Jabberwocky - RFC Version, April 1917

[Fahnenjunker]

I recently finished reading "On a Wing and a Prayer" by Joshua Levine and came across the following excerpt from the book that some of you might find interesting. :D

In Lewis Carroll's poem, 'Jabberwocky', a monster is slain by a boy in a strange and sinister world. In April 1917 an Albatros was destroyed by a BE2c (or 'Quirk'), in the skies above Arras. William Bond of 40 Squadron, a pilot and parodist, made the connection:

'Twas brillig and the Slithy Quirk
Did drone and burble in the blue
All floppy were his wing controls
(And his observer too)

'Beware the wicked Albatros',
The O.C. quirks' had told him flat;
'Beware the Hun-Hun bird and shun
The frumious Halberstadt'.

But while through uffish bumps he ploughed,
The Albatros, with tail high,
Came diving out the tulgey cloud
And let his bullets fly.

One, two, one, two, and through and through
The Lewis gun went tick-a-tack,
The Hun was floored, the Quirk has scored,
And came 'split arsing' back.

'Oh hast thou slain the Albatros?
Split one, with me, my beamish boy.
Our RAF-ish scout has found them out',
The C.O. wept for joy.


(FYI, RAF here stands for Royal Aircraft Factory, not Royal Air Force)

[usmc1855]

That's good!

Thanks for posting it. It's amazing... the inspirations that spur moments of inspired mirth and verbiage.

[check6]

thats quite clever, will have to share it with the guy my own "quirk" shot down last week (best part was he was flying an albatross, and drew the fire card as is his customary awful luck).

i came across another clever aircraft poem based on lewis's work, it was released in an english paper (if i remember right) with a caricature of the aircraft in question (which i have never found)

The Walrus (the supermarine variety)

'The time has come' the Walrus said,
'To talk of many things -
Of pusher-screws and "Shagbats"
And strutted, swept-back wings.
I'm an aeronautical wonder
And if that is not enough,
Then I've wheels that I can land on
When the sea's a bit too rough.'

The Walrus was also known as "Pusser's Duck", the "Flying Gas Ring" and the "Steam Pigeon".

[SoldierSteve]

That's really good, but can anyone tell me what split-arsing means? In recent years split arse was a term used by male British soldiers (and possibly others) to describe their female colleagues. I haven't heard it used for a few years now except by hardened 'old-sweats' but it cannot be the same meaning as this poem refers to.

[Belis4rius]

Found this, but not so sure it pertains to 1914-18

Can be used when somebody in front of you is driving or walking incredibly slowly and is usually blocking your way.
User is usually fustrated and inpatient.
More commonly used by British males.

[sparty]

Thanks for posting, I love this kind of stuff!

[Fahnenjunker]

In the verb context of RFC (and later RAF) usage, "split arsing" implies "at full speed". It was also used as an adjective to imply "reckless or daring" as in "a pukka split arse pilot". The use of this term to refer to a female is a more modern one.

[bumblie3]

My understanding of the Split-S or Split Arse is that it is a half loop manoeuveur , consisting of an inversion (half roll) followed by a dive, usually to get from above, onto the tail of an opponent, and it was so named due to how it felt to the pilot. The pilot rolls the aircraft until inverted, and then pulls back on the stick until the plane flies level. It requires a fair amount of altitude to commence the manoeuveur. I believe the Germans referred to it as an Abschwung (which I think means a downhill turn).

[Fahnenjunker]

An on-line version of "A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English" by Eric Partridge describes the 1917 use of a "split arse turn" as "a flat turn, without banking; it is caused by using the rudder instead of the rudder and ailerons". :confused: For a full list of the uses of "split arse" given in this book, go to:

http://books.google.ca/books?id=tvRp1whVFUsC&pg=PA1129&lpg=PA1129&dq=split+arsing&source=bl&ots=gQ8T5U0F2y&sig=Ym6yL1re4vGe9Uj5FEaM6E5W7NQ&hl=en&ei=kJyJS_ObEYTENoK1yaYB&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CBEQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=split%20arsing&f=false