McCudden 30 Dec 1915

James McCudden’s account: 

“By now, having flown a good deal with major Hewitt, I intensely disliked ever going up with anyone else, for I can assure you that I knew when I was flying with a safe pilot…… on December 30, 1915, I went up with a sergeant Bayetto to escort some B.E.2c’s of No.2 Squadron who were going to bomb Douai aerodrome. However the weather became very cloudy, and we returned west above the clouds. We were above the clouds for about 10 minutes, and so I told the pilot to go down, and as we saw the ground under the clouds we found we were over a slag heap half a mile from our aerodrome. I need not add that this was much more by luck than judgement.”


P83 Flying Fury, James McCudden VC

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McCudden 25 Dec 1915

It is highly likely that Toné spent Xmas evening with James McCudden whose account follows:

“On that evening all the Sergeants in the squadron waited on the men at Xmas dinner, according to an old army custom and the men really did themselves very well. After the men had fed, we retired to our mess, and had our dinner, which was a great success, largely due to our kindly host and hostess, with whom we had our meals in our billet behind the squadron office at Auchel. After dinner we had the inevitable speech-making, at which “Fonso” was at his very best. He also recited a revised version of “Gunga Din” (his own), which family made us scream with laughter. Fonso also had a most extensive repertoire of drawing room stories and he was constantly on his feet most of the evening. Altogether the Xmas of 1915 at Auchel was, I think, one of the very best I have ever spent”

McCudden 14 Dec 1915

James McCudden’s account:

“On the 14th I went out with Sergeant Bayetto, a new pilot of No. 3 Squadron, to show him the lines and the principal landmarks. We were out for over half an hour, as there was not much doing on the line that morning.” 


P78 Flying Fury, James McCudden VC

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