Task: Story Composition
Input (English): Fact1: life at front in RFC squadron In is documented one-week timeframe, Fact2: fighter ace Major John Gresham speaking to class of pupils at Eton College, Fact3: new recruit arrives at Gresham 's temporary base in northern France, Fact4: strain of being responsible for this young recruit is additional burden causing him to drink even more, Fact5: Croft has to learn how to survive
Output (English): In a oneweek timeframe, life at the front in a RFC squadron is documented. The background story begins a year before, in October 1916, with fighter ace Major John Gresham Malcolm McDowell speaking to a class of pupils at Eton College. One year later, a new recruit, 2nd Lt. Croft Peter Firth, arrives at Greshams temporary base in northern France. Gresham had been his house captain at Eton and is also the boyfriend of his older sister. Gresham relies on alcohol to cope with the ongoing combat stress and to continue flying. The strain of being responsible for this young recruit and potential impact on his sister is an additional burden, causing him to drink even more. Croft has to learn how to survive, not only in the air, but on the ground as well as he makes some minor mistakes in squadron etiquette. Crofts weeklong rite of passage, from naive schoolboy to adult fighting soldier, is shown. His initial hero worship of Gresham crumbles, as he learns the realities of service at the front, but he gains a respect for Gresham and the stresses with which he has to cope. Shortly after Croft scores his first air victory and seems to have made the leap in skills necessary to survive, he is unexpectedly killed in an airtoair collision with a German aircraft. While looking out of his office window, Gresham sees an apparition of Croft returning from the battle field uninjured, which fades away. Gresham then orders for the new recruits to be sent in for his inspection.