Copy of a letter that Emrys Owen sent to R.R.Roberts, Fronheulog, Dinorwig (posted 28 August 1918),a few weeks before he died:
Tuesday, 27th.
My dear Friend,
Here I am at last getting down to sending you a brief word hoping that you are getting better.
The time has strangely flown by and I have been in this country five weeks.
There is no comparison at all between the flying here and flying in England. There we’d have fun of just scraping over villages and waving at the girls. Here we hover out of the sight of man – mainly at around 15000ft.
This is a day bombing squadron and it’s a very good one too and has been extremely lucky lately. However I’ve had several rather hot scraps since being here.
I won’t forget one trip when twenty-five enemy scouts attacked seven of us. We had a very hot time. There were about twelve behind me and the bullets were whistling past my ears. And me firing as fast as I could. Even if I didn’t shoot them I kept them away. To make things worse some were diving through the formation. However we all came back safely, but Fritz was two short. Our wings and the planes were all bullets. Also on Saturday ten of them attacked five of us, but we got three of them down in flames. That’s the stuff – isn’t it!
The Hun will never attack unless he has three to our one. Also he’ll never come across the lines during the day. Anyway, three came over last Friday, but only one of them was able to escape back. Our scouts are more than a match for them. The weather is rather unfavourable this afternoon – too many clouds around so we’re having a holiday. There is a quite a jolly gang here and so it isn’t boring here. We’ve got one great advantage over the Infantry. We’ve got a comfortable place to come to after being on a show. Cosy huts and everything extremely convenient. Also there is far more fun had here. When Huns are met in the sky one doesn’t think of the danger at all – it’s taken more as a kind of game. It’s quite a strange scene around the lines – the ground all holes from shells and bombs with towns and villages shattered – the odd flash to be seen here and there and that’s the only thing we can see from the air to let us know that there’s any sort of life in the place.
After going a bit further we know immediately that we are in Hunland as Archie shells are bursting around us.
It’s interesting to watch the bombs falling. Here we can see the objective – some station or aerodrome or the enemy’s billets – then there is a tug on the toggles and the pills fall, fall – lower and lower. And become smaller until at last they disappear but after a few seconds the burst is seen often to have ignited a good fire, or has blown up a railway or siding. And of course a few have to fall into a nearby field. After reaching the lines on the way back I take control of the machine to bring it home (apart for the landing) and I’m getting quite good at it.
My pilot is a Yankee and quite a good one he is too. After coming back I have to write a report on what we have seen etc etc.
Then a wash and a change and we can enjoy a good meal.
I received a word from Gwilym from home today. I wouldn’t mind a few days leave either.
Well I have nothing more to add this time but my warmest regards to you all there.
Your faithful friend,
R. Emrys.
Translated letter from Welsh by Iwan Hughes.