LT Ferrebee Sadler DLI RFC

[Maverick]

Some time, eventually, just once, your luck runs out!

This was supposed to be the war to end all war’s.
For so many that lost their lives from all nationalities this was not to be the case.
In less than twenty five years time there would be a repetition of even greater proportions and loss of life.
A truly ‘global’ war.

The First World War was for many a totally new method of waging war,
gone were the wide open lands with massed cavalry charges lances forward.
The ground warfare of this era was a trench warfare, men on both sides died in the thousands
for absolutely no overall gain of ground at all, or a massed ‘push’ gained a few 100 yards into the enemy trench system,
only to be pushed all the way back again to their original trench line they started from,
in some instances within hours by a swift counter offensive.

Thrown into this madness like so many a young man,
20 year old Second Lieutenant Ferrebee William Sadler
only son of Frederick a Labourers Manager at the local ship builders,
and Hannah Sadler a Nurse,
living at West Park, Ferndene, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear,
born 14th August 1895.
Commissioned in September 1915 joining the 1/6th Battalion Durham Light Infantry
and sent straight to the hell of the trenches.

From records present he appears to have survived a number of ‘activities’ over the following nine months.
To date no details of any specific action reports that he may have been involved in have been identified.

At the end of 1916, the battle entered its most deadly phase -
The Red Baron and German squadrons making mincemeat of the old fashioned British planes,
nicknaming them 'Kaltes Fleisch' (cold meat) and reducing an RFC pilot's average life to just 18 hours in the air.

Soon the RFC was known as 'the suicide club'.
New pilots lasted on average just 11 days from arrival on the front, to death.
By early 1917, the Royal Flying Corp was losing 12 aircraft and 20 crew every day.

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We find 2/Lt Sadler with his qualification as a Royal Flying Corps pilot number RFC13047
Gaining pilot qualification status on January 12th 1917 and posted to 29 Squadron
where he joins a yet to become awarded VC pilot, Lieutenant James Cudden.

The first identified action report WO/17/248292 dated January 26th 1917
tells of his (2/Lt Sadler) patrol providing air support to a photographic reconnaissance patrol,
the sortie met with no opposition or enemy aircraft, thankfully his luck was with him.

The second report in the file WO/17/284507 dated February 18th 1917
tells of his first significant aerial combat where as part of an ‘aggressive patrol’
his squadron met with ‘a number of enemy aircraft’ and in the ensuing combat
he tells of three fellow pilots lost, he makes no mention of any enemy aircraft losses,
again his luck was with him.

His third report WO/17/288781 dated 29th March 1917
was again as a consequence of an ‘aggressive patrol’ in which he mentions
the loss of two colleagues and three enemy aircraft destroyed
though he makes no mention of types of aircraft or if any are personal ‘kills’,
…….his luck is still holding out.

By this time 2/Lt Sadler has been in the Squadron a little over two months,
sadly he was not to make another month……

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On 21st April 1917
2/Lt Sadler as part of 29 Squadron is involved in yet another ‘aggressive patrol’
when they were engaged by eight Fokker DR. I’s.

With extracts provided from War Office records
and reports written by two other pilots of 29 Squadron and referred to in his
(2/Lt Sadler’s) file the following can be gained;

2/Lt Sadler was flying a Nieuport Aircraft tail number A6797
Performing ‘advance scout activities’ for the aggressive patrol.
He actively engaged three Fokker DR.I’s of the leading enemy flight
allowing the squadron wing to take up combat.

2/Lt Sadler appears to have been hit twice by the three enemy aircraft
but stayed in combat support until his aircraft was hit for a third and fatal time,
his aircraft ablaze he crashed ‘some where over France’.

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There now follows a possible AAR to this action.........

AAR ~ 2/Lt Ferrebee Sadler 21/04/1917

Here we go again……….A P’s ~’aggressive patrolling’
The latest scheme of madness from the desk jockey’s to take the fight to the enemy!

These patrols are killing both men and machines at a greater rate than we can replace them,
yet still the ‘Top Brass’ insist on these patrols, sometimes two a day and almost every patrol
we loose at least one or two pilots, it is madness and unsustainable.

Behind the Squadron Leader and James (Lt McCudden) and George (Lt Ramsden)
I am now the fourth longest serving member in the Squadron with just under three months flying,
in that time how many have come and gone, ten, fifteen maybe more,
the names and faces are for the most just a blur, a name on the Squadron roll.

Added to the ‘entertainment’ are these new aircraft, the French built Nieuport's
We are starting to get reports that in severe dives and climbs the top wing shudders
and the rigging spar warps under the stress, some times the top wing rips clean off !
As if we haven’t got enough to worry about with the Hun.

It’s first light, 4 Nieuport’s of ‘A’ flight and 3 from ‘B’ flight take off,
neither flight is at full strength, and yes you guessed it,
yet again I am ‘scout’ ~‘Leader of the pack’
Why going looking for a fight?
It will come to us soon enough!

~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~

We are just over a mile from the front line, almost sealing altitude,
but the damn Fokker can still climb higher and quicker than us.
A light cloud base and the rain has finally stopped,
three days of continuous rain,
the poor guys in the trenches......been there, done that!
At least if we get back, we get back to a warm bath, bed and good food.



I glance across to my eleven o’clock…there they are, and closing fast, a wing of three
Fokker’s I know my task, head straight for them, guns blazing giving time for the rest
of the squadron flight to take up attack formation and engage…




My god they are not breaking!
They should break… one left, one right, one climbs….that’s their normal tactic…
All three heading straight for me, I open fire,
A blaze of bullets rip through my right wing, while another burst hits the top spar,
wood and linen material torn apart, a large wood splinter pierces my right shoulder,
The pain.....
the oil...?
The engine must have been hit, but there’s no smoke, no flames?



I wipe my goggles the Hun are gone, my god another flight of Fokker’s higher and to my eleven o’clock....
this is BIG trouble, I bank and climb hard, the engine screaming the kite needs to hold together,
God my shoulder, the pain, I am feeling dizzy, lightheaded and sick,
The blood loss can’t be that quick can it?



I look down,
Now I know why the aircraft is so sluggish not only has it taken significant damage…
my right thigh is also ‘holed’…little or no response from my right side,
I un wrap my scarf from my neck, and wavering about like a drunken fly,
like my first hours in the cockpit back in flight training school, it seems a life time ago,
using one hand and foot to try to control the aircraft as best I can,
I wrap a loose scarf as a make shift bandage over and round my thigh.

God its cold, no that’s me…blurred vision,
come on boy get a grip…stay with it,
I turn and look up,
I see the boys and the Hun like a swarm of bees some looking in very bad shape,



Above me I see a Fokker smoking badly,
I climb, engage and let off a burst…it hits home,

But the Nieuport is not even trying to behave as it should.
A loud bang,
another sudden sharp intense pain in my right arm,
and flames,
Both man and machine have been hit again,
I didn’t see where it came from….?



I am spinning, rolling, turning out of control, falling from the sky,
My face covered in hot engine oil, throat burning, choking,
A final glance up, all I can see is a grey black haze,
my goggles oil covered,
and flames,



No noise, as though everything is in slow motion,
I know for me the game is over,
Suddenly I am so tired…….

I wont’ be coming home again mum,
Tell dad I am sorry,
a single tear,
Fare well mum……………

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Lt James McCudden reports that during this action 2/Lt Sadler made one kill before his death.
This statement is further supported by the action report of Lt George Ramsden R.F.C also of 29 Squadron,
extracts from both of which are referred to in 2/Lt Sadler's file.

However War Office and Royal Flying Corps regulations at the time stated that the pilot himself
must be able to make the claim, ‘the kill’ or it would not officially be attributable.

I have read that this was quite a common action by pilots to justify the loss of a fellow pilot
and the Wing Co would where ever possible put this in the letter of condolence to the family
in an attempt to ease the pain of their loss.

The War Office report WO372/17/141382 states his death as ‘Killed in Action’ 21/04/1917

Because of the nature of his death and the construction of the aircraft,
as were they all at the time being built of wood, with cloth linen material for the wing covering,
fire totally destroyed everything and no known grave exists.

2/Lt Ferrebee Sadler is commemorated at the Arras Flying Memorial.

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Pause for thought:

By November 1918, Royal Flying Corps, Royal Naval Air Service and Royal Air Force
casualties exceeded 16,000 killed, injured, captured or missing.

You may recall a previous AAR I penned concerning Flt Lt George Wheeler Croft
his details I discovered while researching 2/Lt Ferrebee Sadler,
it appears that Lt Croft was posted to 29 Squadron where he also lost his life…..

As Churchill was to utter years later;
Never in the field of human conflict,
Has so much,
Been owed by so many,
To so few’.

R.I.P 2/Lieutenant Ferrebee Sadler R.F.C 21/04/1917.
My Grandfathers Cousin.

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Thanks go to;
The staff at the National Archives office, Kew,
The Forces War Records office, MoD Kentigern House, Edinburgh
And our very own JohnBiggles for the loan of the Neiuport for the photos!