17th April 1916 sees 2 Squadron's 'B' Flight tasked to bomb the Hun aerodrome at Haubourdin. With me are the BEs flown by Ainsworth and Green. Also as usual, I've cut our fuel loads and straightened out the route to the target. 'A' flight's Bristol Scout will be up there, somewhere.



We're each carrying the usual four 25 lb Cooper bombs (actually 20 lb, as the pic below from the RAF Museum Hendon shows).



It's a fine spring morning and we're soon climbing laboriously for height...



...as we approach the Lines in Vic formation.



Hmm...there seems to be a bit more cloud about, as we cross the shelled area. I hope it's rather clearer, over the target. As it is, we're barely at five thousand, and I don't want to be forced much lower for the bomb run.



As we pass over into Hun-land, Archie lodges a noisy objection to our presence, to which we react by throwing in a few course and height changes. There's no point taking avoidable chances; life's too short. Archie then lets up for a while. Fokkers, there are none. Coming in now at under four thousand, I can see our target, clear of cloud. Won't be long now!



...to be continued!

I order the others to attack and start my own run, using the bombsight.



But as often with CFS3 bombers and especially when I'm out of practice, the view begins to judder as I rapidly lose control of my aircraft. So I let fly from the external view. My bombs overshoot the hangar, but start fires to their rear.



Coming off the target, I'm thoroughly Archied...



...and quickly vacate the premises.



Once clear, I orbit to allow the others to catch up, which takes time. Luckily, the skies remain Fokker-free.



Then it's back to the Lines we go.



Once we've left the Lines and a final Archie barrage behind, I begin to let down. I'm relieved to see we've all made it.



Now then, where's Hesdigneul? Over there to the right, beyond all those houses, I think.



Yes, there it is. I circle around for my approach...



...and come a cropper on landing. My BE runs over one of several bomb craters while still travelling quickly, noses over and cracks up violently. Both crew members are killed! I'm so shocked I failed to get any pictures of our demise. It's scant consolation that we're all reckoned to have hit quite a lot of something with our little firecrackers.



And all because somebody failed to fill in those blinking craters...and I failed to notice them or appreciate their danger, until too late.

I hadn't backed up my pilot folder so as others have suggested in these sad circumstances, I'll enlist a new pilot with the same squadron the next day or so, to represent a replacement quickly being posted in. The war must go on!

"...to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune...."

Tough luck, 33lima!