Item 05: Geoffrey Forrest Hughes diary, 1918 - Page 95
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[Page 95]
Letter to Aunty Mary.
Wednesday 13 March [1918]
Up at 7. Went off at 9 leading 11 machines on offensive patrol to cooperate with bomb raids. By careful manoeuvering & feint attacks we drew four formations of ten Huns each to Cambrai. Having done the job without any fighting I was about to go home when some fool in my formation dived on ten triplanes below us. I had to go down too though there were between 40 & 50 E.A. around us. Had a terrific fight in which we shot down two Huns, three out of control & two driven down! I got a Phalz [also spelt Pfalz] & Claye a Triplane. Claye's gun jambed & we had to dive for home persued by six triplanes! We lost Wells & Crammond, and Allen & Watson who are missing. On the whole we put it well across old Richtofen [also spelt Richthofen] & his Circus. My machine badly shot about. Everyone very bucked with what the G.O.C. [General Officer Commanding] called a "magnificent effort". Dinner in Amiens. A new pilot & observer killed in an awful crash on the aerodrome. Some day!