大象传媒

鈥淢y dear Hilda, Just a short note to let you know that I arrived very much OK last evening but sorry to say it was raining鈥︹��

So begin the letters of 28-year-old Jack Booth after his arrival at Upavon in Wiltshire. The 2nd Lt, from Toronto in Canada, arrived in July 1917 as another candidate of the Royal Flying Corps鈥� Central Flying School.

His writings are included in the personal papers of Hilda Gosling, which are now archived in the Imperial War Museum. Jack was obviously quite taken with Hilda but we鈥檒l never know if he was aware he was one among a number of potential suitors. Hilda鈥檚 papers include letters from three other men.

Jack鈥檚 excitement at his training is evident when he writes to Hilda about a 鈥榬ed letter day鈥� for him.

鈥淚 did a solo this morning on a Sopwith 鈥榩up鈥� and they are certainly a lovely little bus to fly. This solo is different from the others because in previous ones you take off and make 1 circuit and land usually about 9 minutes but this time he says oh stay up about 30 or 40 minutes and get quite used to the machine before you land.鈥�

However, Jack鈥檚 first flight on his own 鈥� a solo - was marred by what he evidently thinks are poor attitudes towards training.

鈥淲hen I got out the OC [Officer Commanding] says, 鈥榃ell, how do you like it?鈥� Of course I said 鈥榝ine鈥�. He says, 鈥榙id you loop it?鈥� I said 鈥榥o鈥�. Then he says, 鈥榃ell, why didn鈥檛 you?鈥� I said, 鈥榃hen I get shown how to do it and I get the sensation then I鈥檒l do all you like but not before鈥�. Then he said 鈥榃ell we never have to show pupils that, in this flight. They always go up and loop, etc鈥�. Incidentally we had 3 fellows killed here on Saturday and 3 others badly crashed so I looked at him and said 鈥榃ell I鈥檓 not all the others. I鈥檓 just myself and loop or no loop I鈥檓 not going to have a lot of fellows walking slow behind me if I can help it. And I鈥檓 not going to shove a machine into something I don鈥檛 know what it feels like then have a crash just because somebody tried to tell me verbally.鈥�

Jack says the officer walked away, 鈥榪uite peeved鈥� but after lunch told him to report to a Captain Davies for a course on stunts. Jack was about to be trained the way he wanted:

鈥淗e asked me how many stunts I had done. I replied none. He smiled and I said to myself 鈥榞ood bye dinner鈥�. Well I got in the back seat and before I knew it we were turning circles at 80 miles an hour in a vertical position. We turned about 10 times with the sky and earth making a long line and the farm fields were going by like pickets on a fence.鈥�

Wing Commander (Rtd) Jeff Jefford is the editor of the RAF Historical Society Journal. He says that Jack鈥檚 experience is typical of how training was carried out.

鈥淚t was only towards the end of the war that effective training methods were brought into play. When Jack Booth was at Upavon, home to the Central Flying school though it may have been, he鈥檚 still evidently under a fairly primitive training regime. You鈥檇 fly straights, then just do simple turns and then be sent solo, after as little as two hours. After that, it was practically a question of learning from your own mistakes; there was little further close instruction once you鈥檇 gone solo. And the accident rate was pretty horrendous.鈥�

But Jack鈥檚 time at Upavon, which was a training airfield, wasn鈥檛 always exciting. He speaks of things being 鈥榲ery slow鈥� and that his time is sure to 鈥榟ang very heavy鈥�. This led to unsatisfying trips which only stoked his desire to improve his entertainment prospects.

鈥淭here is another dance tonight at Devizes and quite a few of the boys are going but not me. Once in that crowd was enough. They could not even do a plain waltz or two-step and not one fox trot or one step on the programme. A chap named Rowatt and myself had a little meeting to ourselves last night and half decided to run a dance at least we decided to go to either Devizes or Pewsey and see what we can rent the Hall for, we shall use some Red Cross argument and possibly get the hall for nothing or very little, then the RFC have an excellent 10 piece orchestra which we may be able to get then we shall get busy and get an idea of how many will go. And believe me there will only be one set of Lancers and the remainder will be waltzes, one steps and fox trots, no more of these square dances. They died a natural death years ago.鈥�

The letter written to Hilda, dated 20 November, isn鈥檛 in Jack鈥檚 handwriting. It鈥檚 from another officer, R J Cole. who informs her of his death.

2nd Lt Jack Booth, RFC, was in Number 2 Aircraft Supply Depot. Attached to the depot was the pool for pilots just arrived in France awaiting posting to an operational squadron.

He is buried in Etaples, France.

Location: RFC Central Flying School, Upavon, WIltshire
Image: 2nd Lt Jack Booth, Royal Flying Corps, courtesy of Imperial War Museums

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