Eccentricities

Certain renowned Flyers appear to have behavioural patterns which the majority did not share. viz.
1 Ball lived in a hut on his own, had a garden and marched round it playing the violin. Nothing wrong with that. Was he just anti social?
2 Rene Fonk undoubtedly brave and probably the best shot in W.W.1 couldn't help telling "porky pies" and with one exception was friendless.
3 Ira Jones to his subsequent embarrassment carried a notice in his cockpit, "He must fall, remember Ball."
4 Keith Park always wore a crash helmet. Protection when he crashed? Or against bullets entering his skull.
5 McScotch seemed to go in for interior decorating see picture of his hut which he shared with Hall (40 Squadron)
6 Mannock's Socialism apparently caused him to have near appoplexy when viewing pictures of society ladies patronising the poor and needy.
This behaviour may not appear eccentric to other forumites but are there any other examples that you would care to share with us?
Regards
Peter S.

[Barrett]

It's not really an eccentricity, but the WW I habit of collecting trophies from victims' aircraft would not be widely approved today--most un-PC. For instance, when a Dutch F-16 pilot bagged a Yugo MiG a couple of years back, his identity was witheld and he was not permitted to paint a victory flag on his aircraft.
On the whole, however, combat is the ultimate meritocracy and personal foibles tend to be overlooked or at least tolerated if the individual is a "producer."

[Vigilant]

I think after a few near death experiences at 10,000 feet and watching numerous mates go down as 'flamers' we might all become a little eccentric!

Sizzle wonk,

Vigilant

[mike_baram]

Not WWI connected, but Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson sucked lemons and walked around with his left arm raised.
I wonder if there's a correlation between nuttiness and effectiveness in combat. After all, you have to be a little meshugge to stand up when all kinds of pieces of metal are flying toward you.

Didn't Richthofen have little silver cups made as a momento for each of his victories? Nobody else I know did this.
I read somewhere that Rhys Davis (I hope that's the spelling) went into battle shouting or reciting Latin or Greek Tags or was it Homer's Illyad? He must have told somebody because nobody could have heard him doing it.
I hope this has not offended, because such was not my intention.
Regards
Peter S.

[Stephanie]

Barrett is quite right about combat and merit. Collecting 'souvenirs' or trophies is one of the oldest forms of proclaiming power in many diverse cultures. Painting aircraft with victory badges is only a continuation of such practices.

Whether in the present we deem our civilisation to have surpassed the need for combatants to allow themselves this behaviour is another matter. For, just as one might argue that more PC conduct is demanded of today's society, it is also true that mores and rules, as it were, for war and combat have been set down and recognised for just as long as these souvenir practices have been going on.

I`ve read that Guynemer near the end began to hear voices, would walk the floor of his room pacing endlessly at night, and became very paranoid. This man had to have been suffering from combat fatigue-

[Craig]

Warriors should be allowed their eccentricities, trophies, etc. While the latter may seem a bit macabre, it's not like the job they are trained to do is any less so. Whatever it takes to get their performance optimized . . . . the better off the folks at home will sleep.

What about Billy Bishop ? Creates an airfield then shoots it up.

[Michael Skeet]

Don't know if it qualifies as "eccentric," but a handful of RFC pilots (Ball and Bishop come to mind) were given essentially a free hand -- I've seen it referred to as "a roving commission" to fly by themselves whenever and wherever they chose. Barker seems to have had such an assignment when he engaged in his VC-winning fight.

A lot of what we think of as eccentric behaviour was probably an individual's response to stress. The binge drinking was the same sort of thing. (Human behaviour in response to stress is fascinating. I remember reading a study of heroin addiction of US soldiers in Vietnam: a huge majority of these men were supposedly able to kick the habit as soon as they were removed from the combat zone.)