1918 We will remember them (18 page)

I dreamed.  I dreamed that I was high in the air and suddenly I was surrounded by German triplanes and they were all red.  I twisted and turned but no matter which way I went there was the Red Baron. The engine on my Camel cut out and I was falling; I was going down and no matter how hard I pulled on the stick my bus would not pull up.  The ground was so close that I could see it and then there was silence.

“Bill! Bill, are you awake?”

Dreams are strange.  I could have sworn that I heard Beattie’s voice but that was impossible for I was dead. I tried to turn over to sleep some more but I felt a hand on my shoulder and, strangely, I could smell Beattie’s perfume. This was the weirdest dream I had ever had. I forced my eyes open and looked up into the face of my wife.

I saw a single tear drip from her left eye.  She wiped it away and quickly kissed me. “You had us worried, Bill.  You have been out for a whole day. Sir Michael was really worried.”

“Sir Michael?”

“The surgeon.  He was summoned because he was the only man for the operation.”

I tried to sit up.  “My leg!”

“Is still attached but you were lucky.  There was a great deal of damage to the nerves and the kneecap.” She leaned over and kissed me again. “You will walk with a limp for the rest of your life.”

“But can I fly?”

She stepped back and I could see the horror on her face. “But my love, you could be out of the war!”

I took her hand in mine.  “I have to see it out. You know that!”

She shook her head.  “Bill Harsker, why did I have to fall in love with such a noble and dedicated man?”

“I don’t know but I know that I am the lucky one.”

Sir Michael was equally incredulous the next day when he visited me.  “But good God, man! You have the chance to survive this war.  No one will think any the less of you for what you have done. They are thinking of giving you a medal for what you did and you already have the VC, MC and bar! What are you trying to do?  Win the war all by yourself?”

“No doctor but I owe it to all the men I have flown with to see this through.”

He shook his head.  “I hope that the British public will realise what the likes of you chaps have done and remember them.” He grabbed my hand, “I am in awe of you.” He turned to Beattie.  “You have a remarkable husband, Mrs Harsker.”

She laughed, “Why do you think I grabbed him with both hands?  We can’t change him we just have to fix him up so that he can go back and do the same thing again.  It is in his blood and, no matter what happens, I wouldn’t change him.”

Doctor Bentine nodded and then added seriously, “There was, is, some serious damage to your knee. We have repaired what we can but I am afraid that you will have pain in your left knee for the rest of your life. It will be prone to arthritis when you are old. And you are not out of the woods yet. We still have to get rid of the infection!”

“But at least I have two legs. My old gunner lost a hand! So when can I start walking on it!”

“Walking?” He shook his head.  “We can let you out of bed in two weeks or so.”

“No doctor, in two weeks I shall be walking out of here and spending a night in the Mayflower Hotel with my wife!”

“Impossible!”

“Doctor I may not know much about the human body but I know horses.  When we had a horse with an injured leg, if we didn’t shoot it then we kept it on its feet and began riding it within a week. It should be the same with a man. Get me a couple of sticks or crutches and I will exercise each day.”

“But the damage to your knee…”

“Is repaired, you told me that.  Thanks for all that you have done doctor. I promise you that if I think I am doing more harm than good then I will rest.”

He just shook his head and as he left, said, “Nurse Harsker, I think your life with the major will be interesting to say the least.”

She sat on the bed when he had gone and held my hands. “He knows what he is doing, Bill. I don’t want to have you crippled for life.”

“And I won’t be. Look, from what he said the splinter went into my knee and damaged stuff inside there. Right?”

“The stuff is tendons and ligaments.  And the knee cap was cracked.”

“Bones heal, I know that. So the ligaments and the tendons might not work.  I heard what he said, I will have a limp.  He may even want me to have a stick.  That is fine but when I am flying the knee will not be a problem.  I will just build up my muscles to support my weak knee.” I pulled her towards me and kissed her.

“Bill! If matron sees me she will change my ward!”

“Go to the Mayflower when you are off duty and book a room for us. A fortnight today!”

She looked at me doubtfully. “I think the room will be empty.”

“Well I shall be there and, hopefully, so will you!”

I started my training regimen the next day.  One of the male orderlies brought me crutches and I took to marching around the bed. The rush of blood to my foot took me by surprise and I nearly passed out with the pain but then I found that I could drag my left foot on the ground and, after a while, it did not hurt as much. By lunchtime my armpits and my hands were red raw but I felt I had accomplished much.

By the time Beattie came on duty I had had enough exercise and I was in bed.  I felt like a cheat when she smiled and said, “There, I told you it was too early to be using them.  I’ll put them in your cupboard.”
   H

“No! I find it less embarrassing if I use them to take me down to the toilet.  A bed pan is …”

She nodded.  “I can see that.  Well I have other patients to see to.” At the door she paused and said, over her shoulder, “I booked the room at the Mayflower!”

I worked alone in my room. Every day I put more weight on the left leg. When the nurses shooed me back to bed I lay on the top and raised and lowered my leg until the muscles screamed their objections. I had nothing else to do. The alternative was to read the newspapers and that made for depressing reading. There was an air of doom and gloom amongst the British press. The dreams of a quick victory had evaporated by 1915 but the hope of a victory after Cambrai had been snuffed out and replaced with pessimism.

I had been in the hospital for a week when I had visitors.  It was General Henderson and an aide. He waved me to my bed when I tried to rise. “It seems I am fated to ever see you here.” He chuckled, “Well done Major Harsker.  You are a bright light on a foggy night. This is Captain Bellerby, you don’t mind if he takes notes do you?”

“Notes?  Of course not but notes on what, sir?”

“You, Major Harsker.  Even within your remarkable squadron you stand out as unique. You alone appear to have the measure of these Fokker Triplanes.” He shook his head, “We got rid of them but the Germans seem to be able to make them do things we never could. You not only manage to shoot them down, take on the Red Baron and survive, good God man you actually flew into a whole squadron of them shot down two and damaged four others.  The captain here will make notes on how the devil you manage to do it!”

I didn’t really know and so I just told them both how I flew and the reasons I had done what I did.

When I had finished the General nodded. “You know that in a month or so we are amalgamating the RFC with the RNAS.  We will be the Royal Air Force.  It has taken some time but we have finally convinced everyone.  When this war is over I want you to help make the pilots of the future.  You need to come up with a plan and methods of training to give all of them the reactions that you have.”

“I am not certain if I want to stay on after the war sir.”

He stood and waved an imperious hand.  “Of course you do.” He jabbed a finger at my tunic with the medals. “It’s in your blood man.  You are a hero and you want to serve your country. You can still serve your country in peacetime.” He laughed again, “You might actually spend less time in the hospital then!” His face became serious. “You should have got a meal for what you did but you have your bar already. In case you didn’t know your brother was given the Military Medal for what he did at Cambrai. You are all a fine family.”

After he had gone I wondered why he had bothered to take the time to find out about Bert. As for me, I didn’t need any more medals. When Beattie came on duty I told her what he had said. She seemed to approve.

“From what Gordy and Ted told me, that sounds like a perfect job for you. They both said how the pilots you trained and led were the best in the squadron.”

“But I thought I would be out of the service after the war.”

“Doing what?” She looked at me and I knew then that I had married the perfect woman.  She knew me better than I knew myself.

“Well I thought I could go back to working with horses.”

She shook her head, “Where?  Lady Mary has had to sell off most of the estate to pay the death duties and as for horses well I am sorry Bill but the automobile is here to stay.  The few horses that come back from the war will be put out to pasture.”

I slumped back in my bed. “But I thought…”

She came and fluffed my pillow, “You have changed since the war began Bill.  I didn’t know the old Bill but Alice and your mother told me what you were like and you have changed. You are neither better nor worse but you are different. The old Bill would never have been an officer. He would have been like Bert and stayed a sergeant and followed orders.  You don’t follow orders you give them.”

I shook my head, “That is Archie.”

Laughing she said, “I have spoken with Gordy and Ted, remember?  When Major Harsker says something then that happens.” She paused at the door. “It would be a crying shame if you threw the baby out with the bath water. Grab your opportunities in both hands, who knows where they might lead.”

By the middle of the next week I had managed to use sticks.  I still found it hard to put weight on my left leg but I was getting there.  Even Doctor Bentine was impressed. “Remarkable! It shows that the human mind and spirit can overcome what we doctors think is impossible.”

However I found that I had bitten off more than I could chew.  At the end of the two weeks I could walk a little but not enough for me to leave and go to the Mayflower with Beattie.  That took two more days.

Doctor Bentine arrived and I threw one stick on to the bed. I walked to the door and down the corridor while he watched.  I returned and said, “Tada!”

He laughed, “I can see the sweat on your face Major and I know the effort and the pain that cost you but you can be discharged.” He waggled an admonishing finger at me, “If you weren’t married to such a fine nurse I would not allow it but I know that Nurse Harsker will manage your walking.”

“When can I return to active service?”

He cocked his head to one side. “I think I should have examined your head as well as your knee. You would rather go back to the western front than have a week’s leave with your wife?”

I blushed, “Well, I mean…”

“Have a week’s leave and then report to your doctor.  I will leave that decision to him.” He shook my hand, “I am pleased to have met you Major.  I have had to change my opinion on many things.”

It was the end of the first week in March before Beattie would countenance my return to the war. I was impatient to get back.  This was not because I wished to leave my wife; far from it.  The time we spent in the Mayflower was idyllic but the newspapers were full of the losses in the air. I had no contact with the squadron and I feared for my lads. Beattie eventually agreed when I was able to walk around Hyde Park without wincing every hundred yards or so. Inside I was in agony but I had learned to be the consummate actor.

As I waited in Amiens for the car which would take me back to my squadron I found my eyes drawn to the sky. I convinced myself that I could see aeroplanes there.  Of course there were none.  It was just my imagination and the desire to get up there again.  I was now convinced that I knew how to defeat the Fokkers.  My reckless charge in amongst them had disturbed their Teutonic order. If we used their own strength against them then we might just win.

It was Quarter Master Doyle who came for me. He grabbed my bag and threw it in the back.  “You are a sight for sore eyes sir.  The lads, all of them, have been asking after you since you crashed. You are looking well.” He noticed the stick and a frown passed over his face. “Are you not fit yet sir?”

“I am as fit as I will ever be Quarter Master. Don’t worry I can still fly it’s just I may be a little slower getting in and out of the bus.”

“Well that is a relief.”

On the drive to the field I learned the news and none of it was good. We had lost five pilots since I had been away.  I knew none of them for they were all replacements; that made me feel guilty.  If I had had them under my wing who knows what might have happened.

“We are having a hard time sir and that’s no lie.  I am not an airman but from the
Griffin
it seems the Hun is coming over in greater numbers than ever. I think the bastards are up to something.”

“I agree Quarter Master.  It seems I came back just in time for the kick off then.”

It was late afternoon when I arrived back and the Camels were all down on the ground. Alarmingly I saw riggers and mechanics swarming around them. The Quarter Master saw my look, “Aye sir, that is the result of the sortie this morning. I’ll take your bag to your quarters.  Good to have you back, sir.”

I limped to the office.  The drive had made my leg stiffen a little. Beattie had warned me to expect that. I walked in the office and Randolph stood up and grinned at me. “Like a bad penny you keep on turning up.” He grabbed my hand and pumped it.  “Good to see you back.” He glanced at my stick.  “Are you fit to fly?”

“That depends upon the doc but as I argued Beattie and Sir Michael Bentine out of grounding me I shall not take no from the Doc!” I threw a pouch of tobacco on to the desk.  “Here, a little present and I have a couple of bottles of malt in my bag.  I’ll have Bates bring them over later.”

“He will be more than glad to see you.  When you were reported missing he was the one who was convinced that you were not dead.  He badgered the life out of poor Archie.  He wanted search parties sent out!”

I laughed, Bates was a force of nature.

Archie came in, “When I heard the laughing I hoped it was you. You are riding your luck you know. Johnny Holt told us how you plunged into the middle of a horde of Fokkers.  Madness!”

“I don’t know sir.  General Henderson came to see me and asked about my tactics.  It has made me think about it.  I know it was daft for one bus to do what I did but if I had done that with my flight then even six Camels could upset eighteen or even twenty Fokkers. We can turn inside them and they hate their order being upset. I reckon it is worth trying.”

“Well I dare say the Quarter Master filled you in.  We are losing too many young pilots. They are surviving for hours not days.”

“I heard. Can we rearrange the flights?  I’ll keep Jack Fall and put all my experienced lads with the other flights.”

“You want the novices?”

“I have had a lot of time to think as I was strolling around Hyde Park. I think I can help the young lads and keep them alive.” I looked Archie in the eyes. “It has worked up to now: Freddie, Johnny, George, even the dour Welshman have all survived.  I must be doing something right.  I am not certain what but…”

“You are right but first you had better go and see the Doc.  He has to clear you to fly.”

I stood.  “I know.  But I am confident.”

They both laughed, “Confidence is never lacking in you, Bill. Sense? Yes.  Confidence?  No.”

As I headed towards the sickbay Johnny and Freddie ran up to me.  “We heard you were back.” Freddie looked at the stick. “How is the leg?”

I nodded to Johnny, “I thought that we could be a pair of pirates! One Eyed Holt and Peg Leg Harsker!” They laughed.  “I am fine.”

Johnny stared at me, “Thank you for what you did, sir.  You saved my life and I have never seen anything so magnificent and so heroic.”

I shook my head, “And so bloody mad that if anyone in my flight had done that I would have had them on a charge! I have to see the Doc. I will catch up with you all at dinner.”

Doc Brennan frowned when he saw the stick.  I held up my hand. “Before you start I don’t need a stick to fly.  This is just until my knee gets a little stronger.”

In answer he waved a manila envelope at me.  “Sir Michael sent me the report. You are lucky to be walking! You do know he is one of the top surgeons in the country?”

“Well there you go! My knee must be fine then!”

“You are incorrigible. Get your trousers off and let me have a look at this knee.”

He put me through my paces but I was prepared.  I had been through this with Beattie and Sir Michael. I never showed any discomfort even though it was agony. He nodded, “You can put your trousers on.  Well Bill I guess you can fly but take a tip from me; when this war is over get yourself on the stage.  You are a marvellous actor!”

Bates had a worried look on his face when I went to my quarters. He had unpacked my bags already. He said nothing but I saw the concern in his eyes.  “Thank you for looking after my gear so well and for being so concerned. Mrs Harsker sends her regards.”

That made him smile.  “Did you find time to be together, sir?”

“We stayed at the Mayflower!”

He grinned, “Excellent, sir, excellent!”

“Could you take two bottles of that whisky to the office please, Bates?”

The next day I met my young pilots. I had seen them the previous night at dinner but Gordy and Ted had monopolised my time as they quizzed me about my escape. I did manage to see my old flight and told them of the new arrangements. I was touched by the disappointment on the faces of the three who were to leave me. I took Jack to one side before either of us had consumed too much whisky.  “I need you to be baby minder for these lads.  Keep them tight to me. You are the one they will be able to talk to. I will be the bastard who shouts at them.”

He had smiled, “They won’t mind that.  The fact that they are in the flight of a leading ace with a VC is like their birthday and Christmas have come together. They will be fine.”

“Right boys. My orders are simple.  We fly line astern and you follow me and do as I do.  You can fire your guns, just so long as you don’t blow my arse off in the process!” They laughed, as I knew they would. “If we meet these invincible triplanes I intend to get right among them. That may frighten you but you are young lads and if I have the reactions then you should have them in abundance. If you have to fire then a short burst will do the trick.  Jack and I have found that snap shots work the best isn’t that right lieutenant?”

“Yes sir.  A couple of bullets in the right place can do serious damage to the Hun. You stick with the major and you might survive and remember that I am watching your back.  You just concentrate on staying close to the Major.”

Their take offs were a little wobbly but I had more to worry about than a couple of bumps.  This was the first time I had flown with my dodgy knee.  I did not need to use my left leg a great deal but I did need to use it. As I climbed to reach a good altitude I decided to ask Flight Sergeant Lowery to see if he could move the seat on the new Camel back a little. I had hoped that the new bus was as carefully tuned as the one I had crashed.  As we climbed it purred like a kitten.  The ground crew had not let me down.

Randolph had briefed me and told me that the Germans were trying to bully us out of the air. They were coming mob handed.  They never sent over less than twenty four aeroplanes and normally over seventy percent were the triplanes. At least that was the picture in our sector. It was why we were flying as a squadron. We needed protection in numbers. Freddie and I flew higher than the other flights and we flew line astern. Archie led the other Camels at a slightly lower altitude in line abreast.  I hoped that this combination might just work.

When I saw them I realised that they were higher than we were.  I waggled my wings and began to climb.  Freddie and I had the flanks of our formation. I intended to repeat my charge into the heart of them again. I had yet to have Freddie paint my horse on my cockpit and, as far as the Germans were concerned, there was nothing to identify me.  My tactics might only work once but if it bought my pilots another two and a half hours in the air then that would satisfy me.

The Jasta we faced was not the Circus; the aeroplanes all had a squadron livery. They were green with what looked like a black and white checker board design on the side.  I stored that for future reference. It was cold as we climbed. I hoped that the young pilots behind me would not be overawed in this, one of their first combats.  Archie had wisely kept them on the ground the previous day.

The Fokkers were stacked in four lines of six. It meant that, if they chose, then all of them could open fire on Archie and the two flights he led.  I thought it unlikely that they would do so for it would be a waste of ammunition but I did work out how they would attack.  Each six would fire and then climb to loop and come around again.  In that way all four lines could fire at Archie and his eleven aeroplanes. Inevitably they would knock some out of the air. It was how they had gained air superiority. I hoped to throw a large spanner in their works!

I began a slow bank and headed for the second line of six Fokkers. I heard the Spandau of the first six as they opened fire and the deeper chatter of the Vickers as they responded. I held my fire.  The pilot on the extreme right of the third line tried a hopeful burst at me. It was a waste of bullets. At fifty yards I gave a short burst and then pulled my nose up. I heard Lieutenant Grey behind me as he fired his guns for the first time in anger.

If the Germans thought I intended to fly across their second line they were wrong.  I banked to port and kept climbing. I was rewarded by the aeroplanes from the first six as they tried to turn out of their loop.  I had a flank shot at them. Head on they were small but side on they were a bigger target and I fired a long burst. I saw the stays and the wires as they parted. The bullets continue on and hit the fuselage. The Fokker began to dive.  The pilot was struggling for control. I left him and turned to starboard.  I had a sudden flash of déjà vu.  Fokkers were appearing all around me. I snap fired as each triplane appeared.  As had happened before I had no idea of what damage I was doing but this time I had the reassurance of my young pilots as they fired at every triplane that came before them. Suddenly a Fokker appeared less than fifty feet from me.  I pulled my triggers and then braced myself for the crash. The pilot was a gifted one for he managed to pull up his nose. It did not save his life for the twin Vickers pumped a hundred bullets into the base of his cockpit.  As he soared, trapped in a death loop, his Fokker slammed into an Albatros which was trying to bring his bus around to hit me. In my mirror I saw that a gap had appeared.  Poor Lieutenant Grey could not keep up with me.  I began to bank to port to make it easier for him. The combat had lasted almost thirty minutes and the Nemesis of the Fokker came to our aid.  They had to turn to return to their field.

It was not worth risking my young pilots in a pursuit and I led them back west. I counted my five chicks in a line and I was happy.  They had survived. Sadly I saw two Camels burning on the ground.  We had not had all the rub of the green. I had seen two enemy aeroplanes go down and I hoped that we had managed to get more in our wild charge.

I circled the field with my flight to allow the others to land and to get a few more minutes for my novices.  When lives were measured in minutes then even extra seconds in the sky would help. When we landed I left Jack to listen to them.  They were chattering like school children. I lit my pipe and wandered towards Gordy and Ted.

“Who did we lose?”

“Bell and Robinson.”

“Any chance they walked away?”

Ted shook his head. “Both were dead before they hit the ground. Not everyone has your luck, Bill.”

We strolled towards the office and Freddie ran to catch us up. He was grinning, “That was better! We gave them a shock this morning and no mistake.”

I gave a word of caution, “And we know that they will learn from this. I would expect two Jasta tomorrow.”

Freddie’s face fell. “Really?”

I nodded.  “I had chance to read the papers back in Blighty and I spoke with General Henderson. The Germans have brought whole divisions from the east.  They must be massing behind their lines already. Fritz is stopping us from having a look see.  They will do anything to knock us out of the air.”