Brian,

March 21st 1918 saw the beginning of the Germans’ spring offensive, which was effectively a last-ditch attempt to win the war before too many American troops arrived in France (simplified version, if any experts are reading!). They pushed the allies back nearly thirty miles in places and the attacks continued, with lessening success, into early June so, whatever happened to the Norfolks, it was almost certainly during one of the battles of the “Kaiserschlact”. On March 21st, for example, the 11th Battalion Essex Regiment were ordered to counter-attack and, in the ensuing chaos as they tried to find a jumping-off line already over-run by the Germans, took heavy losses. After three days in the line they were withdrawn and, of over 600 officers and men who had set off on the 21st, 80-odd marched back on the 24th. So that sort of loss rate was not unique by any means.

Have you investigated the Long, Long Trail and the associated Great War Forum?

http://www.1914-1918.net/ – link to GWF at bottom of page.

Hope that helps,

Adrian

Hurrah – I was beginning to think that no-one else took any pics (mine are still latent, on the old emulsiony stuff, what do they call it nowadays?) – in fact you can’t have been far from me when they were lining the Hucks starter up, I was on the audience side of the fence.

We took Dad for his 80th birthday, and despite watching most of it from the car (benefit of a Berlingo – huge windscreen!) he loved it. He was delighted with the Lysander. It really made his day as he’d not seen one since they were in service, and as we came back from the gents in near-darkness I took him into the hangar and he had a proper look up close. You don’t get much of that at DX… And Mum has a bad eye and has real trouble with bright lights, so saw a lot more than she would have on a sunny day. So it wasn’t all bad news weather-wise, even if it was cold enough to freeze the balls off a Watt’s Patent Governor.

Now imagine if you could get the Storch, the Lysander, a Westland-Hill Pterodactyl and a Grainger Archaeopteryx – what a stunning assembly of prehistoric flying creatures you’d have!

Very nice, Nick, thank you for posting.

Adrian

And two passes over Port Meadow for a silver Tiger Moth bearing the serial DE470. Very nice!

Adrian

First Spitfire of the summer, I think, flying E-W over Port Meadow Oxford quite high, so heaven only knows which one. Obviously pootling, as making nice noise but not going fast, or making that Merlin crackle. Still good to see, though!

Adrian