Tragic Accident Over The Western Front

Steve Johnson
Jul 18
5 min read

Earlier this week an article was published in the New Yorker magazine, written by staff writer Ed Caesar. The article, entitled THE FIRST WORLD WAR, IN SHARP FOCUS, tells the story of Captain Ewart Vincent Tempest, who served in the British Army during WW1 as the intelligence officer for the 1/6^th Battalion of the West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales Own), an infantry regiment in the British Territorial Forces. Before you ask what relevance this has to my website, I should add that there was a brief mention in the story of a fellow 1/6^th Battalion officer who was officially listed as being Killed In Action on the 6^th January 1918, but upon further investigation was found to have been killed in a flying accident involving two 6 Squadron aircraft. Why would an army officer who had not transferred or been seconded into the Royal Air Force (i.e. as a pilot or an observer) be flying in the first place. The man’s name, Walter Alexander Scales, rang a bell with me as I remembered mentioning his death in my book, Over the Western Front, and I thought the events leading up to the tragic event were worth recording here to reach a wider audience.

During WW1, 6 Squadron was always referred to as an ‘Army Cooperation’ squadron, since most of its duties (apart from bombing) involved day-to-day cooperation with various operational units of the allied army. From October 1914 until November 1917, 6 Squadron was based in the northern sector of the Western Front, in close proximity to Ypres, but when the Battle of Cambrai was planned by the Allies, the squadron was moved south to the Somme valley. Here are two extracts from my book, Over the Western Front, explaining what happened at the Battle of Cambrai and the consequences this had for 6 Squadron.

‘The reason for moving 6 Squadron south to Bertangles was for its aircraft to support the cavalry in the attack at Cambrai which commenced on the morning of the 20^th November, though this was contingent upon the success of the British tanks in clearing a path across which the cavalry would advance. In the event, though great advances were made before noon, by the end of the day, weather and mechanical failure bogged down the advance so much that the cavalry was unable to be used to effect and 6 Squadron was not called to take part. Pending further instructions, the men were ‘confined to camp’ until the 23^rd November, by which time it was clear that 6 Squadron would not be required. In an unprecedented move, one that was never to be repeated for any other squadron, it was decided that 6 Squadron would take on an instructional role in educating senior officers of the other military Arms in the capabilities and limitations regarding the Royal Flying Corps role in its army cooperation capacity.'

'Moving from supporting 2^nd (Corps) Wing, II Brigade, 6 Squadron now came under the control of HQ RAF and would remain so until the 20^th July 1918. The plan was to run consecutive four-day courses over a five month period, each course attended by twenty-four officers between the rank of Brigadier and Staff Captain, with one month dedicated to each of the five British Armies. Almost immediately, all of the 6 Squadron observers were transferred to other squadrons since they were no longer needed. The rear cockpits of each RE8 (eighteen aircraft in total) would in future be occupied by the officers under instruction. With the squadron no longer operational, preparations were made for the first intake of army officers, planned for mid-December. Bertangles aerodrome was capable of accommodating two squadrons, so 6 Squadron took one side of the aerodrome and the other side was used for the running of the courses and the accommodation of the army officers.’

Captain Scales attended one of the first courses (probably the third) run by 6 Squadron and the pilots at that time were still getting used to flying in close proximity to other aircraft, albeit friendly ones. This is evidenced by the fact that in the month of January 1918 alone, four aircraft were written off in accidents, with five men killed and two men injured. The first accident was the costliest and involved Captain Scales. Here is another extract from my book.

‘Captain Robert Reeder and 2^nd Lt Frederick A Egner were killed when their RE8s, Serials B5035 and B6493, collided in mid-air on the 6 January during an instructional flight. Their army officer passengers, Captain Walter Alexander Scales of the West Yorkshire Regiment and Major Richard Nagle Ford of the Royal Fusiliers, were also killed.’

From eye witness accounts it appears that both aircraft were conducting a similar exercise, that of using a fixed gunsight to shoot at a ground target, when the crew of one of the RE8s lost sight of the other aircraft until it was too late and they collided in mid-air. None of the men survived the resulting crash at Molliens-au-Bois and their bodies were transported 14 miles north to the Doullens Cemetery (Extension No 1) where they were buried side by side, with Ford and Scales in IV.A.10 and IV.A.11 and Reeder and Egner in IV.A.12 and IV.A.13. Due to the secrecy afforded to the Army officer training initiative run by 6 Squadron between December 1917 and March 1918 it is hardly surprising that the deaths of the two army officers were officially recorded as “Killed In Action”. With Captain Scales’ father already dead I wonder if his mother was ever informed of the real cause of her son’s death. It is likely we will never know the answer to that question.

It is interesting to note that 6 Squadron suffered no further casualties (to its men or to any of the course attendees) until the courses were terminated on the 20^th March 1918 at the surprise commencement of the German Spring Offensive. The squadron was ordered back to strength as a matter of urgency (requiring 18 new observers to replace those who were sent away in November 1917) so that it could be put under the direct command of HQ and used for ‘special duties’.

I have attached photographs of British Army officers who attended two of the instructional courses at 6 Squadron, though I do not have a date for either of them. The photograph taken in the snow must have been for one of the first courses as I can count twenty-four attendees. Perhaps Captain Scales is amongst them. Note the heavy clothing to combat the freezing temperatures in the open cockpits of the Royal Aircraft Factory RE8.