UBB Store

1918 WORLD WAR I AMERICAN PILOT HAND MANUSCRIPT LAFAYETTE ESCADRILLE KIA FRANCE
When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
1918 WORLD WAR I AMERICAN PILOT HAND MANUSCRIPT LAFAYETTE ESCADRILLE KIA FRANCE
Price: US $205.50
Very Rare and original, April 27, 1918, Eight Page Hand Written World War I Letter from American Lafayette Escadrille Pilot 1st Lieutenant Alexander Bruce (who was killed in action while flying with the AEF Unit that he was transferred to - the 94th Pursuit Squadron) with fantastic content.


This fascinating Letter was written by Lieut. Bruce to his mother and contains extensive information about his \"machine\" and the life of an American Officer Aviator serving with the Lafayette Escadrille. The letter is written on eight sheets of paper (on the front side) that each measure 8 1/4\" by 10\". It comes with its original transmittal envelope marked as \"Officer\'s Mail\" and stamped as \"Passed as Censored\". Written just 10 days after the United States entered World War I but before any US Troops had arrived in Europe, this wonderful Letter give a wonderful insight into the life and work of an American Officer serving as a Fighter Pilot with the Lafayette Escadrille.


The author of the Letter, Alexander Bruce, graduated from Phillips Andover Academy in 1911, then attended Harvard College, graduating in 1915. When war broke out in Europe, he helped form the Andover Ambulance Unit of 23 men who went to France in April 1917.Bruce then switched to French aviation, being assigned to “Escadrille de Chasse N-71.” That squadron is sometimes referred to as the “2nd Lafayette.” They were assigned to defend Paris. Shortly after, Bruce was transferred as a US Air Service pilot to the famous “94th Pursuit Squadron.\" While flying with this unit he was killed in action in August 1918.


The content of this Letter is fascinating. Lieut. Bruce opens with a reference to recently reported \"Texas flying records\" comparing it to the in air training that he had received. He then explains the living arangements for American Officers in France - he explains that they are housed in barracks intended to be used for French non-coms - four men to a room. He mentions that one of his French roommates arranged for an American orderly who \"brings water in the morning, wood and coal, sweeps and makes the beds\".


Regarding the mess/food situation he writes: \"We eat at the French officers’ mess. It costs a bit more than we have ever paid, but it is miles better than any American mess. The method of distributing the cost is novel, but characteristic of the democratic French army…. Bills are proportional to the officer’s salary; a captain pays proportionally more than a sous-lieutenant, because for the latter with his small pay the mess would otherwise be too costly…. French-like, only two meals are served at the mess. Our breakfast we can obtain at a French cooperative store in camp any time during the morning\".


He spends the next three pages talking about issues with his \"machine\" (plane) and a two day struggle to get the engine to turn over which was finally accomplished once his mechanics had returned from a \"trip to the wrong locality\" - the mechanics has it \"started in half an hour\".


The Letter continues \"Yesterday morning an unexpected call came for all pilots of our escadrille to meet at the hanger at once. By a miracle all five of the Americans were right on the spot while several of the French were missing. The commander gave a very sharp talk forofferding the leaving of the camp without permission and forofferding landing at other places to visit. He said several of the pilots had been seen in Paris and several where then... at chateaus and with friends. - we came out of it with a clean slate on every count - how I cannot explain. Our one or two (pannes) have occurred so far from civilization as to have been above suspicion\".


Bruce continues: \"... to test the machine, climber to 3000 m. as fast as I could. Then I started to spiral down and accidentally lost my stick. This time I had all the room in the world in which to experiment. For a long while the propeller would slowly half turn and stop, half-turn and stop. Finally it kept going and turned faster until the motor caught. just to make sure it could be done, I spiraled again, lost the stick and dove until it caught again\".


Lt. Bruce next relates a \"mission\" and a harrowing experience. It seems that the 9 cylinder motor of his aircraft was having trouble again - one cylinder would die and when the mechanic got that fixed another would die. It took a day and a half for his mechanic to take the entire engine apart and put it back together and there were still problems. Just as they were discussing sending it back to the shops to be completely rebuilt, the engine fired up and \"hit on all 9 cylinders\".


From here on we quote \"This noon I went up to test it out. I saw a convoy crawling slowly along a road... I swooped down in front of it and passed along its length, spraying it an imaginary hail of bullets. I went up and down its length a dozen times while it was moving a mile or two. Then, tired of the sport, I started back. The motor suddenly stopped dead and I was again forced to glide for a landing in a corn field. A wire had fallen off the magneto. I telephoned to camp and mechanics were soon out for me... by the time they were through it was the middle of the afternoon. At that I was hardly able to lift the machine out of the soft earth and came home on eight cylinders. The old bus sure is in a bad way\". Lt. Bruce signs this letter to his mother \"Love, Alec\".


This is a very rare letter from one of the small number of American Fighter Pilots who traveled to France to serve before the US entered the First World War. The content is fascinating and on top of that, the writer was killed in action while flying with the “94th Pursuit Squadron\" in 1918.


These very rare and wonderful, 1917 Manuscript Letter written by an American Fighter Pilot member of the Lafyette Escadrille during World War I is in very good condition. The Letter itself is complete and intact with uniform age toning, some edge wear and some wear, minor loss and short separations at the folds. The original transmittal envelope is edge worn with edge chips and short edge tears but intact and sound.


A very rare and fascinating, set April 27, 1918, Eight Page Hand Written World War I Letter from American Lafayette Escadrille Pilot 1st Lieutenant Alexander Bruce who was killed in action while flying with the AEF Unit that he was transferred to - the 94th Pursuit Squadron and a fantastic addition to any collection!!!

Overseas shipping is extra and cost will be quoted at buyers request. Massachusetts residents must add 6.25% sales tax.

Please check out other early and interesting items offered by this seller on . Click Here to See Our Items We Have for Sale in the Gallery and Click Here to Add Us To Your Favorite Sellers List.

Notes about Shipping Charges and the \"Detailed Seller Rating\" Star System:

The amount quoted for Shipping & Handling is calculated by and is equal to the EXACT amount charged by the Post Office plus a $1.00 \"packing fee\" - the $1.00 fee is our only compensation for the virgin packing materials we use on all of our professionally packaged boxes as well as our cost for the salaried help that does most of our packing - as I am sure you can see, we make NO profit on the Shipping charges and, in fact, our costs are usually greater than the $1.00 fee.

We have NEVER requested response from our customers as we were taught that \"fishing for compliments\" was impolite but the new Detailed Rating System has put us in a rather tight spot. Most buyers are unaware that bases a monthly fee discount on a Seller\'s \"Star\" rating. A monthly average of \"4.6 Stars\" (in any one of the four \"Star\" categories) costs us approximately $400 in additional Fees - that\'s $400 above what we would pay if we had a \"4.8 Star\" average in all 4 \"Star\" categories!! As a consequence we hope you do not find us rude to ask that if you are happy with our items, our service, and our packing & shipping please be sure to use the \"Star\" rating system and remember that a \"5 Star\" rating is the only way we can qualify for \'s fee reduction program. ,



.

On Aug-08-17 at 20:28:44 PDT, seller added the following information:

PLEASE NOTE: A kind friend wrote us a note informing us that the Lafayette Escadrille did not exist on April 27, 1918 but the American Pilots in the Lafayette Escadrille were transferred into the United States Army Air Service on 18 February, 1918, as the 103d Aero Squadron. It is obvious from this Letter that 1st Lieut. Bruce was still serving with the French Air Service at the time this Letter was written therefore he was likely a member of a third unit of American Volunteer Pilots in the French Air service which was known as \"Escadrille 471\" aka the \"Black Buffalos\" which was stationed in the air defenses of Paris. This Letter was written by 1st Lieut. Bruce while serving with the Black Buffalos before he transferred to the 94th Pursuit Squadron of the United States Army Air Service - the unit that he was serving with when he was killed in action.



Buy Now