An Airman's Lost Letters

A note from the Editors: An undated letter from Oliver, describing his journey to France. Interesting that he is the second officer ever to go over officially listed as a 'Camel Pilot'. I wonder who was the first? No 1 AD Pool Pilots BEF France Dear Mother, The above is my present abode. I crossed on Friday 26.7.17 from Folkstone to Boulogne. We had a very quiet crossing really only with a nasty beam wind which made the boat roll nastily but not enough to make me feel seedy. The crossing was too absorbingly interesting anyway. There were four boats & 3 destroyers. I had only about an hour in Boulogne so had only time to smell the awful stenches of the place & to get some food at the officers club there. I then boarded a train which took four hours to go twenty miles! It stopped twice in open county away from a station because I suppose it was getting ahead of schedule. It stopped so long at most stations (save the name in most cases) that we (I & 3...

A note from the Editors: This telegram was enclosed in the last letter we posted. Soon Oliver will no longer be training... Telegram - handed in at 6.21, received 9.48 - 26 JUL 17 TO {Pearson Hill Crest LowdhamAm going out France Friday morning early letter follows Oliver

A note from the Editors: Oliver is getting stuck into the final stages of his training at Uphaven now, putting hours in on several Sopwith machines. Franked 25 JUL 17 Mrs Chas. E. Pearson, Hillcrest, Lowdham, Notts Central Flying School, Uphaven, Wilts. 24.7.17 Dear Mother I am very sorry my last letter should have had the note of sadness in it it was not meant to convey also that this one is so late for a Sunday Epistle. You I am sure read into my letters far more than is meant to be there. I don’t withdraw any of my statements this is a dismal hole & the mess is awful so awful that we “the Nine” as we call ourselves have permanently bagged the end of a table, from which at meal times there arises howls of laughter & loud jokes to the horror of the rest of the fellows. A bicycle is impossible as I could hardly use it in the time I have left if I could get one even. Aprs la guerre Maman je explainera tout les photographses till then you must be content with...

A note from the Editors: A rather confusing letter, as Oliver describes the canoes they have been using as 'single seater scouts'. He must obviously have fighters on the brain as he has just received the news that at the Central Flying School he will be taught to fly the famous Sopwith Camel, regarded by many as one of the best fighter aircraft produced during the Great War. A reputation for being very difficult to fly, it was also incredibaly manouverble and well armed with two Vickers guns firing through the propeller. It started service in the RFC about the same time as this letter, with 70 Squadron. The Avroes Oliver refers to are the venerable Avro 504 the RFC used as trainer aircraft. 34 RS RFC Ternhill (‘Royal Flying Corps, Market Drayton‘ on headed paper) Monday Franked 14 JY 17 Mrs Chas E Pearson 5 Madeira park Tonbridge Wells Central Flying School, Uphaven, Wilts. 13.7.17 Dear Mother I am writing to announce a change of address. I came here tod...

A note from the Editors: Since posting the last letter, we have found out, via the Great War forum , that '34 RS', was in fact No34 Reserve Squadron, where Oliver would have received his advanced flying training. This letter is undated, but is very near the end of Oliver's training at Ternhill. By this stage he must have been a proficient pilot, not only to be doing long cross country flights but also giving Officers joyrides! 34 RS RFC Ternhill (‘Royal Flying Corps, Market Drayton‘ on headed paper) Monday Dear Mother Since last writing very little has happened to speak of. I have been doing about an hour a day flying but little else. The rest of my time I spend lazing round & going for walks but the latter seem to have lost their interest since I lost my pup. On Friday I took up two officers who had never been up befor, & it was really quite funny to see the way in which they went on when they came down. They got as far as having heated argument...

Franked 3 JY 17 Mrs Chas E Pearson 5 Madeira park Tonbridge Wells Kent 34 RS RFC Ternhill Nr Market Drayton (‘Royal Flying Corps, Market Drayton‘ headed paper) 5.7.17 Dear Mother I well deserve a good strafeing for not writing sooner & my excuse should have been no excuse although it was the cause as it put writing clean out of my head till lait one night as I lay in bed thinking so I wrote first off next day. Nothing has been heard or seen of the missing photos so bang goes sixpence & a lot of pleasure. To-day I loaned a motor bike & went rouring round till I ran into a lot of wounded officers painting a church porch. One of them had been on the aerodrome that morning so I stopped & had tea & a rag with them & came away a bit cheered up but life does hang heavily on ones hands now; nothing to do all day exept bite ones nails & hang around. Bettys parcel seems to have arrived safely & she seems fearfully pleased with it. I don’t think...

A note from the Editors: The first letter from Oliver while training at Ternhill, Shopshire. We are unsure what '34 RS' is. Some sort of school or squadron? We can also sympathise with Oliver on the loss of his photographs... What we'd give to see a few snapshots of his life in the RFC! Franked 3 JY 17 Mrs Chas E Pearson 5 Madeira park Tonbridge Wells Kent 34 RS RFC Ternhill Nr Market Drayton (‘Royal Flying Corps, Market Drayton‘ headed paper) Dear Mother. I am sorry to have been so long in writing to assure you I arrived safely, I have done so, but I have been very upset indeed. I went into the Mess on arriving to get my mail & found among others a bill from Kodaks for 10/6 for my last four films. I expected them to arrive next morning but was opening my other letters when one of my friends came up & said “Lets look at your photos” & I told him they hadn’t arrived & he said of course they have they arrived two days ago. It seems that...

A note from the Editors: Because this letter is undated, we cannot be absolutely sure of its position amongst the others but believe this is about the right place in the sequence. UNDATED LETTER 34 R S RFC Tuesday (‘Royal Flying Corps, Market Drayton' headed paper) Dear Mother I arrived back safely at the time I expected. With a little difficulty I got the train stopped at Ternhill & so was saved the trouble of carrying a heavy bag 3 miles from Drayton. My camera has not arrived as they haven’t one in stock but I am trying other places. To-day is hot enough to fry potatoes. My leave did not come through for some reason & I am going to apply again. It’s a beastly nuisance & I cannot account for it at all. I am very fed up about it & think that my CO did not put in a good word for me. There is as yet no news, but you had better tell Auntie not to expect me till she gets a Telegram from me. I enjoyed those few days at home immensely they were s...

A note from the Editors: Recent research by Dan shows Oliver being 3 in the 1901 census, making him just 19 when he made this Will... NOTE: We do not know his date of birth yet, but he joined the OTC in Sept '15, and we assume that was when he turned 17. ) The Wishes of O.C. Pearson Supposing he be killed "This has been made out not because I have any intention or thought of dying but because “In the midst of life we are in death” & because accidents will happen & because an aimans death is such a sudden one & may happen anytime." 13.3.17 1. That the letter enclosed herewith be delivered to his father & mother. 2. That all the following be subject to his father & mothers own wishes. 3. That his father and mother keep anything they may wish to as a memento of him. 4. That if possible he be buried in Gonalstone churchyard by the Rev Canon Ferris. The service to be an entirely family one. His headstone to be a rough granite boulder untrimm...

A note from the Editors: Two months into his flying training, here is the first letter we have from Oliver on Royal Flying Corps headed note paper, with the RFC wings and latin moto PER ADUA AD ASTRA underneath - 'Through adversity to the Stars'. Franked 25 NOV 16 OXFORD Mrs C. E. Pearson, Hillcrest, Lowdham, Notts. Royal Flying Corps, Christchurch, Oxford. 25.11.16 My dear Mother, I hope my note arrived safely. Life here now is one eternal bore as we have nothing to do to speak of & plenty of time to do it in & we might all just as well be on leave. I shall not write a decent letter as I have just spilled 3 or 4 blobs of ink onto my new cord breeches & it has made me very angry. I hope to remove whats left of the stain to-morrow. The first day on the higher instruction course has been typical so I will let you have it. Loaf around with nothing to do till 11 oclock when we do an hours lamp signalling to which no one plays the least attention a...