I was having a brief read of
High in the Empty Blue this morning and came upon a passage which really made me prick my ears up. Hugely.
The following is paraphrased from HITEB, p. 118, hope you don't mind Alex!
On 9th August 1917, 2Lt. I.C. MacGregor (C Flight, 56 Sqn) was on an evening patrol and was split up from his flight when his engine overheated. His engine quit over the Lines above Arras and he glided down to 300' and managed to get it started again by switching over to his emergency tank. Whereupon on looking down he found he was directly over a German aerodrome. Almost immediately he was set upon by an enemy scout which he shot down, before shooting up the sheds on the aerodrome and setting them on fire. After this MacGregor left the 'drome heading west and shortly after his engine cut again, this time from a bullet in it. He managed to make it to 5 Sqn at Acq where he force landed. Unfortunately for MacGregor it was a rough landing, the SE turned turtle and he was sent off to hospital.
This report is only known from an handwritten document (apparently written by MacGregor whilst at hospital). The report was not typed for inclusion in the squadron record, nor was he credited with the downed scout. This action is not mentioned (apparently) elsewhere, not squadron records, wing reports, nor personal diaries, etc. Alex points out that obviously the official view was that MacGregor had taken a bit of a knock and that this report was the product of shock.
Now I realise that there's the possibility that the official line was true, however IF MacGregor's account is true it is a hugely commendable action, one which on another similar occasion the pilot won a VC for (not mentioning names because I don't want this thread to turn into yet another discussion about that affair
)
I'm wondering if any further info has come to light regarding this since the publishing of HITEB (1995) and I'm wondering if anybody here with the sources can ascertain whether there is any report or documentation in the German records of an aerodrome being attacked on 9th August 1917 near Arras (I believe that Jasta 12 was stationed at Roucourt around this time and there may have been others). I realise that this might be a deadend and no further info can be gleamed, but I have to admit that I find this an enormously intriguing mystery, and if really is true it is a huge shame that MacGregor never had it acknowledged.
Junior.
12 January 2005, 11:46 AM
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