Description
Mr. Conrad gives an eye witness account of an Allied spotter plane being chased and shot down by a German aircraft, with a surprisingly humorous outcome.
Frank Benjamin Conrad
Frank Benjamin Conrad was born in Sturgeon, Prince Edward Island on July 25, 1894. He enlisted in November 1914 with the 9th Field Ambulance and trained at Valcartier until June, 1915 when he transferred to the 2nd Canadian Siege Battery at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. He sailed to England aboard the S.S. Lapland on November 28, 1915, and arrived in France on June 1, 1916 as a signaler with the rank of Gunner. He saw action at the Somme, Vimy Ridge, Hill 70, and Passchendaele. He was wounded twice, was gassed at Hill 70, and won the Military Medal for maintaining communications under fire. After the war, Mr. Conrad married Florence Jessie Lantz on September 22, 1923 and established a wholesale food company in Charlottetown. He joined #6 Signals Company as Lieutenant, and eventually commanded the Company before retiring in 1938 as a Lieutenant-Colonel. He re-enlisted in 1940 as a Major with 3rd Divisional Signal Regiment, and served in England and Italy, commanding the Canadian Brigade Reinforcement Unit as a Lieutenant-Colonel. After the Second World War he was appointed District Administrator, DVA, for Prince Edward Island. Mr. Conrad died on August 13, 1986.
Transcript
I saw that early in the morning. One of our observation planes was trying to get home and he was being pursued by a Fritzie fighter who had apparently about three times the speed that our fellow had. And he was zooming in around him, and up and down and everything and he was shooting at him all the time. This was taking place no more than, oh, 500 yards in the air. And eventually, our plane came down, apparently out of control, but it pancaked to a little landing. And within, oh, I suppose a couple hundred yards from me. So I made a dash over to see what I could find, but perhaps to get some souvenirs. And out stepped two young British officers. I swear they weren’t more than 17 years of age, they looked so youthful. They stepped out and one fellow said to the other, “I say, he was jolly hot stuff, wasn’t he? ” And they marched off, laughing. Talk about your nerve.