Daylight bombing
First World War Audio Archive
Daylight bombing
Transcript
Pilot wearing heavy mitts.
We had these DH-9's that had, the later models that the Americans flew when they came into the war were the DH-9A, which had the Liberty engines which went into production in a big way in the United States. But we had a great big Siddeley Puma 6 cylinder engine, inline engine, of 210 horsepower and the airplane would fly and we could get it up to about ten to, on a very good day, twelve thousand feet maybe. We could carry two 115 pound bombs under the wings or one 230 pounder, which fit in under the fuselage and just ahead of the undercarriage or about eight 25 pounders. But that took a special attachment to thePhotograph of Pilot wearing a fur coat.
bomb rack on the bottom of the wings. That was our mission, daylight bombing, and we were concentrating mainly on the submarine pens which were up the canal into Oostend and at Oostend and then at Brugge, which is up quite a long canal from Zeebrugge. We’d go over there everyday and maybe twice a day sometimes. And then we had a variety of other targets - one or two German aerodromes and a big ammunition dump, which we were lucky enough to hit and it burnt for about 10 days. They couldn’t put the fire out. Also I was there when the Royal Navy did the bombardment and sunk the ship inside the mole, as it was called, which was the breakwater to guard the entrance to the canal atPilot getting his commission in front of the plane.
Oostend on the coast and block the submarines from getting in or out. And I think there were two or three of them trapped up inside and they couldn’t use it anymore for a submarine repair and maintenance base for the North Sea.Description
Mr. Dickins describes the DH-9 bomber and its armaments, and the different types of bombing missions he flew.
Clennell Haggerston ‘Punch’ Dickins
Clennell Haggerston ‘Punch’ Dickins was born in Portage la Prairie on January 12, 1899. He interrupted his education at the University of Alberta in 1917 by enlisting in the 196th Battalion, having already completed an officer training course. After being sent to England, he joined the 21st Reserve Battalion. His brother, an observer with the Flying Corps, convinced him to join the Air Force. Mr. Dickins jumped from the Canadian to the British Army in order to facilitate a transfer to the Air Force. Once there, he trained at Tetford in a Morris Marmon Shorthorn. His active duty was with 211 Squadron at Dunkirk. Mr. Dickins and his gunner are credited with 7 enemy aircraft destroyed, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. After the war, he spent time in the RCAF, with whom he did aerial photo-survey work. However, most of his civilian career was spent flying in Canada’s North, adapting aircraft for Arctic flight. He became one of Canada’s most famous bush pilots and a pioneer in aviation. Mr. Dickins and his wife Connie (nee Gerrie) lived in Gold Pines, Ontario. Mr. Dickins died on August 2, 1995.
Meta Data
- Medium:
- Video
- Owner:
- Veterans Affairs Canada
- Duration:
- 2:13
- Person Interviewed:
- Clennell Haggerston ‘Punch’ Dickins
- War, Conflict or Mission:
- First World War
- Location/Theatre:
- Europe
- Branch:
- Army
- Units/Ship:
- 196th Battalion
- Rank:
- Second Lieutenant
- Occupation:
- Pilot
Attestation
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