I have had a very busy week on the road and then a long weekend away from my computer so it has been a few hours to catch up with everyone's story. Condolences to Lt Casey on the loss of your pilot. We will welcome his replacement. Thank you to Epower for the email. I have cleaned up my PM list and am in communication with Trustworthy. It's wonderful to see new people coming on board. We have to push this thing right through to November.

McAlister stopped a round today and will be out of action for nearly 2 weeks.

War Journal of Flight Commander George Ewan MacAlister, DSO, DSC
208 Squadron, RAF
Highland CCS
Merville, France

Part 33

Who can tell of the mysteries of the military mind? Certainly not I. Our first dinner at Bray Dunes was interrupted by a dispatch rider whose message informed Squadron Commander Draper that we were to transfer in the morning to – wait for it – Teteghem. Beautiful Teteghem. Teteghem that we had transferred to twice already and left on both occasions within hours of arrival. Teteghem that would remove us farther from the essential battle of the war. But orders are orders and we prepared to move.

All effort at settling in to Teteghem was wasted, for we received new orders within hours of arrival there transferring us to La Gorgue, on the Lys River. This aerodrome was next to what we called the green field zone. This sector of the front was not as torn and battered as the rest. The grass showed through between shell holes and forests still held trees. The occasional building still stood despite damage. The green sector was held by Portuguese troops who had worked out a thoroughly civilised arrangement with the Germans in which both sides agreed to leave the war-fighting to others. As long as the Hun kept to his end of the bargain, we should be safe.

Our first night at La Gorgue was 31 March 1918 – the final hours of our Royal Naval Air Service. We had laid on a supply of lobster and oysters from the coast and did ourselves up a proper dinner in the wardroom. We drunk all the traditional toasts, including my favourite, “a bloody war and quick promotions.” We were henceforth to be known as 208 Squadron, Royal Air Force. Despite that, Draper insisted that all toasts would be drunk seated in the naval manner. In truth, little would change at first. We would not begin to see tangible differences until replacements arrived from military training facilities. Then we should have a blend of uniforms. There was much discussion about proposed new Air Force uniforms and the consensus was that they were all thoroughly ridiculous and Ruritarian. Perhaps the most noticeable difference was the immediate change to army ranks. I became a captain and the skipper a major. Our petty officers became sergeants and warrant officers. It irritated Draper and we all took great delight in addressing him as “Major” whenever possible.

On 2 April 1918, I led a group of six machines to escort an RE8 to take photographs along our front. On our first beat north we encountered a large group of Albatri and began mixing with them. I got behind one that did a series of S turns underneath me. As there were two Camels above me I felt it safe to follow him down and was making good progress shooting bits off the Hun’s machine when I felt a massive blow to my stomach. I knew immediately that something quite wrong had happened and put my nose down. A lone Albatros was on my tail but a long way back. I felt quite queasy and began to pick out suitable fields a few miles off so that I could put down as soon I was clear of the lines. The Hun was gaining on me. Just when I thought I should have to turn towards him, Johnston dived on the Albatros and chased him away. I was able to fly back to La Gorgue.

I remembered nothing from the moment I touched down until I woke a day later at the casualty clearing station in nearby Merville. There I learned that a bullet had split open the wall of my abdomen and while nothing internal was damaged, things were not packaged as neatly as they ought to have been. I must remain immobile for several days, after which healing should be relatively quick.