Philip A Embury Journal #3

at 2 P.M. We passed by a big train wreck where 26 persons were killed and over a hundred injured. Six coaches went over a thirty foot bank. — Grub and I got into Issoudun a couple of hours after the other fellows that came direct from Tours. They had to spend the night in Vierzon. We had a wonderful trip. The only drawback was that I lost my pocket-book but it was worth it if for no other reason than to slip something over on our friends in Tours who thought they sent us direct.

Friday July 19 ‘18.

Lay around all day.

Saturday July 20 ‘18.

Started some of our ground school courses. I believe that things are going to be more agreeable here than they were at Tours.

Sunday July 21 ‘18.

Lay around all day. Allies captured 20,000 prisoners and 400 guns according to todays paper.

Monday July 22 ‘18.

Had classes in traps, pistol, sighting, and aerial gunnery.

Tuesday July 23 ‘18,

Same old ground school work

Wednesday July 24 ‘18.

Had a class in the Rhone motor this morning. On our way back from the class Pete Winship and I stopped to watch a Liberty perform. He did

some beautiful loops, rouversements, and wing slips. He was up about 200 metors and sideslipped down to four or five hundred and came out into a steep nose dive. We had no fear for him at all but commensed to wish that he would pull out of his nose dive, and not come too close to the ground, but he never did come out. He hit the ground with motor full going easily 200 miles an hour. He must have put his his motor on as a last resort to try to pull his nose up. The crash sounded like an explosion. We ran out

to the wreck. It was terrible. There were two in the plane and parts of their boddies were scattered for a couple of hundred feet all around the wreck. There was no part of the plane that stood over a foot above the ground. Even the cylinders of the engine were crushed together. It was a sickening sight to see legs, arms, and heads lying around on the ground. The two trunks was all that was in the wreckage. The Lt. driving the plane was an old instructor and exhibition flier in the States. His name was Billiard and was from San Francisco. The other man

was a mechanic. As luck would have it he matched another mechanics to see which one would go up for a ride.

Thursday July 25 ‘18.

Cecil Huntington a close friend of Billiard’s, and also from San Francisco was killed this afternoon. He was flying in formation at Field #7 and did a rounversement and landed on top of another plane. The other fellow got down alright but one wing was only hanging on.

Friday July, 26 ‘18.

Usual school work.

Saturday July 27 ‘18.

Had afternoon classes.