Up In
The Air
The World War I Diaries of Balloonist Cyril Gordon Jones
1916
1st Feb
"...airship had seen German Submarine in Channel on Sunday..."
4th Feb
"Our M cyclist reported meeting suspect spy...
"
1916
1916
14th Feb
"Blowing gale of wind..."
15th Feb
"Gale of wind W..."
21st Feb
"First to sleep in new Guard Tent. Awfully cold..."
1916
1916
28th Feb "
Not feeling so well. Temp over 100..."
12th March "
Wrote long letter to Brenda..."
March 18th
"Loaded 14 trees onto..."
March 24th " Thick snow on ground, very cold."
1916
1916
25th March
"CO told me to make ascent alone..."
14th April
"I was told I was ringleader of mutiny!!..."
25th March " Cable badly lifted winch clear of ground."
31st March
"Fine still day, thick fog up to 10am..."
27th April "
Fine sunny day not much wind. Very misty
..."
May 2nd "
Nelson got 2 shocks from telephone due to magnetism in air..."
1916
1916
4th May
"Howard handed me telegram from Mother. Brenda got a daughter..."
7th May
"I was presented with special menu"
May 8th
"...my teeth chattered."
22nd May "
Left Victoria at 7.50am
..."
23rd May
"I slept on floor in another hut."
June 19th
"Mac did parachute descent from balloon from 1300ft."
22nd June
" It continued turning over sideways and endways like a piece of paper."
1916
July 18th
"Plucked a lot of radishes from our garden there. Had some for tea. .."
July 21st
"Nieppe was being shelled just as we started..."
6th August "...Played cricket...."
23rd August
"...Bumble Puppy pole."
1916
1916
30th August
"...Tail line snapped between parachutes..."
6th September "
Locre bombed at 10pm. Major and I were walking after dinner..."
22nd Sept "Went to Elverdinghe and searched Church yard. "
23rd Sept "
2 bits of shell fell on our hut making large dent in corrugated iron roof...."
2nd Oct
"...Observers jumped out...burning balloon fell on one parachute...killed."
1916
1916
11th Dec "...piece of shell went through the top of my tender as we were driving along."
1916
Dec 23rd "
Wind increased to hurricane. Blew roof off Major’s hut..."
25th Dec
"Cook drunk, turkey spoilt..."
