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Auction: 18001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 18

An interesting Great War period pilot's Flying Log Book appertaining to Lieutenant R. J. Hook, D.F.C., Royal Air Force, late Royal Flying Corps, who went on to witness active service in North Russia in 1919

Army Book 425 type, covering the period May 1918 to September 1919, in good condition

Reuben John Hook was born on 4 March 1898 and was educated at Wallingbrook College, Chulmleigh, Devon. Initially serving as a 2nd Lieutenant with the 8th Battalion, Rifle Brigade, he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps in January 1918, qualified as a pilot and was posted to No. 101 Squadron in France.

His Flying Log Book records his subsequent experiences on active service, commencing on 25 May 1918 with a strafing mission of the roads into Bray: 'First trip over, 2 drums'. That afternoon, he conducted a second attack, this time using one drum of ammunition.

A few days later he attacked the roads around Albert and, on the 26th, between Abbeville and Le Treport - he 'test-skimmed the sands'. For the next three weeks, he flew an almost daily series of sorties attacking roads, billets and aerodromes around Albert and Maricourt; his log keeps a careful record of rounds spent and a mission dropping bombs on N. Peronne being noted as a 'rotten show'.

June continued to be a busy month with strafing missions over Fricourt and Trones Woods and an attack on the railway around Le Cateau. In July he conducted numerous reconnaissance missions and attacked the German billets around Albert and Trones: on many occasions his entries record over 300 rounds expended.

On 9 August 1918, Hook took off with Lieutenant Alcock at 11.15pm on a sortie over Brie Bridge. He expelled 100 rounds but, owing to misty conditions, he crashed into a wood near Treport. He was seriously injured and invalided to hospital in London. He was awarded the D.F.C. (London Gazette 3 August 1918, refers).

His next flight would not be until May 1919, after a posting to Armaments School. He was subsequently embarked for Russia.

On 6 June 1919, he flew his first operational mission, strafing gunboats at Kurgomen. Thereafter, he participated in attacks on Putchega aerodrome, enemy gunboats on the Dwina, and strafed barges and enemy trenches at Selmenga; his Flying Log Book is carefully annotated with a list of targets and the ammunition used.

Hook flew his final sortie on 16 September 1919 - against a target at Beresnik - and was transferred to the Unemployment List on 11 October 1919, having flown 73 sorties in France and a further 40 sorties in Russia.

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Sold for
£400