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Tellier 200 with characteristic "G"
code - for Guernsey based
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In August and September 1917, three enemy submarines
and a floating mine were seen by patrols from the Guernsey
station, but they were unable to attack for a variety
of reasons, mainly related to the weather. In December
1917, another submarine was sighted but it dived before
they could attack. Bad weather was a real problem, because
the seaplanes, heavily loaded with bombs and fuel,needed
a longer run than was available within the harbour.
They had to try to take off in the swell outside the
harbour mouth, which meant hitting into the waves with
considerable force as they gained speed. Fog also caused
difficulties, as they had no means of calculating where
they were except by line of sight. The aviators had
to wear special thick clothing, especially in cold and
wet weather, as they had no other protection from the
elements. Landing in rough weather always carried with
it the risk of capsize or damage to the hull.
However, despite these difficult operating circumstances,
on January 30 1918, a newly laid minefield was spotted,
and on January 31 two seaplanes sighted a submarine
south of the Hanois lighthouse, and before it could
dive, they fired on it and scored two direct hits. It
was seen attempting to come up five times before heeling
over to port and disappearing amid patches of oil. In
April, command of the base passed from Lieutenant le
Cour-Grandmaison to Lieutenant Flandrin, his former
first lieutenant. On April 4, another minefield was
found, this time near Jersey and on April 23 a U boat
was seen waiting in thick fog for a convoy to pass near
St Martin's Point. Ten bombs were dropped on it as it
moved in to fire its torpedoes, and it disappeared.
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During May 1918, there were five attacks by Guernsey based planes
on German submarines, all of which caused substantial damage or
destruction. Early in the month, the seaplane squadron sighted
a German submarine in time to warn a convoy of 41 French ships
which were just about to enter the Channel. Another incident on
6 May saw two seaplanes attacking a German submarine near the
Roches Douvres before it could attack a Cherbourg to Brest convoy,
and on 18 May, two seaplanes dropped bombs on a submarine which
had been attacking an English convoy south of the Cornish coast.
All of this activity caused the U boats to move further away
from the island, but the seaplanes also moved further afield,
working over the open sea. On 31 May, 30 miles west of the Hanois
they chased off a submarine which was shelling a becalmed English
ship, Dundee P.14, travelling from St Malo to Portsmouth. After
dropping two bombs, pilots reported that the submarine disappeared
leaving an oily residue on the surface of the sea. The seaplanes
then landed on the sea nearby, to check that all was well before
returning to base. In June, they attacked a submarine before
it could attack a big American convoy near the Casquets, and
in July, there were six attacks on submarines and several convoys
were warned of the presence of enemy submarines. In August,
there were four more attacks, which were made more difficult
as the Germans had begun to camouflage their vessels to make
them look like Allied submarines. There was little flying in
September and October, because of poor weather, and submarine
activity came to a close in the months leading up to the Armistice.
As a result of these actions, several French pilots and observers
based in Guernsey were awarded the Croix de Guerre and other
honours. These and other successes meant that by February Lieutenant
le Cour-Grandmaison was able to recommend Ensigne du Vaisseau
Merveilleux du Vignaux for the Croix de Guerre with Palm, for
being an officer with 177 flying hours, who, on 13 September
1917, attacked a large submarine, and on November 17 stayed
in the air for six hours and made an enemy submarine go under
water twice. On January 31 1918 he again attacked a large submarine,
causing "grave damage which may have caused the loss
of this vessel". Quartermaster Chapin was recommended
for the same award, as he was Merveilleux du Vignaux's Observer
on these occasions. Others including Pilot Officer Lambert were
also recommended for various honours at this time.
The Croix de Guerre was also awarded to the station as a whole,
for 25 attacks on enemy submarines and the discovery of three
minefields, all between 9 August 1917 and 30 August 1918. Carpenters
at the station made a wooden model of it, which they fixed to
one of the barracks at the base.
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Flyers from the French Air base at
Castle Cornet, taken when the base was disbanded in January
1919
Front row: QM Observateur Kerjean, SM Pilote Sylvestre,
QM Observateur Gregoire
Middle row:QM Observateur Richez, SM Pilotes Gamain, Deschodt,
Lambert and Barthe, QM Observateurs Chapin and Berest,
SM Observateur Lescut.
Back row:
Sgt Pilote Pichard, QM Observateur Auffret, QM Pilotes
Radison and Desnoyelles, SM Pilote Clot and QM Observateur
Massol.
(with kind permission of
Mr John Goodwin, Guernsey)
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When the aviators left the island early in 1919, their base
was dismantled and the buildings auctioned off. The sale attracted
a crowd of 250 people, and prices were said to be good, with
large sheds realising between £94 and £114, and
smaller ones achieving £18 to £82. The cases sold
for between £10 and £18 each. The seaplanes themselves
were taken back to Cherbourg on the barge that had brought them
over when the base was built.
Thus eighteen months after its arrival, the seaplane base no
longer existed. Its existence had never been reported during
that time despite the fact that it was a major construction
that brought over 100 French airmen to the island, and its existence
undoubtedly saved the lives of many sailors and helped essential
foodstuffs to get through to Channel ports. It was also reported
that no member of the crew of the Guernsey station was killed
in action.
BBC
Report 2014
A
contemporary model seaplane
Bibliography
Davis, E.V. (undated) Sarnia's Record in the Great War, Guernsey
Star
Ford, D. Fear God and Honour the King, Jersey Heritage Trust.
Taylor, K, The French Seaplane Base in Guernsey,1917-1918,
in Journal, Channel Islands Specialist Society.
Guernsey Star, Guernsey Evening Press and Guernsey Weekly Press,
various editions from late 1918 to mid 1919, courtesy of the
Priaulx Library Collection.
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