RFC Communiques - the Chaz Bowyer variant

[MikeW]

I think we might have discussed this before, but it's probably worth chewing it over again.

I keep coming up with contemporary references to various RFC Communiques, but when I check the appropriate Communique in Royal Flying Corps Communiques 1917 - 1918 published by Grub Street and compiled by Chaz Bowyer, the information is usually subtly different and sometimes grossly different.

I note in his introduction, Chaz states "Operations routinely carried out by the bomber and army co-operation squadrons have been omitted with only certain individual actions being high-lighted". I am not clear if he is referring to his own editing of the communiques, or that the communiques actually miss this information out.

If he has edited the communiques, I would suggest that they are of even less use than I had originally considered them and it's about time they were republished with their correct content.


Mike

[Vigilant]

Mike

I saw that sentence and had to read it three times too! I concluded he must be referring to the editing process that went on during the war - not later by himself. Otherwise, as you say, half the historical value of the Communiques is lost: we do not see how the RFC saw itself.

Can you give some examples of the discrepancies?

Vig.

[MikeW]

Vig,

in "Air Command", Collishaw states that on the 6th july 1917 he got 6 OOCs in one fight (he was actually credited with 1 OOC) and that the communique gave him 1 OOC and 5 Probable OOCs.

the chaz Bowyer Communique just mentions Collishaw amongst a bunch of other RNAS pilots that had made OOC claims.

Now that could just be yet another error (amongst the many) in Air Command, but that's the one I was looking at the other day.

On occasion, I found Above The Trenches making reference to something in a Communique that doesn't seem to exist - again, that could be yet another error in ATT --aarrgghh - did I just say that?

Hugh Halliday mentioned that sometimes Canadian Air Historical notes taken from communiques in the 30s seem different when compared to the book.

I don't know, it's odd.


Mike