A different kind of war story

Those who recognize the name of John N.Boothman will most likely associate him with the Schneider Cup races, 1929-1931. The following is taken from an article in AEROPLANE (28 July 1944) and is, in my view, is an interesting and unusual story.

"Air Commodore John Boothman, who has just received a DFC for skill, resolution and devotion to duty, has probably had as strange a career as has any officer in the RAF. He is as old as the century and in 1916, being then 16 years of age, he tried to get into the Royal Flying Corps. As they would not have him because of his age, he went as a pupil to the George W. Beatty School of Flying at Hendon, and became one of the very few English pilots who learned to fly on a Wright biplane, as modified for English use.

"The RFC turn him down again, although he had learned to fly, so he volunteered for the French Red Cross and, knowing no more than schoolboy French, he was sent out to Salonica.

"On arriving there he went to the French Service d'Aviation and announced that he was a pilot aviateur. So the French, who had no qualms about age, said in effect, 'Come and aviate'. So he became a private in the French army.

"Telling his experiences to a friend, he said that the war in the Balkans was his idea of a gentleman's war. As a French soldier he got French food and French wine. As an Englishman he could go into a YMCA hut and but English cigarettes and English beer. His squadron had two aircraft for each pilot, a water-cooled Spad with which in the morning, while the air was cool, they flew along the defiles of the Balkans and dropped bombs on the Bulgars on the roads and shot them up. For the afternoon work, when the sun grew hot, they had air-cooled Nieuports, with which they flew over the tops of the hills and shot up any Bulgar posts which they could find, or dropped bombs into the valleys. They drew ammunition on a Monday, shot it all off by Wednesday evening, and had the rest of the week to themselves.

"In spite of this rather haphazard method of war making, the 'Army of the Orient' won its war before the Army of the West did.

"For the reader's edification...the Army of the Orient, in France at any rate, was looked upon as a kind of dump into which all the dud officers and second- and third-rate men were shoved....To show their contempt for their critics, the Army of the Orient wore the Turkish Crescent as a hat badge.

"Somewhere about the middle of 1918 a Manpower official came to Father Boothman and reminded him that he had a son approaching 18 years of age, who would in due course have to report for military duty. Father Boothman said in effect, 'Sorry about that, but my son has been flying for the French for the past year in the Balkans'. The Manpower man said it had nothing to do with him and that young Boothman must be called back to report.

"So a cable was sent, and he came back. He landed at Southhampton as the maroons were going up on Armistice Day, within a few days of his 18th birthday.

"Which is why young Air Commodore Boothman, as he is at the time of writing, wears a French Croix de Guerre and two 1914-1918 medal ribbons, although he was under military age at the end of that war..."

[Lufbery]

Excellent, Hugh, thanks for posting that!

-Drew

Hugh,
Thanks. It's accounts like this that give so much flavor and character to those long ago days.

Regards,
Mark Daymont

Is this the same A/C Boothman who appears in Above the Trenches by C.F. Shores, Norman Franks & Russell Guest?

Absolutely marvelous tale! Share others when you have the opportunity! Regards. Lee

Entente Cordiale indeed!

I do not have a copy of Above the Trenches and will not be able to consult one before Friday (the 19th) at the earliest. Can somebody answer Miles' question on my behalf before that date ? Thanx.

[stephen]

Now THAT was a fun story. Thanks, Hugh.

[Frank_Olynyk]

I do not find Boothman in Above the Trenches. Nor do I find a listing for him in my RFC/RNAS/RAF claims list (in progress). Possibly the reference was to Boothroyd?

Frank.

[Billy_Bishop]

IF he was in the French Air Service, then perhaps he's listed in the book on French Aces?? Assuming that he was an Ace.

VBR,

Al Lowe