather crowded with newcomers. I rather hope it is as we are not supposed to turn up till Monday morning. If it's Hendon I can go there on Friday, but if it is any other place I shall have to spend the weekend in town which as Enclitt says 'is absurd' as I have nowhere to go. I might manage Newport-Pagnell but it's rather far away. However it isn't Friday yet. That joy ride at Hendon  last weekend was very fine. The exhaust gases from the engine were coming back to me & though it was a bit difficult to breathe it was very warm and comfortable. At 3000 ft we went into a cloud & at once it got very cold. Then coming through it & above it we saw Hendon through a gap and we – came – down down in about 1½ minutes something like the line across on the other page. [The line on the other page shows a biplane following a steep spiral descent.]

It was gorgeous, no other word can describe it. I had a touch of cold feet at the bottom as Com[man]der Groves is notorious for his landings having smash[ed] innumerable machines. I thought we were going to crash straight into the ground but he flattened out perfectly touching the ground about 10 yds after flattening out. The machine, a Curtiss biplane, is a rather good flyer but has a weak landing-chassis. It looks something like this. 

[hand-drawn image of a biplane showing the all-important bolt beneath the wings, captioned]
One bolt to take all the strain.

My billiard playing is very erratic: sometimes it is pretty good helped on by most frightful flukes: at other times I am absolutely no use whatever. My records are 100 in 20 mins and a break of 22.

How many times has Hilda read 'Monte Christo' this summer?

Hoping you will get better & with much love to all

I remain your affect[ionate] son

Douglas