Not a Top Gun
Here is a rare and fascinating account of a Lewis Gunner during WW1 from the detailed diaries of the pilot, Delfosse Badgery. Delfosse had previously practised his bomb aiming at Hobart, Tasmania dropping bags of flour from his Caudron wing warper. His was the first aircraft into Tasmania.
One morning at Suez, Major General Hare arrived with his adjutant to inspect our outposts from the air. So Captain Watt detailed me to fly him around. I took him up, but as the air that day was very bumpy I do not think he saw much. The next day we had a violent hamsene or hurricane which whipped up the sand and brought visibility to a few yards. The fine dust and sand permeated our matting huts and got into everything. I think this was the cause of my having sinus trouble. I started to get severe headaches which became so bad I could not rest for the pain. I was sent to 3 Australian General Hospital in Cairo. After inhalation treatment I got immediate relief and slept for a day and a half. In about a week's time I felt fully recovered and asked to be returned to my unit. I found it comparatively easier to get into a military hospital, but to get out was quite another matter. They had other ideas and I was sent to Ras-el-tin rest camp for ten days. This place was situated on the sandy shores of a delightful bay near Alexandria and most of the time was spent on the beach and in the water. About 300 yards across this bay on a high hill stood the Sultan’s palace with a private bathing enclosures below. On top of the hill was a flagpole and our orders were that when a red flag was flying from it, no one was allowed to enter the water on our side. Every morning about 10 am the Sultan’s harem escorted by about four coloured eunuchs would wend their way down to their bathing enclosure. All the officialdom re the red flag was brought about by the crazy prank of one of the lads at our rest camp who had previously swum across the bay and was doing the peeping tom act while the harem was bathing.
The ten days passed very quickly and I then returned to my unit at Suez feeling very fit. The next day Captain Watt left me in charge of Suez while he went to Cairo on business. The following day, 4 August, the battle of Romani was in progress and I received an urgent message telegram to report to Ismalia immediately. On arrival there my machine was fitted with four 20 pound bombs. There was only one other machine belonging to the Royal Flying Corps then on the aerodrome as all the others were away on service against the Turks in the scrap.
I was delayed for about half an hour before a gunner could be found for me. When at last one was found the pilot of the other machine and I were briefed to take off and keep together and drop bombs on enemy targets at Katia near Romani. We both set a course for this area. The other machine was a BE 2D which out climbed and out paced me. I could not bridge the gap between us and after about 20 minutes flying he was a speck in the distance and very soon after was invisible. The map I had was very accurate and I had no difficulty in finding our objective.
The battle area was most confusing. Our light horses were in some places almost surrounded by Turks and the Turks in other nearby areas seemed to be encircled by our troops. The situation was so confused, shells were bursting everywhere, that it was inadvisable to drop bombs for fear of hitting our own troops. At this stage I saw my gunner who was in the front seat getting round in a kneeling position with the Lewis gun in his grip. The Lewis Gun had a swiveling mount which enabled him to fire on either side and above the tail units over my head. On looking around I could see two enemy biplanes coming up on our tail, one to port and low down and one higher up on the starboard side. My gunner started firing at the starboard plane and after a good burst swung his gun over to the other side. I immediately kicked on left rudder which gave him a clear shot at the one on the port side. His drum of cartridges was soon emptied and I started to execute all the evasive tactics possible whilst my gunner was trying to put a new drum of cartridges on the Lewis. I was very perturbed because he was emptying live cartridges over the side whilst trying to rotate the drum into its proper position. Just at this stage both enemy machines peeled off and went away to starboard and were soon a long way off. I will never know what caused them to pull away, for had they pressed home the attack we were practically a sitting shot. My gunner afterwards said he thought he had hit the first one as it pulled away first.
It was a very puzzling situation, I wanted to get rid of the bombs to lighten the plane in case these biplanes decided to attack again. When quite certain of my position, I dropped the four 20 pound bombs and received a note from the gunner explaining his ineptitude in reloading the machine gun which read. “I am a Vickers Gunner and don’t know the Lewis Gun”.
With the gun out of commission and all bombs disposed of I left the scene of the scrap and headed for Ismalia with the nose down and about three quarter throttle. My controls were very sloppy and the motor up to its old intermittent firing tricks. On landing at Ismalia the plane came to a halt looking like a wounded duck with the right wing drooping as the result of damage from enemy fire. It was totally unserviceable so we left for Suez almost immediately by train. The Royal Flying Corps were going to recondition it and would let me know when to take delivery. Captain Watt requested that the 2D wings be fitted instead of the old 2C ones and this was done.
Might I digress here and become a little technical. The 2D planes had a more torpedo like entry at the leading edge called a Phillips entry. It causes an earlier flow of air over the top and lower surfaces of the wing section giving a greater speed yet not diminishing its lifting potentialities and was a great improvement. In other words the 2C plane section would be likened to a semi clutching hand moving forward and the 2D the hand would be held quite straight.
I made reconnaissance flights every day in other machines until I got my reconditioned plane back ten days later when Second Lieutenant A M Burton and I left by train for Ismalia to collect it. It was the hottest day of the year about 130 degrees and we received a terrible buffeting all the way back to Suez. However, the swim at Tewfik baths that afternoon offset our discomfort.