Sykes, Ronald (Oral history)

British officer served as pilot with 9 Sqdn Royal Naval Air Service on Western Front, 1917; served with 3 Sqdn Royal Naval Air Service and 203 Sqdn RAF on Western Front, 1918; served with 201 Sqdn RAF on Western Front, 1918; piloted seaplanes with North Russia Relief Force, 1919; POW in Russia, 1919-1920

REEL 1 Aspects of recruitment and flying training with Royal Naval Air Service at Redcar Royal Naval Air Station and Cranwell, 1917: recruitment, 1/4/1917; crash landing following disorientation in cloud; aircraft flown; question of restrictions on stunt flying; view of successful landing of crippled British airship; family links with Royal Navy. Aspects of period as officer flying Sopwith Triplanes and Sopwith Pups with 12 Squadron, Royal Naval Air Service based at Dunkirk, 9/1917: encouragement of stunting; looping. Recollections of period flying Sopwith Camels with 9 Sqdn Royal Naval Air Service based at Leffrinckoucke, 9/1917: spinning and recovery; senior officers; initial advice from Flight Commander Roy Brown. REEL 2 Continues: method of coming out of power dive during familiarisation flight with Captain Roy Brown; vertical bank manoeuvre; role of patrols; story of being shot down near Nieuport Canal, 10/1917. Evacuation to GB, 10/1917: nurses at Quaker Hospital, Dunkirk; evacuation by destroyer as Royal Naval Air Service personnel. Aspects of period as instructor at Manston, 1917: Sopwith Camel familiarisation for new pilots; flights ferrying spares in BE2 C; test flying repaired crashed aircraft; need for experienced Sopwith Camel pilots on Western Front and consequent posting to Pilots Pool, Dunkirk, 3/1918. REEL 3 Continues: Recollections of period as officer with 3 Sqdn Royal Naval Air Service and 203 Sqdn RAF, 3/1918-8/1918: senior officers; question of relative maintenance of aircraft of Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service; situation; high level offensive patrols including nature of dogfights, German aircraft recognition, effects of cold and personal morale; situation during retreat to Estree-Blanche; low flying over German trenches led by Flight Commander Little; crash landing by Little; circumstances of transfer as replacements to 201 Sqdn RAF. Recollections of period as officer with 201 Sqdn RAF, 8/1918-1/1919: first flight. REEL 4 Continues: question of competition in maintenance of Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service aircraft; comparison of Sopwith Camels powered by Bentley, Clergets and Le Rhones; Camel rudder bar straps; ground strafing patrols in Somme area, including dust from traffic, targets, bomb dropping mechanism, casualties from British artillery shells and ground fire; engine strain on low flying Camels; crash landing due to engine failure near Australian troops in Villers Bretonneux sector; shooting down of Major Booker; tactical flying training flights with Captain Kinkead; story of Kinkead using Sykes as decoy in shooting down German aircraft. REEL 5 Continues: story of escorting bombers and covering Kinkead's tail whilst he shot down German aircraft; ground attack patrols in support of infantry attack on Hindenburg Line; story of Lieutenant Nick Carter being shot down over Hindenburg Line; rapid German retreat; promotion to command A Flight and flight markings; role of commanding officer Major Leman; dogfight with high performance German aircraft and shooting down of Lieutenant Mills. REEL 6 Continues: Period in Cambrai area, 11/1918 -1/1919: postal flights; patrols to check observance of Armistice. Aspects of period at Westgate, GB, 5/1919-8/1919: spotting mines for mine-sweepers in English Channel; flying characteristics of Short Seaplanes; navigation to rendezvous with mine-sweepers; story of forced landing in sea, use of messenger pigeons, rescue and tow initially by fishing boats then HMS Chatham. Recollections of period with Seaplane Station as part of Syren Expeditionary Force based at Medvyezhya Gora by Lake Onega, Soviet Union, 8/1919: journey out; situation. REEL 7 Continues: flying Sopwith Camel from forward airstrip at Lumbushi; leaflet dropping; forced landing in forest, 31/8/1919. Recollections of period as POW of Soviet Russians, 9/1919-3/1920: capture by party of White Russians defecting to Soviet Russians; journey via transit camps to Vologda; food; question of parole and escape; move with other British POWs to Moscow; conditions; efforts to secure release via British Padre North; story of Colonel Van de Spuy's negotiations with Russian criminal elements to arrange escape to Poland; acceptance by Russian authorities of POW status; transport across Moscow to monastery; plans to escape; exchange of POWs and Padre North at Finnish border, 3/1920; return to GB, 3/1920.