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+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 76758 ***
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber’s notes
+
+Changes made are noted at the end of the book.
+
+
+
+
+    HEROIC AIRMEN
+    AND THEIR EXPLOITS
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: Flight-Commander W. L. Robinson, V. C. By Dudley Tennant.
+
+_Reproduced by special permission from the plate in ‘Answers.’_]
+
+
+    HEROIC AIRMEN
+    AND THEIR EXPLOITS
+
+    BY
+    E. W. WALTERS
+
+    _Author of ‘The Souls of the Brave,’ ‘Heroines of
+    the World War,’ &c._
+
+
+    LONDON
+    CHARLES H. KELLY
+    25-35 CITY ROAD, AND 26 PATERNOSTER ROW, E.C.
+
+
+_First Edition, 1917_
+
+
+    TO THE
+    MEMORY OF THE HEROIC AIRMEN
+    WHO HAVE
+    LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES IN THE SERVICE
+    OF THEIR COUNTRY
+
+
+AUTHOR’S NOTE
+
+
+Acknowledgement is due in many directions, to various friends for
+supplying interesting information, and to the authors of various books
+and articles.
+
+These pages, however, are far from being of a technical nature. The
+chief aim is to awaken the interest of the reader and throw fresh light
+on heroic deeds.
+
+  E. W. W.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+    CHAPTER PAGE
+
+    I. BY WAY OF INTRODUCTION                        11
+
+    II. THE BIRTH OF THE AIRSHIP                     14
+
+    III. THE PIONEER WORK OF M.
+    SANTOS DUMONT                                    18
+
+    IV. FURTHER LINES OF PROGRESS                    22
+
+    V. THE BIRTH AND GROWTH OF
+    THE AEROPLANE                                    30
+
+    VI. FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS AND
+    CERTAIN ENEMY MACHINES                           37
+
+    VII. THE ZEPPELIN AND OTHER
+    MODERN AIRSHIPS                                  44
+
+    VIII. CONTROLLING AN AEROPLANE                   53
+
+    IX. FLIGHT-COMMANDER WILLIAM
+    LEAFE ROBINSON, V.C.                             61
+
+    X. LIEUT. F. SOWREY, D.S.O., AND
+    LIEUT. A. BRANDON, D.S.O.                        75
+
+    XI. THE CAPTIVE ZEPPELIN                         89
+
+    XII. LIEUT. W. L. TEMPEST, D.S.O.                94
+
+    XIII. LIEUT. WARNEFORD, V.C.                    104
+
+    XIV. THE NEW ARM IN WARFARE                     108
+
+    XV. FROM VICTORY TO VICTORY                     117
+
+    XVI. AIR SUPREMACY                              123
+
+    XVII. FLIGHT-COMMANDER ALBERT
+    BALL, D.S.O., M.C.                              127
+
+    XVIII. LIEUT. ALLAN BOTT, M.C.                  130
+
+    XIX. FLIGHT-LIEUT. GUYNEMER                     134
+
+    XX. LIEUT. STEWART GORDON
+    RIDLEY                                          137
+
+    XXI. SOUS-LIEUT. LOUIS NOËL                     142
+
+    XXII. FLIGHT-LIEUT. HAROLD
+    ROSHER, R.N.A.S.                                147
+
+    XXIII. AN OBSERVER IN THE
+    R.N.A.S.                                        152
+
+    XXIV. HEROES OF THE ROYAL NAVAL
+    AIR SERVICE                                     157
+
+    XXV. TOLD BY THE ADMIRALTY                      162
+
+    XXVI. HEROES OF FRANCE                          168
+
+    XXVII. AWARDS AND DECORATIONS                   191
+
+    XXVIII. FRENCH APPRECIATION                     202
+
+    XXIX. THE EYES OF OUR ARMIES
+    IN THE FIELD                                    207
+
+    XXX. RUSSIAN PRAISE AND
+    RUSSIAN ACHIEVEMENTS                            213
+
+    XXXI. ITALY’S PART                              219
+
+    XXXII. ENEMY ACTIVITY                           224
+
+    XXXIII. A GENERAL VIEW                          231
+
+    XXXIV. THE HEROIC DEAD                          253
+
+    XXXV. CONCLUSION                                265
+
+
+
+
+LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+                                               PAGE
+
+  FLIGHT-COMMANDER W. L. ROBINSON, V.C. _Frontispiece_
+
+  DISTINCTIVE MARKS USED BY BELLIGERENTS
+  IN THE AIR                                       31
+
+  DIAGRAM ISSUED IN THE EARLY PART OF
+  THE WAR BY THE FRENCH WAR OFFICE                 41
+
+  SECTIONAL VIEW OF ZEPPELIN AIRSHIP               49
+
+  LIEUT. WARNEFORD, V.C. _face_                   104
+
+  BOMB-DROPPING _face_                            128
+
+  GUARDING OUR COASTS: A NAVAL PATROL
+  IN DIFFICULTIES _face_                          154
+
+  AWARDS AND DECORATIONS _face_                   192
+
+
+ ‘All our airmen are heroes, at home and in France, and the gratitude
+ of the nation is due to them for the splendid success with which they
+ have got the upper hand of the air service of the enemy.’
+
+  —_The Daily Press_, October 2, 1916.
+
+
+
+
+HEROIC AIRMEN
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+BY WAY OF INTRODUCTION
+
+
+We approach an intensely interesting subject. Indeed, there is the
+danger that we may be tempted to dwell on thrilling achievements before
+learning what those achievements really mean. We have all talked
+freely in the past of airmen and flying; yet how limited has been our
+knowledge! These pages will not, however, touch ground of a purely
+technical nature. Matters intricate and involved will be avoided. Harm
+rather than good might come from trespassing on ground presided over
+by experts. But there is a middle course: we may learn sufficient to
+appreciate in a fuller and deeper sense the achievements of our heroic
+airmen.
+
+Our subject is wide, as wide, indeed, as the heavens. We must needs
+cover much ground, and must regulate our pace accordingly. Much as
+we may be tempted to dwell upon this or that branch of the subject,
+we shall often be compelled to pass on. For this is a book of heroic
+deeds, and our aim in touching briefly upon the birth and early
+development of various forms of aircraft will chiefly be with the view
+of giving a fuller and deeper meaning to the achievements of such men
+as Lieutenant Robinson, V.C., and Lieutenant Warneford, V.C. Happily
+there are many such heroes.
+
+‘I was not the only one to go up after the Zeppelin,’ Lieutenant
+Robinson said in his first public speech. ‘Men have gone up in
+conditions of almost certain death, and some have met their death in
+facing the murderers who have come over here. There are men, friends of
+mine, who have been maimed for life by going up just on the off-chance
+of strafing them on absolutely impossible nights—misty nights, when it
+is exceedingly difficult to land, and the ground cannot be seen when
+you are up. They get into the clouds, lose control of their machines,
+and crash to earth. These deeds are hundreds of times more heroic than
+what I did. It was merely my good fortune.’
+
+A brave speech, worthy of a true hero! We shall do well if in the
+course of these pages we can get into closer touch with men of such
+stamp.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+THE BIRTH OF THE AIRSHIP
+
+
+Progress in the construction of aircraft has been rapid of recent
+years, but there was a long period of experiment and preparation. It is
+a long flight from the aircraft of to-day back to the efforts of the
+Robert brothers in 1784.
+
+The Robert brothers’ experiments took the form of a balloon shaped like
+a melon, made of silk carefully proved, and measuring 52 feet in length
+and 32 feet in diameter. The gas employed was pure hydrogen. Underneath
+the envelope was suspended a long, narrow car, in general idea not
+unlike that used on some modern airships, and three pairs of oars with
+blades made like a racquet-frame, covered with silk, and a rudder of
+similar material.
+
+The two brothers, accompanied by a third person, went up in this early
+dirigible and succeeded in describing a curve of one kilometre radius,
+thus showing that, at any rate, they could deviate in some measure
+from the wind then prevailing. But at the time of the ascent there
+seems to have been very little opposition in the way of wind pressure.
+Favourable weather was naturally chosen. Nevertheless, something was
+attempted and something done, paving the way for further efforts.
+
+Another airship, which led to a thrilling adventure, was built in due
+course. This was fitted with an internal air ballonet. An ascent was
+bravely attempted, but the ship got into a strong air eddy, which tore
+away the oars and rudder and detached the air-bag from its sustaining
+cords. This airship, however, is said to have reached a remarkable
+height for those days—no less than 16,000 feet! This, however, was
+_not_ intentional.
+
+Another airship worthy of note was the dirigible built in France by
+Henri Giffard. This took a spindle shape, measuring 143 feet in length
+and 39 feet in diameter. It had a 3 h.-p. steam engine and an 11 foot
+screw propeller. The first trip was made in September, 1852. Six miles
+were covered in conditions not entirely favourable, and it is recorded
+that several further journeys were made. Ten years, however, passed
+before marked progress was shown in the construction of this type of
+dirigible.
+
+Tissandier was the next in the field. His dirigible was not unlike
+previous efforts in shape and construction; but now an electric motor
+and a bichromate battery were employed, and a speed of eight miles an
+hour was reached.
+
+Next came Captain Charles Renard, who made marked progress by building
+an envelope with a ‘true streamline.’ The car was suspended by means
+of a huge sheet placed over the back of the airship, to which were
+attached suspensory cords. The cubic capacity of the airship was 66,000
+feet. It was kept rigid by means of an internal air ballonet, which
+was kept full by a fan blower coupled to a motor. It had a car 108
+feet in length, which helped to steady the airship, and indeed played
+a somewhat similar part to the spar employed in later airships of the
+semi-rigid type. An electric motor, weighing 220 lbs., was installed,
+which developed 9 h.-p. The first trial trips were made in 1884, and
+were considered at the time remarkably successful so far as navigation
+was concerned. Indeed, it is recorded that on one occasion this
+dirigible flew round Paris at an average speed of 14½ miles an hour—a
+remarkable achievement at the time.
+
+Clearly there was now a future for airships. Germany had recognized
+this for some while, and had not been idle. Baumgarten and Wolfert
+built an airship in 1879 with a benzine motor, but when making an
+ascent at Leipzig the vessel got out of control, fell to the ground,
+and was hopelessly wrecked.
+
+In 1897 Wolfert made further experiments, which cost him his life.
+A fire broke out in the benzine container of the new ship, with the
+result that the inventor and his assistant were killed.
+
+The same year saw an effort on the part of an Austrian named Schwartz,
+who built an airship of sheet aluminium. This, however, proved a leaky
+structure. It descended and came to a sudden end. Schwartz, however,
+was the first to build a rigid airship with a petrol motor, and there
+is a sense in which his efforts led to the modern Zeppelin.
+
+With that airship—the modern Zeppelin—with its intricate construction
+and remarkable capacities of speed and distance, its carrying powers,
+its evil missions, its tactics when under fire—we shall deal later.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+THE PIONEER WORK OF M. SANTOS DUMONT
+
+
+The efforts of M. Santos Dumont call for special reference. He
+contributed greatly to the science of aerostation, and may be
+considered one of the foremost of the flight pioneers. He was a man of
+remarkable industry, perseverance, and courage.
+
+His first noteworthy effort in construction was in 1898, when he made a
+cylinder of varnished silk, 82½ feet in length, with pointed ends, and
+measuring 11½ feet in diameter. An internal air ballonet was fitted,
+and an engine giving 3 h.-p. A balloon basket was hung beneath the
+envelope. There was a two-blade propeller, whilst shifting weights
+controlled the poise of the ship, steering being effected by means of a
+rudder composed of strong silk over a steel frame.
+
+Comparative success greeted the venture. The airship left the
+Zoological Gardens in Paris and performed various evolutions, in spite
+of a gentle wind. Later, however, disaster threatened the ship and its
+distinguished pilot, owing to too rapid contraction of the gas whilst
+the ship was in the act of descending. But a calamity was averted by
+some schoolboys, who with commendable foresight caught hold of the tail
+rope of the airship and drew it along kite fashion with such speed that
+a gentle landing was effected.
+
+At a later date, being encouraged by the offer of a prize, M. Santos
+Dumont built a new and larger airship with the view to flying from St.
+Cloud, round the Eiffel Tower, and back to the starting-point within
+thirty minutes. This new ship was 109 feet in length and 17 feet in
+diameter. It was fitted with a 4-cylinder air-cooled motor, driving
+an enormous propeller of 26 feet in diameter, which gave a thrust of
+120 lbs. at 140 revolutions per minute. Among other novelties, water
+ballast was used, and piano wires replaced the old type of suspension
+cords.
+
+An attempt to earn the prize was made in July, 1901. At 6.30 in the
+morning the airship started from St. Cloud, reached the Eiffel Tower,
+and made a successful turn. But the weather conditions were adverse to
+the venture. A wind arose, and the return journey took thirty minutes.
+
+Not to be outdone, Santos Dumont made another attempt in August of
+the same year. He failed again, but soon got to work upon yet another
+airship. This developed an ascensional force of 1,158 lbs., and was
+driven by a 12 h.-p. 4-cylinder motor which gave a thrust of 145 lbs.
+With this ship, on October 19, 1901, Santos Dumont started for the
+Eiffel Tower hampered by a side wind of 20 feet a second. Nevertheless,
+he reached the tower in nine minutes, but owing to allowing
+insufficient clearance he barely missed colliding with it. However, he
+got the airship under control and returned to his starting-point in
+29½ minutes, thus winning the Deutsch prize of 125,000 francs and an
+additional reward of 125,000 francs.
+
+The greater part of the money was given by the aviator to charity,
+showing clearly that in his experiments M. Santos Dumont had other aims
+than self-gain. A wit has observed that he was a ‘man of high-soaring
+motives,’ which is, in fact, entirely true. His aim was to construct
+an airship that would prove of real service to mankind, and in his
+experiments he sacrificed both time and money, and, of far greater
+importance, he made his ascents at great risk to his personal safety
+at a time when ‘air courage’ was comparatively new, and in conditions
+which made no immediate call to patriotism and duty. He was of the
+‘stuff’ of which the true hero of the air is made, taking with a brave
+heart serious risks, and going from flight to flight with no other
+thought than achieving the end he had in view.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+FURTHER LINES OF PROGRESS
+
+
+Progress toward the modern airship has, as we have seen, been by
+short and laborious flights. The disappointments and disasters have
+been almost numberless. Endless patience, perseverance, and dauntless
+courage have been demanded. Moreover, in the past the would-be master
+of the air has needed very considerable resources. On account of a lack
+of funds many promising designs have come to no definite end. In the
+earlier days of flying the work of construction was done chiefly by men
+of leisure and means. Not till a comparatively recent date has the work
+been put on a commercial basis and done by large manufacturing firms.
+
+One of the chief difficulties to be overcome was to discover an object
+of sufficient strength to be driven through the air, and yet so light
+that it could displace more than its own weight of air. No very great
+difficulty was experienced in constructing the spherical balloon, for
+the sphere is, of course, the natural shape which any flexible envelope
+will take. No framework was needed to stiffen the flimsy covering of
+such a balloon. The sphere is, in itself, a natural shape, and it has
+no tendency to change. The distorting action upon it is that due to the
+weight of the car; but by using a large net bag, enclosing the whole
+balloon, this has been so spread that the distortion is very slight,
+and the natural shape not interfered with to a very appreciable extent.
+
+The great pressure of the air has, of course, constituted many
+difficulties. At sea-level the air pressure is 14·7 lbs. per square
+inch. A vessel containing a vacuum has therefore to be strong enough
+to support 15 lbs. on every square inch of its surface. To make the
+envelope of a balloon strong enough to contain a vacuum is impossible
+for the purpose. Too great weight would be required.
+
+It has been found that the best course is to fill the balloon with
+hydrogen, the lightest of gases. In this way the difficulty as regards
+pressure is overcome, for the hydrogen presses upwards as strongly as
+the air presses inwards. Stated in round figures, 1,000 cubic feet of
+hydrogen weighs about 5½ lbs., and the same quantity of air about 80
+lbs. It has been found, then, that 75 lbs. represents the gross lifting
+weight, and that from it must be deducted the weight of the envelope to
+arrive at the desired lifting effect.
+
+With the increased size of the balloon many difficulties have been
+removed, for the lifting weight increases faster than the superficial
+area of the envelope. The contents of a sphere increase as the cube
+of a diameter, but the area grows only as the square of the diameter.
+Therefore, if you double the diameter of a balloon you increase its
+capacity and consequently its gross lift by eight times. Even if it
+should be necessary to increase the thickness of the fabric of which
+the balloon is made, there is still a good margin left in favour of the
+larger balloon.
+
+But the aim has been to obtain something more than the ordinary
+spherical balloon, which simply drifts in the air-currents. Such a
+balloon is helpless as far as direction is concerned. It simply ‘goes
+with the wind.’ Its weight may be varied, but not its direction. The
+aim of the inventors of steerable balloons has been to overcome
+helpless drifting by means of propellers and rudders, and by various
+means designed to avoid loss of gas in ascending and descending.
+
+Inventors in time past found that it was no easy matter to drive a
+large spherical object of a light and flimsy construction through the
+air. With the huge area which a spherical balloon offers to the wind,
+it was found impossible to make any headway at all, except in perfectly
+calm weather, or with the wind behind. Consequently the steerable
+balloon took on an elongated shape, the nose growing more and more
+pointed, so that it could ‘cut’ the air.
+
+But now a fresh call arose for new ways and means of construction.
+The simple bag, which served in spherical form, was useless for the
+new design. A rigid framework of suitable lightness and strength was
+called for—an extremely difficult matter. Indeed, even in the case of
+a ship built for the sea there are troubles in this direction. ‘The
+water supports it all along, while the load which it carries is more
+or less in lumps, distributed irregularly from end to end. A ship in
+still water, without any attacks by storms from without, is in danger
+of breaking its back. If it be divided up into short sections some
+will be found to possess great buoyancy and little load, while others
+will be carrying loads far in excess of their buoyancy. The ship
+must therefore be strongly constructed, so that the lightly loaded
+parts may be able effectually to assist the heavily loaded parts. As
+great longitudinal stiffness is required in a ship as in a bridge. In
+fact, the modern ship is actually modelled upon a railway bridge. The
+method of construction which made the great liner of to-day possible
+was invented by I. K. Brunel, who got the idea from the Menai Straits
+Bridge of Robert Stephenson.’
+
+Longitudinal stiffness is, then, an absolute essential to any structure
+of the kind now in mind. The buoyancy must be fairly constant from end
+to end, the cars being suspended at intervals. That is to say, it has
+been found that the necessary stiffness must be attained whereby the
+weight of the suspended cars will be distributed in due proportion to
+every part of the balloon, not simply to the parts immediately above.
+
+This has been attained by means of a cleverly constructed framework of
+aluminium, and on a line with this improvement have come a number of
+drum-shaped gas-bags, made of rubber fabric and placed in allotted
+spaces in the framework. A kind of keel has also been introduced
+beneath the frame, giving additional stiffness and keeping the airship
+from rolling, just as in the case of seafaring craft.
+
+Improvement has followed improvement. In some designs two light frames
+have been spread out from the main structure of the airship, each
+carrying a propeller. Frames have also been introduced at the back of
+the airship, thus giving four propellers in all—two forward and two
+aft. With these have come fins or planes, designed with the view to
+keeping the nose of the airship foremost to the wind. Moreover, groups
+of planes have been employed, lying in horizontal position but capable
+of movement, and making it possible to steer upward at both ends or at
+one only, as required.
+
+Whilst these structures, which led to the Zeppelin, were in course of
+preparation, other designs of importance were being made, which led by
+degrees to airships of the nature of the Parseval. In these designs
+there was no elaborate framework. The balloon portion was in one—a
+huge shape, stout in the middle with a pointed tail and rounded nose,
+and carrying triangular planes, placed horizontally. This strange
+shape, not unlike a fish, was maintained simply by the formation of
+the bag, distended by pressure of the gas. Difficulties as regards the
+car were overcome by long ropes, the car being suspended some distance
+below. The ropes were attached to the balloon at intervals, thus
+distributing the weight of the car throughout almost the full length of
+the balloon.
+
+Later came improvements which permitted the car of the airship to
+slide, so to speak, upon the suspending ropes, thus giving greater
+freedom to the action of the propeller. To the design were also added
+two smaller ballonets, inside the large one, carrying air-ballast. And
+by means of clever manipulation these bags made it easier to keep the
+airship at an even keel. This aim was also aided by a small horizontal
+plane or elevator placed beneath the bow. Underneath the stern was hung
+a vertical plane, to the end of which the rudder was hinged. The motor
+was in the car, and drove two propellers, supported upon a framework,
+between the car and the balloon. These craft gradually grew to about
+300 feet in length, and about 50 feet in diameter at the thickest
+parts.
+
+Other designs, which led to the Astra-Torres, an airship of French
+origin, had a balloon of ‘trefoil’ shape. The car was hung low, as in
+other models of the kind, and was distributed by a number of wires,
+some of which passed into the balloon itself and were attached inside.
+Indeed, it was this mode of attaching the car that led to the trefoil
+shape. Two planes were attached to the rear, and two elevators and the
+rudder were placed beneath the rear end.
+
+In another fairly successful design of a similar nature a long girder
+ran underneath the balloon, supported by wires from the balloon,
+the car being attached to the centre, thus distributing the weight
+throughout the whole length of the balloon.
+
+Many of these designs had their origin in France, but the British have
+not been idle. Many improvements have had their birth in England, and
+we know that these, as in the case of other designs here mentioned,
+have led to definite results. Out of persevering efforts, checked again
+and again by misfortune and often by disaster, have come the modern
+airships with which we are familiar. In their wake are many victims.
+Yet, as we have seen, and shall see afresh in these pages, they have
+called forth many heroic deeds.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+THE BIRTH AND GROWTH OF THE AEROPLANE
+
+
+It is to the honour of the British nation that one of the first
+principles of the biplane was proposed and explained by a British
+subject, Mr. F. H. Wenham, as far back as 1866. He pointed out that the
+lifting power of a surface can be economically obtained by placing a
+number of smaller surfaces one above another. Indeed, flying-machines
+were built by Wenham on this principle, with appliances for the use of
+his own muscular power. He did not, however, accomplish actual flight,
+although valuable results were obtained as regards the driving power of
+superposed surfaces.
+
+After various further experiments in the same direction, it fell to
+H. von Helmholtz to emphasize the improbability that man could drive
+a flying-machine by his own muscular power. A period of stagnation
+followed. But interest was revived later, and fresh efforts were made,
+varying in importance, down to the experiments of Sir Hiram Maxim and
+Professor Langley.
+
+[Illustration: DISTINCTION MARKS USED BY THE BELLIGERENTS IN THE WAR.
+
+  1. British. 2. Marks on rudder of British machine.
+  3. French. 4. Marks on rudder of French machine.
+  5. Russian. 6. Italian. 7. German and Austrian. 8. Turkish.
+
+The British marks consist of circles, having a red and blue
+circumference, with a white or (occasionally) the natural colour of the
+fabric in between. The positions for these circles are:—Two on the
+upper surface of the top plane near the wing tips; two on the lower
+surface of the bottom plane, also close to the tips; one on each side
+of the body between the pilot’s seat and the tail. Sometimes simply a
+red circle is used on naval machines. The rudder is painted with three
+vertical stripes in the following order counting from front to back:
+blue, white, red. The French distinction marks are similar to the
+British, with the exception that the centre of the circles is blue and
+the circumference red. The Belgian, Serbian, and Roumanian marks are
+similar to the French. The Russian marks are lateral stripes on the
+planes in the order from the leading to the trailing edge of the wing:
+white, blue, red. Our Italian Allies incorporate their national colours
+in a rosette on their machines. The device has a red centre, then a
+white ring with a green circle outside.]
+
+
+These two eminent men, who took up the subject of flying in the last
+decade of the last century, came to their task with great scientific
+knowledge. Hitherto flying was associated in the minds of the public
+with failure and folly. Indeed, Sir Hiram Maxim once remarked that at
+the time he took up the subject it was almost considered a disgrace
+to any one to think of it. It was thought ‘quite out of the practical
+question.’ But the two great men now in mind were not to be turned
+aside by ridicule. ‘They rescued aeronautics from a fallen position,
+and fired in its cause the enthusiasm of men of light and learning.’
+
+Sir Hiram Maxim’s experiments were on a large scale. He built the
+largest flying-machine that had then been constructed. It had 4,000
+feet of supporting surface and weighed 8,000 lbs.; the screw propellers
+measured 17 feet 11 inches in diameter, the width of the blade at the
+tip being 5 feet. The boiler was of 363 h.-p. This remarkable machine
+had wheels and a railway line, and was restrained from premature
+flight by a system of wooden rails. But it proved unruly. It burst
+through the wooden rails, and flew in a wholly unexpected fashion for
+300 feet!
+
+Professor Langley’s experiments carried flying still further. In 1896
+he built a machine that flew for more than three-quarters of a mile. In
+this machine there was only 70 square feet of supporting surface, and
+the weight was only 72 lbs. It had a 1 h.-p. engine, weighing 7 lbs.
+
+But Professor Langley had still to build a machine that would carry
+a man. This he did in due course, but when the machine was being put
+to the test over water, and at the very moment of being launched, it
+caught in the launching ways and was pulled into the water. Progress
+had, however, been made, and it is well worthy of note that of recent
+date an American aviator has unearthed Langley’s machine and flown on
+it, thus giving posthumous honour to the inventor.
+
+Following the professor’s efforts, further progress was made by Mr.
+Octava Chanute, who introduced the important principle of making
+moveable surfaces. He also made use of superposed surfaces. But it was
+reserved for the two famous aviators, the brothers Wright, to bring
+the desired conquest of the air to a definite point.
+
+Their first practical experiment was with gliding machines at Kitty
+Hawk, North Carolina, in 1900. They endeavoured with comparatively
+small surfaces to raise their machines like a kite by the wind. But
+they found that the wind was not always in their favour and often
+blew too strongly for their method. Consequently, they abandoned
+the idea, and resorted to flight by gliding. Their machines now had
+two superposed surfaces. They also introduced two highly important
+principles, namely, a horizontal rudder in front for controlling the
+vertical movements, and the principle of warping or flexing one wing or
+the other for steering purposes. Later a vertical rudder was added.
+
+Writing of these improvements, Mr. Eric Stuart Bruce, Vice-President of
+the Aerial League of the British Empire, remarks that their importance
+cannot be over-estimated: ‘We have only to look at nature for their
+_raison d’être_, and observe the flight of seagulls over the sea. How
+varied are the flexings of nature’s aeroplanes in their wonderful
+manœuvrings to maintain and recover equilibrium!’
+
+A feature of these early experiments was the placing of the operator
+prone upon the gliding machine, instead of in an upright position, to
+secure greater safety in alighting and to diminish the resistance.
+This, however, was only a temporary expedient while the Wrights were
+feeling their way. In the motor-driven aeroplanes the navigator and
+his companion were comfortably seated. After the experiment of 1901,
+the Wrights carried on laboratory researches to determine the amount
+and direction of the pressure produced by wind upon planes and arched
+surfaces exposed at various angles of incidence. They discovered that
+the tables of the air pressures which had been in use were incorrect.
+
+As the result of these experiments the Wrights produced in 1902 a
+new and larger machine. This had 28·44 square metres of sustaining
+surfaces, about twice the area of previous experiments. At first the
+machine was flown in the manner of a kite, with the view of learning
+whether it would soar in a wind. Experiments showed that the machine
+soared whenever the wind was of sufficient force to keep the angle
+of incidence between four and eight degrees. Later, in 1903, screw
+propellers were applied and four flights made. Definite progress
+favoured the venture. Two hundred and sixty metres were covered at a
+height of two metres!
+
+In the following year, 1904, there was further marked progress, many
+successful flights, some ‘circular,’ being made. In the next year came
+an astonishing achievement: the Wrights flew no less than 24¼ miles
+in half an hour. This was rightly deemed at the time a great flight
+forward. But a period of silence and seeming inactivity followed. It
+was not until 1908 that further revelations were made. It was then
+seen that the Wrights had not been idle. Indeed, it is said (and with
+obvious justice) that ‘to the labours of the Wright brothers we owe the
+advent of the mobile and truly efficient military air scout.’
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS AND CERTAIN ENEMY MACHINES
+
+
+The earliest experiments in the construction of aeroplanes were, as we
+have seen, to a considerable extent made in France. The United States
+have also played an active part. Meanwhile England had not been idle.
+Mr. Henry Farman, the inventor of the Farman Biplane, was the first
+to apply the now famous Gnome motor, in which seven or more cylinders
+revolved. The influence of this motor in facilitating flight generally
+has been remarkable. The early forms of aeroplane engines had proved
+unreliable, owing to the great speed demanded. Indeed, it is said
+that if the aeroplanes of the great European War were flying over the
+enemy’s line with old-fashioned engines they would drop down into
+hostile hands as quickly as dying flies from the ceiling on the first
+winter day.
+
+Side by side with the efforts of Mr. Henry Farman in the construction
+of biplanes, M. Bleriot gave his attention to the construction of
+monoplanes. After attempts, which unfortunately brought disaster
+and disappointment, he produced a machine which astonished by its
+remarkable performances the whole aeronautical world.
+
+Simplicity was the keynote of the Bleriot monoplane. The machine in
+which M. Bleriot flew over the Channel in 1909 has been described by
+a well-known member of the Aeronautical Society of Great Britain as
+‘stretching like the wings of a bird on either side of a tubular wooden
+frame partly covered with canvas and tapering to the rear, with two
+supporting planes, rounded at the ends. At the front was placed the
+motor, geared direct to a 6 feet 6 inch wooden propeller, and on a
+level with the rear end of the planes. Immediately behind the engine
+was a petrol tank, and behind that the aviator’s seat. Near the end
+of the frame and beneath it was the fixed tail, with two moveable,
+elevating tips. The act of moving a lever backwards and forwards
+actuated the tips of the fixed tail at the back of the machine, and
+caused it to rise and fall. Moving the same lever from side to side
+warped the rear surfaces of the supporting planes. The act of pushing
+from side to side a bar on which the aviator’s feet rested put the
+rudder into action and steered the machine.’
+
+Still fresh in the memory is the flight in which the Bleriot monoplane
+carried M. Prior from London to Paris, covering 250 miles in three
+hours and fifty-six minutes. Later, a Bleriot monoplane carried M.
+Garros up to a height of 5,000 metres. At this height the engine broke
+down, but in virtue of wonderful gliding powers the machine was landed
+safely. It was this same type of machine that flew over the Alpine
+peaks, and later carried the first aeroplane post, flying from Hendon
+to Windsor in seventeen minutes.
+
+Another monoplane which calls for special reference is the Latham
+Antoinette monoplane, which enjoyed the great distinction of being
+the first to fly effectively in a wind. Before the invention of this
+machine, aviators had only dared to fly in favourable conditions. It
+consisted of large, strongly constructed wings. The motor was about 60
+h.-p. At the rear of the machine were fixed horizontal and vertical
+fins. At the end of the tail there were hinged horizontal planes
+for elevating or lowering the machine. The machine, with its ability
+to withstand high winds, gave great impetus to the adoption of the
+aeroplane for military purposes. Latham, the inventor, performed some
+remarkable feats, and must be accounted an heroic pioneer in the more
+recent history of flying.
+
+Progress continued on the lines indicated. But it is impossible, for
+obvious reasons, to touch upon the modern types of machines employed
+by Great Britain and her Allies. We may, however, deal briefly with
+certain outstanding types of enemy machines.
+
+One of the most familiar German machines is the Aviatik biplane. The
+vital parts of this ‘fighting dragon’ are fortified with metallic
+‘capot.’ The rest of the fuselage is also armoured. In the forepart of
+the fuselage a space is provided allowing the observer free movement
+for scouting, photographing, &c. The machine can be quickly erected and
+dismantled. The supporting surface consists of two planes of unequal
+dimensions, the upper plane being the larger. Stability is assured by
+a fixed plane prolonged by a rudder. Two ‘ailerons’ at the back of the
+upper planes give lateral stability. Steering is effected by means
+of a vertical rudder placed between the two portions of the horizontal
+plane rudder.
+
+[Illustration: REDUCED REPRODUCTION OF A DIAGRAM ISSUED AT THE EARLY
+PART OF THE WAR BY THE FRENCH WAR OFFICE, BEARING THE WORDS: ‘GERMAN
+AEROPLANES, FIRE ON THESE MACHINES.’]
+
+Another familiar type, the Etrich monoplane, is on the lines of the
+German bird-shape design. The wing-shaped supporting planes have
+upturned wing tips at the back, which are flexed up and down for the
+purpose of lateral stability. The back part of the tail planes is also
+moveable, and can be flexed for elevating.
+
+The Germans also have large numbers of the well-known Albatross
+biplanes and various monoplanes of the Taube design, and also many
+waterplanes of the Albatross type. An interesting feature of these
+machines is the fact that they are all double seated with the exception
+of the Argo type of monoplane.
+
+The swiftly dashing scouting monoplane did not at first find favour
+with the enemy, but the war has brought many sudden and sweeping
+changes, and, following the much-vaunted Fokker, we learn of a German
+machine able to attain the astonishing speed of 120 miles an hour!
+
+The Albatross, a much used type of German machine, was first made at
+Johnnisthal, near Berlin (about 200 of these machines were made in
+1913). Mercedes motors are fitted, capable of attaining a high speed.
+
+In the Rumpler monoplane, another well-known German type, the wings are
+again in the shape of a dove’s wings, the ends being flexible. ‘The
+stability of the apparatus,’ writes a well-known authority, ‘is assured
+both by the shape of the wings and their flexibility. It is at once a
+combination of the inherent stability type and the depending on the
+warping of surfaces.’
+
+The Rumpler biplane, as in the case of the Aviatik, is remarkable for
+the space provided for the pilot and observer. In this case also the
+fuselage is strongly protected. The upper plane varies from that of
+the majority of German machines; it is not made to move in the centre.
+There is a short moveable central plane, attached to the fuselage by
+four tubes. The other planes are fixed to this central plane.
+
+The Rumpler monoplane is shown, together with other German designs,
+including the Gotha monoplane, in a diagram issued in the early part
+of the war by the French War Office, bearing the words: _German
+Aeroplanes. Fire on these machines._ (See page 41.)
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+THE ZEPPELIN AND OTHER MODERN AIRSHIPS
+
+
+The keenest interest and curiosity is very naturally felt in the
+Zeppelin airship. Much has been written concerning its peculiar
+construction—much that is founded on doubtful evidence, and much that
+is mainly true. At this point we shall limit ourselves to a brief
+description of the construction of the Zeppelin, and seek to show in
+simple terms how the type of airship rises and falls. With the heroic
+acts the Zeppelins have called forth we shall deal later.
+
+Now, imagine a long cage tapering to a rounded point at either end. At
+intervals are thin walls or partitions of aluminium sheet, dividing
+the cage lengthwise into a large number of drum-shaped compartments,
+while every part is stiffened and straightened by crossed bars forming
+diagonal bracing, tying and holding all together into a structure of
+remarkable strength. Such is the basis of a Zeppelin airship.
+
+The whole of the framework is covered with waterproof fabric, the
+length of some of the patterns being 492 feet in length and 47½ feet in
+diameter.
+
+Beneath is fixed a light framework, forming a kind of keel, and giving
+additional stiffness. In some designs a cabin is formed in the keel.
+The cars, which are not unlike the form of a boat, are hung under the
+keel, one near either end. Near the front, on either side, two light
+frames spread out, each of which carries one of the propellers, and
+another pair of frames are fixed in like manner toward the end. At the
+after end are a number of fins or planes, the purpose of these being to
+keep the nose of the ship foremost to the wind, as shown in a previous
+chapter.
+
+Now as regards rising and falling. To many people the manœuvring of a
+Zeppelin in the air is still a matter of mystery. It is certainly not
+easy for the lay mind to grasp and hold the fact that a monster vessel
+made of metal, and weighing nearly 20 tons, can float in a medium
+through which a feather falls. The Zeppelin, in effect, is lighter
+than a feather, volume for volume, and this lightness is obtained by
+creating an enormous space within the carcase of the ship and filling
+this space with hydrogen gas, which is about fifteen times lighter than
+air.
+
+If we imagine that a steel boiler 50 feet long has the same width and
+height as a Zeppelin and weighs 20 tons, it is easy to understand that
+if this were filled with hydrogen gas it would not float in the air.
+But imagine the boiler to be drawn out until it was 500 feet long, and
+one gets some idea of the lightness of the Zeppelin structure. Each
+plate of metal in the boiler would be increased to ten times its normal
+length, and thus would become exceedingly thin. Of course, in the
+Zeppelin lighter materials are used, with the result that for a small
+weight we get an enormous volume.
+
+Then, by filling this space with hydrogen the ship displaces its own
+volume of air, but this volume of air is so much heavier than the
+ship’s weight that the vessel rises.
+
+The most remarkable feature of the Zeppelin is the ingenious manner
+in which the volume of hydrogen is controlled, and through this
+control the altitude of the ship is regulated. In principle the method
+resembles that of the air bladder of a fish. When the eighteen
+gas-bags of a Zeppelin are filled with hydrogen the ship is at its
+maximum of buoyancy or lightness. It then has a lifting power which
+unless restrained by heavy weights would take the vessel high up into
+the air until a thin atmosphere was reached, where the ship would float
+motionless in a medium of less density. But if we replace the hydrogen
+with air when the ship is held to the ground, we increase the weight of
+the vessel so much that it will not rise.
+
+Thus in the Zeppelin, by the alternative use of light hydrogen and
+heavy air, we can so alter the weight that the vessel can be made
+to rise or sink. By a highly-developed system of tanks, pumps, and
+valves the relative volumes of hydrogen and air can be controlled with
+wonderful accuracy.
+
+In the older system of airships the hydrogen was allowed to escape when
+it was desired to make the ship heavier, but the modern Zeppelin, when
+it takes hydrogen from the gas-bags, is able to store the gas in metal
+tanks under pressure, and it also has a reserve supply to make up for
+unavoidable leakage.
+
+Each gas-bag is mounted above an air-bag, and when the gas-bag is
+inflated to the maximum the air-bag is almost empty. The ship is then
+at its most buoyant stage. To reduce this buoyancy the air pumps are
+put in motion, and they force air under pressure into the air-bags.
+This pressure, acting on the gas-bags, forces out the hydrogen through
+pipes and non-return valves to the storage tanks. If at any time it
+is required to make the vessel ascend, the air-bags are deflated and
+the gas supply pipe with its pump is employed to force more hydrogen
+into the gas-bags. One thousand cubic feet of hydrogen have a lifting
+power of nearly 75 lbs. at sea-level, and this lifting power acts very
+quickly. Thus a Zeppelin changes its altitude rapidly when the weight
+is altered, and at the same time there is automatic control whereby
+the vessel can be kept at the same level if necessary. When a Zeppelin
+drops a bomb it suddenly becomes lighter, and it rises in consequence.
+This circumstance is very disconcerting to gunners, for if, say, a 200
+lb. bomb were dropped, the ship would leap up nearly 200 feet in the
+air, unless the captain desired to check the ascent. The discharge
+of water ballast produces the same rising effect, and with almost
+equal suddenness the ship can sink by using its powerful air pumps to
+press out the hydrogen. Moreover, when the Zeppelin is in motion it
+can use its elevating planes for changing altitude in the manner of
+an aeroplane. Thus, in addition to its power of steering from left
+to right in the same plane, and of climbing and descending along an
+inclined path by the use of the elevators, the Zeppelin can rise and
+fall vertically, and by its system of storage tanks these manœuvres can
+go on for a long period.
+
+[Illustration: SECTIONAL VIEW OF ZEPPELIN AIRSHIP, SHOWING THE
+ARRANGEMENT OF THE HYDROGEN AND AIR BALLONETS WHICH CONTROL THE WEIGHT
+OF THE AIRSHIP, THUS ENABLING IT TO RISE AND FALL AS REQUIRED.
+
+ (1) Section of one of the eighteen ballonets. (2) Hydrogen gas-bag
+ partly inflated. (3) Air. (4) Rear gondola. (5) Outer covering of
+ fabric. (6) Metal work. (7) Air space between gas-bag and frame. (8)
+ Hydrogen gas-bag fully inflated. (9) Flexible gas-pipe. (10) Inner
+ ballonet deflated. (11) Metal gas tank into which hydrogen is pumped
+ under pressure. (12) Forward gondola. (13) Flexible pipe from pump to
+ ballonet. (14) Keel cabin.
+
+(Diagram from a photograph taken from a point at the forward part of a
+Zeppelin Airship.)]
+
+There is a good deal of difference of opinion as to the altitude which
+the Zeppelin can attain. When fully loaded in war trim the latest ships
+can rise to about 5,000 feet, but by the time they reach London, for
+example, and have used nearly half their fuel, ammunition, &c., they
+are several thousand feet higher. The practical limit to airship work
+is said to be about 10,000 feet. Above that height the cold is so
+intense, the air so rarefied, and the conditions for men, engine, and
+ship so distressing, that there is no inducement to rise further.
+
+It is noteworthy that the latest type of Zeppelin is fitted with a
+switchboard for dropping bombs, as, for example, in the airship brought
+down in the north of London in the early part of October, 1916.
+
+The German Schütte-Lanz, a well-known type, is an attempt to secure
+the advantages of a rigid type, without the fragilities of the
+Zeppelin. The framework is made of fir wood, and contains separate gas
+compartments. Exceptional strength is claimed for these compartments.
+A centrifugal pump is employed for distributing the gas. The volume
+of the airship is 918,000 cubic feet—an extremely large structure,
+surpassing even some of the largest types of airship. It is believed in
+authoritative quarters that one of the first airships brought down in
+flames on British soil was a ship of this type.
+
+The German Gross airship has been described as more or less a
+reproduction of the Lebauchy type, which is, of course, of French
+origin. It is built partially on the rigid and partly on the non-rigid
+system.
+
+The Parseval airship is portable, and therefore a particularly useful
+type. On account of its subtleness it has been remarkably free from
+accidents. It is small in size, and is fitted for many purposes for
+which larger airships would be useless. The dimensions, however, of
+the Parseval vary considerably, the smallest being 3,200 cubic metres.
+(This particular ship was built in the year 1908.) The more recent and
+larger designs have a far greater capacity.
+
+There are, of course, many other types on similar lines, but we are
+chiefly concerned in these pages with the purpose and fate of airships
+of the rigid type, and in our next chapter we shall see how our airmen
+have fitted themselves for the task of dealing with Zeppelins.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+CONTROLLING AN AEROPLANE
+
+
+It need scarcely be said that the control of an aeroplane very greatly
+depends upon the pilot. One pilot will perform marvels with a machine
+which in the hands of another may produce a very different result.
+There are, of course, rules which must be observed. But to the skilful
+pilot an aeroplane may be said to be like a horse under the care of
+a trained horseman. A light touch will achieve more than the most
+strenuous efforts of the amateur, and out of the seemingly wayward
+machine the expert aviator will make a docile and obedient servant.
+
+The pilot has various rudders by which he steers parts of his machine
+independently of the other parts. If he finds the left-hand side of his
+machine dipping, he can steer the side up, or _vice versa_. In this way
+he has at his command the means of correcting any tendency to ‘heel
+over’ to one side or the other, or to ‘pitch skyward.’ But without a
+natural tendency on the part of the machine to keep a safe angle, such
+precautions would, of course, be futile.
+
+It has been said that the bicycle affords a good illustration. ‘The
+rider of a bicycle instinctively balances himself on his machine, but
+it would be exceedingly difficult for him to do so were it not for
+the fact that a rolling wheel tends of itself to keep upright.’ As
+regards air pressure, a little thought will show that when a machine
+is moving along horizontally in the air the upward pressure must
+be equal to the downward pull of gravity. Consequently, a machine
+travelling steadily through the air has been likened to a pendulum.
+‘It is just as if the machine,’ writes Mr. Thomas Corbin, author of
+_Aircraft_, ‘were suspended upon a point at the centre of pressure. And
+just as a pendulum always hangs, when it is steady, with its centre
+of gravity exactly under the point of support, so the flying machine
+hangs with its centre of gravity exactly under the centre of pressure.’
+The designer and user of an aeroplane have, therefore, so to arrange
+surfaces and weights that when the machine is in the right position of
+horizontal flight the centre of gravity and the centre of pressure
+will be in the same vertical line.
+
+Suppose, for instance, that the machine tips forward and tends to
+dive downward; the centre of pressure is thrown forward, though of
+course the centre of gravity remains still. In such a case the natural
+righting tendencies of the machine come into operation, causing it to
+steer upward and so right itself. On the other hand, if the machine
+tries to deflect upward the very opposite happens. The only pose in
+which the machine is stable is when it is moving horizontally.
+
+As we turn from the horizontal to the vertical, the effective surface
+of the plane diminishes, but when turning from the vertical towards
+the horizontal it increases. When the machine tips to the left the
+effective area of its right hand half diminishes, whilst that of
+the left hand half increases. Similar action will take place if the
+machine tips over to the other side, but whichever way it tips the
+self-righting tendency brings it back. And so we see that an aeroplane
+is far safer than is thought by many persons. But a great deal, as we
+have seen, rests with the pilot; in his hands is the general system of
+control.
+
+One of the simplest methods consists in providing a universally pivoted
+hand lever and pivoted foot lever. The latter operates the rudder
+through two crossed cables which connect the rudder tiller with a cross
+piece on the spindle of the rudder bar. Upon releasing the pressure on
+the left foot, the machine turns to the left, and acting similarly with
+the right foot the machine turns to the right.
+
+The general method for controlling the elevators is by cross wires
+which pass from their tillers to the ends of a fore and aft bar passing
+through the centre of the universal action of the vertical centred
+rod. One wire cables to the balancing flaps, or the warping cables are
+attached to a horizontal crosspiece, whose axis is set transversely in
+the machine and passes through the same centre of motion of the control
+rod. In this the method is such that a forward or backward movement of
+the rods rocks the fore and aft bar and pulls on the elevator cables
+to make the machine go up or down. A side movement of the control rod
+rocks the traverse bar and pulls on the warp or flap cables.
+
+Another control system consists in replacing the universally pivoted
+rod by a simple pivoted rod, the pivoting of which, fore and aft,
+controls the elevators, and having a handwheel and drum upon which
+the warp or flap cable is wound or unwound. The winding in and out of
+the balancing cables has been likened to the wheel control system of
+a motor boat or small steamer. By duplicating the cables on single
+control the safety of the machine is enhanced, and by duplicating
+the controls both the pilot and the passenger are given power. This
+duplication is, of course, most useful in the event of the pilot
+becoming incapacitated from action.
+
+The experienced pilot, in virtue of his keen sense of touch, has an
+almost infallible guide as to what the air is doing with his machine.
+His hand is upon his lever, holding the elevator in the desired
+position, and the slightest increase or decrease in the speed of the
+air causes an increase or decrease of the lever’s pressure against his
+hand. ‘He has his hand on the machine’s pulse, and feels instantly any
+change in its conditions.’ In the event of the elevator pulling, he
+knows that the wind is increasing and that there is a call for reducing
+the ‘up-starring action’ of the elevator. If, on the contrary, the wind
+slackens, his lever gives toward him and is drawn in a little, till
+the normal tension is gained. The ‘feel’ of the lever tells him what to
+do, and with practice the necessary correcting movements are made by
+instinct.
+
+We know how well our airmen have learnt their lesson. Many of them
+have become competent pilots with astonishing rapidity. A writer in
+the _Daily Chronicle_ (October 13, 1916) has told how ‘the British
+Air Service is now a great army, 80 per cent. of whom, before the
+war, had never even seen an aeroplane, much less been up in one—bank
+clerks, young merchants, undergrads., doctors, lawyers, journalists,
+all endowed with two sterling qualities required by the pilot of the
+air, courage and levelheadedness.’ And how has this great miracle
+been accomplished? August, 1914, found us lamentably short of both
+personnel and material, but what little there was, was of the very
+best. The already experienced pilots set to work with a will upon
+the more than generous quantity of raw material that came to hand.
+Within a few months their influence made itself felt. ‘They taught the
+_quirks_—the airmen’s pet name for the novice—in their own simple
+and undemonstrative manner, that the air is to be respected but never
+feared, the aeroplane treated as a being of life and animation, with
+quaint humours peculiarly its own, and not as a lifeless mass of metal
+and woodwork.’ The usual method of training a new hand is to get him
+used to the air. The beginner is taken up for several flights as a
+passenger. In the initial flight the pilot will perform the most daring
+manœuvres and precipitous turns, watching his passenger closely the
+whole time for any signs of nervousness or fear. It is a most trying
+ordeal that first trip up aloft, and the bravest hearts have been known
+to quail.
+
+‘Following the first flight,’ says the author of the article from
+which we have quoted above, ‘there are numerous trips in dual-control
+machines, that is to say, with the ordinary pilot’s control-stick
+and steering-bar duplicated, and both couples working under the same
+controls. Thus, gradually, the _quirk_ becomes used to the handling of
+the craft and accustomed to the sudden drop of wind, until eventually,
+without his knowledge, the instructor allows him to fly the machine
+himself. Sufficient progress made, he is allowed to make flights alone,
+and when he has learnt to bank left and right, and land the machine
+in a safe and seemly manner, permission is given him to attempt
+the Royal Aero Club’s certificate; for which an altitude flight, a
+distance flight, and landing on a given spot are the only tests that
+are necessary. This, let it be said, is but the starting-point of his
+flying education. Flying fast machines, wireless operating, machine-gun
+firing, bomb dropping, navigation and map reading are still to be
+mastered. Only one who has been in the air and seen that queer panorama
+of jumbled green, grey and blue, stretching away for miles on either
+hand behind him, can appreciate the difficulties of an air pilot
+endeavouring to make a true course from a mist-bound earth; or when
+one’s hands are frozen to the bone, and the ice-cold wind whistles by
+one’s ears, the extreme difficulty of manœuvring the control-stick and
+working the machine gun at one and the same time.’
+
+As for flying at night, ‘when sky and earth are alike
+indistinguishable,’ that is a science needing far more than the average
+degree of courage. Such flying is only entrusted to experienced
+and skilful pilots. How few persons know the _full_ meaning of the
+achievements of the heroic airmen who have attacked German airships and
+caused them to fall flaming to the earth!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+FLIGHT-COMMANDER WILLIAM LEAFE ROBINSON, V.C.
+
+
+Flight-Commander William Leafe Robinson, V.C., was the first airman
+to bring down a German airship on British soil, and he enjoyed the
+distinction of being the first soldier to win the Victoria Cross
+in England. The raid during which his heroic act was performed was
+carried out by thirteen airships in the early part of September,
+1916. The principal theatre of operations was the Eastern Counties,
+and the objectives seem to have been London and certain industrial
+centres in the Midlands. The new measures taken for the reduction or
+obscuration of light undoubtedly proved most efficacious, for the
+raiding squadrons, instead of steering a steady course, as in the raids
+of the spring and autumn of 1915, groped about in darkness, looking for
+a safe avenue of approach to their objectives. Three airships only
+were able to approach the outskirts of London. One of them appeared
+over the northern district at about 2.15 a.m., where she was at once
+picked up by searchlights and heavily engaged by anti-aircraft guns and
+aeroplanes. After a few minutes this airship was seen to burst into
+flames and to fall rapidly towards the earth.
+
+Not, however, till some hours had elapsed was the name of the hero of
+the hour made known. Meanwhile official reports were issued, the first
+simply announcing the raid, and the second stating that one airship
+had been brought down in flames near London. On Sunday, September
+3, an official report stated that after careful inquiries it had
+been found that casualties and damage caused by the raid were quite
+disproportionate to the number of airships employed, the casualties
+being one man and one woman killed, eleven men and two children
+injured. No casualties occurred in the Metropolitan District, though
+some houses and outhouses were slightly damaged. Elsewhere the damage
+was very small, no military damage of any sort being done.
+
+A great number of persons saw the airship fall. One witness relates
+that he saw it shortly before two o’clock, and for ten minutes, it
+seemed to him, it was smothered with shrapnel, held the whole time
+by a concentration of three or four searchlights. He had watched the
+bombardment on other visits, but in none of them, he says, did the
+shells burst in such deadly proximity to their objective. The airship,
+in his own words, might have been giving her own firework display.
+He saw the airship make off northwards. Already she was a ship in
+distress. ‘She yawed and dipped first this end and then that—going,
+all the time, at a good speed. Then she was lost behind a cloud. A long
+silence ensued. The sky was full of cloud patches. The searchlights
+were all shut off. Suddenly the airship was seen far to the northward.
+She had travelled behind a sheltering cloud. She slipped from its
+edge, and the searchlights had her at once. It was seen that she was
+falling. She must have been from 2,000 to 3,000 feet up. She had
+fallen a little, when suddenly she burst into flames! The light was
+everywhere. Had your back been to it, or your eyes shut, you must
+have been sensible of it. The thing fell like the moon falling from
+heaven, with a long trail of light—only the light was crimson, not
+green—and as it fell there broke out one of the most eerie sounds ever
+heard—hand-clapping and cheering from thousands of people all round,
+whose waking existence one had never suspected in the dark until that
+moment. They applauded simultaneously as at a pageant, till the sky
+over London seemed as full of cheering as it had been full of the rosy
+strange light only a moment before.’
+
+There are many other interesting and instructive accounts. A special
+constable, who witnessed the raid, writes: ‘It was at about 11.30
+p.m. when I heard the first Zeppelin. I could not, however, see any
+airship owing to the mist intervening. Several aeroplanes continued
+to cruise around at great heights with only their little tail lights
+discernible. People were beginning to return to bed on the assumption
+that the raid was over, when soon after two o’clock bombs were heard
+dropping again—this time in the direction of London—together with
+the noise of heavy anti-aircraft bombardment. We now saw the airship
+easily just over the north-eastern outskirts of London in the rays of
+many searchlights. After some minutes of very heavy gunfire she made a
+graceful sweep and turned tail, going full speed eastwards for home
+and safety. But though she must have been about 8,000 feet up at this
+time the searchlights followed with relentless persistency, while all
+the time the guns were barking madly after her. Then a strange thing
+occurred. The airship suddenly disappeared and reappeared again—caught
+up apparently by new searchlights further along the line of its
+retreating course. She looked much smaller than before. At about the
+same time a strange red light appeared in the sky almost directly above
+the airship and the guns immediately ceased to fire. The searchlights
+never left the invader for an instant now. The hundreds of thousands of
+people who were again out of doors and witnessing this new and weird
+development held their breath. Everybody seemed to feel that something
+dramatic was about to occur.
+
+‘Suddenly a flame flashed out from one end of the airship, and almost
+at the same time she began a nose dive towards the earth, the flame
+growing and spreading throughout the whole length of her immense body.
+It was a wonderful, unforgettable sight. The flames lit up the sky
+and land for miles and miles around with a brilliant red hue as the
+million and half or so cubic feet of hydrogen were being devoured by
+the hungry flames. I could read a newspaper with ease in this light,
+though I was more than ten miles away. The airship took quite two
+minutes dropping to earth, but during those two minutes mad, deafening
+cheers rose out of the night from all sides. Hooters from works and
+from vessels in the Thames and railways shrieked and whistled and
+screeched, all joining in the general pandemonium of joy. Even from
+a distance of five miles away I could hear the deep-throated cheers
+of the Irish Guards in camp there. For a full half-hour the cheering
+continued, echoing and re-echoing from all sides, and in the intervals
+of the joyous shouts of half-dressed men, women, and children could be
+heard the humming of an aeroplane’s uncommonly powerful engines. Again
+the mysterious red light appeared: then a white light and again a red
+light, and so on alternately, until the multitude realized that the
+victor of a great air battle was returning, signalling the story of his
+success as he made for his aerodrome head quarters, guided by friendly
+searchlights. Then again such cheers rent the air as may not have ever
+been heard before anywhere on earth in the blackness of a very early
+September morning.’
+
+A crowd of persons from a radius of almost twenty miles flocked hastily
+to the scene of the wreckage. One records how ‘an engine, salved with
+the two halves of a propeller from the wreckage, lay by the side of
+a hedge. Men were measuring them with their walking-sticks and women
+by the length of their umbrellas. Pieces of wood and aluminium had
+been shot helter-skelter all over the field and were being gathered
+up as grim yet precious treasures. A cordon, half military, half
+constabulary, kept the onlookers at a distance of some twenty yards.
+And all the time the flames were steadily consuming the framework of the
+terror of the air.’
+
+How the monster met her end was described by one who saw all that
+happened: ‘She was flying at a great height,’ he said, ‘but the
+anti-aircraft guns were putting in splendid work. Not once, nor twice,
+but many times the airship seemed to be hit, until the gondola must
+have been riddled through and through. She reeled. Then she shook
+herself like some great angry animal enraged at attack, but not
+disposed to turn and flee. Probably she couldn’t fly away, even at that
+time. Anyway, she made no attempt. The airship burst into flames in
+the centre first, then at the ends. She sank lower and lower, and at
+last, tumbling over with nose pointing downward, she fell to the earth
+with no bump or thud. The dull splash of an incendiary bomb and the
+cracking report of what was left of her ammunition were the only noises
+she made as her dying gasps.
+
+‘When the crowd did talk of the awful thing that lay smouldering in
+the long damp grass they were emphatic in two directions. Men of our
+own Flying Corps, who know the perils of the air from experience, paid
+splendid tribute to the memory of the charred dead who lay doubled
+up in the attitudes of the final agony. “Whatever they meant to do,
+whatever they had done, they were brave men,” said one. From others
+of the spectators came what was, perhaps, not unnatural—satisfaction
+undisguised.’
+
+People who saw the airship in full flight agreed that she was flying
+very high—much higher indeed than the airship which previously visited
+London. From the earth she looked like a small illuminated cigar set
+thousands of feet above the countryside. Directly she was sighted in
+the northern districts of London several large searchlights held her
+while the guns got to work. There was an incessant gunfire for a few
+minutes, and then there was silence. The airship had fled north. But in
+the course of the next few moments the lights picked her up again. Then
+was seen the mysterious signalling light of our heroic airmen.
+
+The village of Cuffley, made famous by the fall of the airship, is
+a little village of tiled cottages resting in the curve of a white
+road which defines the crest of a splendid sweeping hill crowned with
+poplars and tall pines.
+
+The contour of the village is that of a wide, clearly determined
+triangle, with the church and the inn marking the base and the cottage
+of Castle Farm placed at the apex. ‘The shadow of the little grey
+church falls athwart the yard of the inn, by name The Plough; but
+Castle Farm is divided from it by two smooth, rich meadows.’ A footpath
+crosses these meadows, uniting the farm and the inn.
+
+The burning airship fell into a big field which lies in the direct
+centre of the triangle. This is a barren field; the very soil is
+black and unfertile, covered with tall grass, grey and parched. The
+splintered blades of the airship’s propeller crashed through a
+hedge, tearing it and breaking it down. ‘Such was the damage done,’
+one writes, ‘such was the fine quality of the mercy meted out to the
+village of Cuffley.’
+
+One of the villagers records: “I was running downstairs at the time
+the airship was falling. The whole house was lighted up. I saw all of
+the furniture in the hall, and the table and the carpet. My husband
+was down there. He hadn’t had time to get dressed. He was putting on
+his clothes down there in the hall. They were all streaked with red,
+his face and his hands, too. The red light stopped, but it was still
+light—just a little light.”
+
+‘I could hear him talking. I was trying to ask him what he was saying,
+but my tongue wouldn’t move in my mouth. I was shaking all over. I
+thought I was going to fall down the stairs—the steps in our house are
+very crooked.
+
+‘“We are lost—we are lost!”’ I said. But my husband says I said
+nothing at all. I’m sure I don’t know.
+
+‘“We must get out of here,” he said, “It’ll be on us in a minute.”
+
+‘But we couldn’t get the front door unlocked. We were trying to break
+it open, hammering on it. And I was wondering all the time if it was
+going to fall through the roof. I thought it was hours we were there.
+“What a dreadful way to die,” I said. And he said, “There, there,
+everything’s all right.”
+
+‘Then the red light came back in the sky again—and all of the time we
+couldn’t get the door open. But all at once it came open quite easily.
+
+‘We were out in the yard. We saw a flaming mass drop into the field by
+The Plough. We thought the people there were killed. We began to run.
+We could see the fire burning. But nobody was hurt—what a wonderful
+thing! I felt, almost happy—but I knew I shouldn’t be happy when such
+an awful thing had happened.
+
+‘My husband took me with him into the field. He said I couldn’t stand
+to see those things out there. But I thought that when it’s war
+everybody can stand everything. And I didn’t know—maybe, somebody had
+been hurt. You couldn’t tell, you know—somebody might need help.’
+
+Another villager records that the airship just missed The Plough, and
+fell in a field close by. ‘When we got over to the field we could
+still hear the crack, crack, crack of the cartridges exploding in
+the fire. This must have kept up for about twenty minutes. The thing
+I was thinking was that there wasn’t much of a wreck there for an
+airship—only about twenty-five square yards of it. I had a great fear
+at the back of my mind that it might be one of our smaller airships,
+after all. Then we found the propeller. We saw four bodies burning in
+the wires—they were all black and charred, still burning. There’s no
+doubt about it—not a man in that airship came down alive. There was a
+lot of burnt wood sticking in the ground everywhere around—everything
+had stuck in the ground end on. We even saw a broken Thermos flask.’
+
+It is well that these statements of eye-witnesses, which with the
+passing of time will take on peculiar interest, should be set down in
+these pages.
+
+In appraising the heroic achievement of Flight-Commander Robinson,
+V.C., we should bear in mind that night flying presents peculiar
+difficulties. A contributor to _The Aeroplane_, October 11, 1916,
+writes: ‘The actual bodily peril of flying at night may not be as great
+as is the peril of crossing the German lines in broad daylight, but the
+nerve strain must be greater. The aviator over the German side of the
+lines has generally something on hand to keep him from brooding, such
+as a battle with a German machine or the dodging of good shooting, and
+he generally has a passenger by way of company. The night pilot, on the
+other hand, flies entirely alone. He flaps around for hours on end,
+with nothing to do but think and keep a look-out for other aircraft.
+And nothing is so great a strain on the nerves as unlimited time for
+thinking, a pastime for which the pilot has considerable leisure, now
+that all respectable aeroplanes are inherently stable.
+
+‘If there is any mist about, there is the constant danger of collision
+with other machines, for in the dark there is not even that chance
+of dodging which a pilot gets from the few seconds during which he
+can see another aeroplane approaching in a cloud which is illuminated
+by daylight. Over and above it all is the constant imminence of the
+landing problem, with the prospect of being smashed up, and possibly
+burnt to death, if the pilot makes a mistake, or fortune is against
+him.’
+
+Flight-Commander Robinson showed remarkable skill as well as great
+valour—a hero in the good British sense of the word. On September
+3 he had the honour of being foremost at the investiture at Windsor
+Castle, when the King decorated him with the Victoria Cross.
+
+The first of the money rewards received from grateful admirers of his
+valour was £500 from Mr. L. A. Oldfield. Mr. William Bow also sent the
+£500 which he offered to the first pilot to bring down an enemy airship
+on British soil. A further £2,000 came from Col. Joseph Cowen, and
+public recognition was made by Sir Charles Cheers Wakefield, Lord Mayor
+of London. All united in paying a tribute to the young aviator’s heroic
+deed.
+
+We have seen that he bore his honours with fine spirit. He claimed
+for himself no peculiar gifts of gallantry or skill. It was, he said,
+merely his good fortune. There were many, he said, waiting for the
+opportunity to do what he had done. Later the opportunity came, and we
+know to our just pride that amongst our airmen there are _many_ heroes.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+ LIEUTENANT FREDERICK SOWREY, D.S.O., AND LIEUTENANT ALFRED BRANDON,
+ M.C., D.S.O.
+
+
+The next raid over England by German airships took place on the
+night of September 25, 1916. Twelve airships took part, but only ten
+returned. One was brought down in flames not far from London, the crew
+being killed; the second came down near the coast, and the crew were
+made prisoners. Both of the airships were of the latest and largest
+type.
+
+An official report issued by Lord French stated that probably not more
+than twelve airships participated in the raid. Police reports from the
+provinces indicated that the damage done by the raiding airships was
+slight. At one town in the East Midlands, however, a number of bombs
+were dropped, and two persons were killed and eleven injured. Some
+damage was caused at a railway station, and about a dozen houses and
+shops were wrecked or damaged, and a chapel and a storehouse were set
+on fire. With this exception no other casualties were reported outside
+the Metropolitan area, and although a large number of bombs were
+dropped promiscuously over the districts visited by the airships the
+material damage was insignificant. A great number of bombs fell in the
+sea or in open places. In the Metropolitan area seventeen men, eight
+women, and three children were killed, forty-five men, thirty-seven
+women and seventeen children being injured. A considerable number
+of small dwelling-houses and shops were demolished or damaged, and
+a number of fires were caused. Two factories sustained injury. Some
+empty railway trucks were destroyed, and the permanent way was slightly
+damaged in two places. No reports were received of any _military_
+damage.
+
+The first definite information that German airships were approaching
+London was received shortly before eleven o’clock. No sooner was a
+Zeppelin located than the guns opened fire with apparent accuracy,
+considering the difficulty of estimating the range. Some of the shells
+burst very close to the raider, and once it appeared to have been hit.
+Anyway, after that it lost no time in seeking a higher altitude, where
+it was lost to sight. Some minutes elapsed before the weird humming of
+Zeppelin engines was heard again.
+
+Two Zeppelins were now seen making their way in a north-easterly
+direction. An anti-aircraft gun, which had been following or
+anticipating their movements, opened fire. The gun was fired as fast as
+it could be reloaded, and one or two others, at a little distance off,
+joined in. But owing, perhaps, to their power of emitting dense smoke
+clouds behind which to escape, the Zeppelins managed to elude their
+watchers. But once more, after a brief interval, the sounds of the
+engines could be heard above, and the airships could occasionally be
+discerned at a great height, as they were revealed by the searchlights
+making their way back to the coast at what seemed to be the utmost
+speed of which they were capable. Whether the Zeppelin that was first
+seen was one of the two which were hit afterwards is not known.
+
+The guns for the defence of London now opened again sharply for a few
+minutes, and as suddenly relapsed into silence. Faint searchlights
+flickered here and there, and were withdrawn one or two at a time,
+when it seemed there was nothing left aloft to search for. But the
+fleeing Zeppelins were not having it all their own way. Their flight
+was punctuated by gunfire, which became fainter the farther they went,
+and they were also pursued by heroic airmen. Then miles away in the
+distance, and not many degrees above the horizon, the sky began to glow
+red. ‘Then there appeared the nucleus of a brilliant comet falling
+headlong.’ It was visible only for a few seconds, but the spectators
+raised loud cheers, for they knew that another raiding Zeppelin had
+met with the fate it deserved so richly, and that another proof had
+been given to the Germans that Zeppelin raids could not be made with
+impunity.
+
+Describing the fall in flames of the raider, a Metropolitan special
+constable writes: ‘I was on duty on Monday, September 3, when the
+Zeppelin was brought down at Cuffley, and again during the raid in the
+early hours of yesterday morning (September 26). I had a particularly
+clear, though distant, view of both events, which, though they
+resembled one another in some respects, had at least one important
+point of difference. When the Cuffley airship took fire she sailed
+helpless across the sky, a blazing tomb drifting for miles through
+the air at an angle which brought her steadily nearer to the ground.
+That was the first stage. Then her nose dipped, the fire enveloped her
+completely, and she fell almost perpendicularly; that was the last
+stage. But this time the end came more swiftly. I watched one of the
+Zeppelins under fire for some minutes; in the searchlight beams she
+looked like an incandescent bar of white-hot steel. Then she staggered,
+and swung to and fro in the air for just a perceptible moment of time.
+That, no doubt, was the instant when the damage was done, and the huge
+craft became unmanageable. Then, without drifting at all from her
+approximate place in the sky, without any other preliminary, she fell
+like a stone—first horizontally, then in a position which rapidly
+became almost perpendicular she went down, a mass of flame.... From the
+place where I was I could see and hear some of the rejoicings which
+greeted the victorious end of this latest battle in the air. Policemen,
+special constables, firemen, and ambulance men had their eyes turned
+on the combat in the eastern sky, and cheered and cheered again.
+From houses of all sorts men, women and children ran out in their
+night-clothes to listen to the bombardment, and to stare at the vast
+glow which for a few seconds lit up darker London.’
+
+Another special constable writes: ‘The sky was so clear that the action
+was apparently fought without the aid of searchlights. The gunfire was
+continuous, deep and heavy. It in fact became so continuous that sense
+of excitement faded away, and the people in the streets chatted about
+home affairs without very much heed of what was going on to the east.
+But air engagements have the quality of speed. Suddenly we were in the
+great first act. A cry, a shout, a rush, and all eyes were fixed on the
+eastern sky. An airship was seen for one moment ‘riding at anchor,’ as
+it were, on level keel, and then it glowed and slowly turned and came
+quietly down the eastern side a cigar-shaped, red, incandescent mass.
+The fall seemed much slower than that of September 3, but the distance
+was much greater, and refraction of the horizon distorted the image.
+The fall seemed appallingly slow, and towards the end, as it reached
+the skyline, the ruined airship hung and glowed for many seconds. Then
+the great shout broke out, the cheering ran across London and must have
+been heard on the outer hills and down the expectant Thames.’ Then
+followed the eager rush of thousands of persons toward the scene.
+
+A correspondent of the _Times_ has told how the wreckage lay athwart a
+hedge with its lattice framework impaled on an oak-tree, looking like
+the skeleton of some huge primaeval monster. ‘She had not fallen like
+the ship which fell at Cuffley Wood. That one crumpled and telescoped
+until it occupied a space little more than 30 yards square. This
+lay with her nose crumpled and bent out of shape, but the framework
+of girders and lattice was strong enough to hold together. All this
+twisted mass of metal fell its length on the ground. As she lay it did
+not seem that the fabric was burnt off the gaunt ribs until one noticed
+pieces of molten aluminium and brass in the débris.
+
+‘One realized the cost of such a craft looking even at the wreck.
+Lying on the ground was a red leather cushion. This covered the seat
+of the engineman, and the ghastly evidences still to be seen showed
+that he died at his post. One at least of the petrol tanks had burst
+in half, and the heat of the burning spirit had melted the broken
+edges until they looked like some fine fretted lace. The airship was
+built of aluminium girders, and some of the parts were almost massive,
+although, of course, comparatively light. There were the remains of an
+air mattress and a blanket, perhaps the bed for one of the night shift
+when off duty.
+
+‘Curious evidences of the crew’s breakfast still remained. There were
+slices of bacon and hunks of brown greasy Kriegsbrod with delicately
+sliced potatoes. Even with the subsequent unanticipated cooking the
+breakfast was not done, so presumably the crew intended to have their
+meal when they got clear of the coast.
+
+‘One body was found far out in the field. This was the body of the
+commander, for although his uniform was burned a little it was still
+recognizable, and the badges were plain to see. He must have thrown
+himself over before the ship took her headlong plunge. The other bodies
+were all dressed in warm clothing, with thick felt boots. Several of
+the bodies would have been easily recognizable to any one that had
+known the men in life, but for the most part they were badly burned.
+A working party of troops was put on to clear away the wreckage, and
+it was thought that there were other bodies still under the piled-up
+débris.’
+
+The second raider came down in Essex. Her propeller had been hit,
+presumably by gunfire, and with the ship unmanageable and the danger
+of drifting out to sea, the commander was compelled to make a hasty
+descent.
+
+The special constable who was the first on the scene has given the
+following account: ‘I was on duty near where the Zeppelin fell. I had
+seen something about 300 yards away, and I was looking about expecting
+some adventure, when a batch of Germans appeared in the roadway.
+
+‘I turned my torchlight upon the leading man—the commander—who at
+once said:
+
+‘“Can you please tell us the way to——?”
+
+‘I said, “Oh, yes; just come with me.” I walked with the commander, the
+rest of the crew following, till I saw several other special constables
+on duty.
+
+‘The Germans jabbered mostly in their own language as we walked along,
+but several could speak quite good English.
+
+‘I asked them how they had managed to land safely.
+
+‘“Were you hit?” I asked. One grudgingly said something like “Yah.” The
+commander was less talkative about this, though.
+
+‘By this time we were approaching my colleagues of the Special
+Constabulary, and I told them what had happened.
+
+‘Meanwhile I, of course, told the commander what was really unnecessary
+under the circumstances—that he was my prisoner.
+
+‘He asked to be brought over to the military. Accompanied by the
+specials, the crew were handed over to the military.
+
+‘They were taken in Red Cross motor-cars to the detention barracks.’
+
+A labourer near whose cottage the Zeppelin fell, when interviewed by
+the _Daily Mirror_, said that at about half-past one he was roused by
+the loud drone of a Zeppelin engine—a noise to which residents of this
+part of the North-east coast have now become accustomed.
+
+He got out of bed and saw the huge bulk of an airship close overhead.
+
+The vessel passed away, but then turned and soon descended in a field
+near the back of his cottage. The crew got out; and then followed an
+explosion.
+
+‘It didn’t hurt any of us, but it smashed the front windows of my
+house and those of my neighbours,’ said the man.
+
+‘I found afterwards that all the hair was singed off the back of my
+dog, which was in a kennel outside.
+
+‘Then all the crew came to my cottage and started knocking at the door.
+I never answered, and I heard the commander shouting. He spoke English,
+and said something about the house.’
+
+Asked if the German said ‘Kamerad,’ the labourer replied, ‘I don’t know
+what else he said, but I put my wife and three children in a back room
+and made myself scarce, too.’
+
+The end of the airship dropped across the road which is by the cottage.
+
+When the Zeppelin came down it was to all appearances intact, though
+suffering fatally from engine trouble. It had a big bulge upwards
+and downwards at the middle. Its full shape, however, was still well
+outlined, though twisted in places. Its engines had dug well into the
+earth, and a long, thin line indicated it had trailed along the ground
+for some hundreds of yards before coming to rest outside the cottage.
+
+It is now known that our heroic airmen dealt the death-blows to the
+raiders. An inhabitant of a South London suburb relates that when our
+searchlights had spotted the enemy, it was realized by the diminutive
+appearance of the airship that it was far higher than any yet seen over
+the outskirts of London. It was travelling quickly, for a time due
+north, then north-east. Our airmen, hot in pursuit, were seen to be
+making splendid progress. Not till the 5th of October were the names of
+the heroic airmen made public. On the day named the following official
+announcement was made:—
+
+‘The King has been graciously pleased to appoint the undermentioned
+officers Companions of the Distinguished Service Order in recognition
+of their gallantry and distinguished service in connexion with the
+successful attack on enemy airships:
+
+‘Sec.-Lieut. Frederick Sowrey, Royal Fusiliers, attached R.F.C.
+
+‘Sec.-Lieut. Alfred De Bath Brandon, M.C., R.F.C. Special Reserve.’
+
+The valour and skill of the aviators was acclaimed on all sides. Lieut.
+Sowrey, it may be said, is one of three flying brothers, sons of Mr.
+John Sowrey, Deputy Chief Inspector of Inland Revenue, of Yeoveney
+Lodge, Staines. Born at Gloucester, he was educated at home until he
+was thirteen, when he won an open scholarship at King’s College School,
+Wimbledon. Gaining two leaving scholarships, tenable at a university,
+he went to King’s College, where he took the intermediate B. Sc. Degree.
+He was finishing his graduate course when the war broke out. He at once
+volunteered for service, and, joining the infantry, went out early to
+the Western front. Wounded at Loos, he was invalided home, remaining
+in hospital about three months. On leaving hospital he joined the
+Flying Corps, for ‘anything with a motor connected with it had always
+had a great attraction for him.’ He had Lieut. Robinson, V.C., as his
+fellow-learner. He was taking a course for the Indian Civil Service
+when the war called him into the fighting service.
+
+Lieutenant Brandon is the young New Zealander who in April of the year
+1915 assisted in bringing down the Zeppelin L15 in the Thames Estuary.
+An advertisement of the Hall Flying School at Hendon brought him to
+England. He answered the advertisement, and was immediately accepted as
+a pupil. He gained his aeroplane ticket seven weeks after joining the
+school. Previous to the war he was at Trinity College, Cambridge.
+
+The battle fought by the airmen was of a thrilling nature. It is
+recorded that a ‘ding-dong’ fight ensued, in which Lieut. Sowrey and
+Lieut. Brandon manœuvred for position. Lieut. Sowrey had the best of
+luck, and quickly seized his opportunity of emulating the feat of
+Lieut. Robinson. Making splendid use of his machine gun, he sent a few
+well-directed shots into the Zeppelin. Instantly the airship began to
+turn and twist, and finally crashed to earth a blazing mass. Meanwhile
+Lieut. Brandon stood by in case of emergency, and later attacked a
+second raider, which was compelled to surrender.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+THE CAPTIVE ZEPPELIN
+
+
+The Zeppelin which came down in the manner described in the foregoing
+chapter was on view to a party of London Press Representatives on
+October 8, 1916. The _Times_ representative recalled the fact that the
+airship lost one of her starboard propellers some while before falling.
+Although parts of the structure of the airship were crumpled up, the
+main outlines could be easily recognized. The framework or skeleton was
+composed of a series of longitudinal lattice-work girders running from
+end to end and connected at intervals by circular lattice-work ties,
+the whole structure being bound together and stiffened by means of a
+system of wires provided with arrangements which enabled them to be
+tightened up. The material used was an alloy of aluminium.
+
+At the largest point the framework had a diameter of 72 feet, and was
+of streamlike form, the bow being sensibly blunter than the stern,
+which, indeed, tapered off to a sharp point. The length of the vessel
+appeared to have been 650 feet or 680 feet, and the weight complete,
+with engines, fuel, guns, and ammunition, was calculated at 50 tons.
+The hydrogen capacity was 2,000,000 cubic feet, and there were 24
+ballonets extending the whole length of the ship. Of the envelope only
+one or two fragments were to be seen, the rest having been burnt. The
+airship, which was numbered L33, was of quite recent construction,
+having been built last July, and its cost is estimated by the Admiralty
+authorities at about a quarter of a million. How long was required for
+building it could not be told from an inspection of the remains, but
+the enormous amount of detail was evident enough. To enable the crew,
+which consisted of twenty-two men, to move from one part of the ship to
+another, a cat-walk ran along the keel, enclosed in an arched passage.
+It consisted of a narrow footway, nine inches in width and made of
+wood—one of the very few examples of wood construction used—and
+provision for ventilation was made in the shape of shafts rising to the
+top of the ship.
+
+In all there were four gondolas—one forward, two amidships, and one
+aft. The first of these constituted the navigating bridge. It was
+divided into three parts. The first was set apart for the commander,
+and in it were concentrated the controls of the horizontal and vertical
+rudders at the stern, the engine-room, telegraphs, and the switches for
+the electrical release of the bombs. These last, of which sixty were
+carried, were actually arranged amidships, and the sliding door which
+was opened to allow them to fall could still be seen moving freely on
+its bearings.
+
+Behind the commander’s room in the forward gondola was a cabin for
+the wireless operator, measuring perhaps 6 feet by 4 feet, and behind
+that again an engine-room containing a 240 h.-p. Maybach Mércèdes
+engine having six vertical cylinders. Behind the engine was a clutch,
+a brake, and a reducing gear, through which the power was transmitted
+to a propeller shaft; a generator for the wireless installation was
+placed in front. One similar engine was carried in each of the gondolas
+amidships, and three in the aft gondola, all the engines having
+wireless generators attached. There were thus six engines, with an
+aggregate power of 1,440 h.-p., and six propellers. Of the latter,
+three were worked from the aft gondola, one being placed in the centre
+at a point distant from the tail about one-fifth of the length of the
+ship, and the other two one on each side; two were driven from the side
+gondolas amidships, and the sixth was in connexion with the forward
+gondola. To reduce air-resistance a streamline form was given to the
+propeller stays by the aid of a thin two or three-ply wooden casing.
+The amount of petrol carried was 2,000 gallons, and the speed is
+supposed to have been about sixty miles an hour in a still atmosphere.
+The armament, apart from the bombs, consisted of nine quick-firing
+guns. Of these, two larger than the others were mounted on the roof,
+two were in the forward gondola, one each in the amidships gondolas,
+two in the aft gondola, and one in the tail. The lightness of the
+construction was shown by the fact that the huge tail still containing
+the remains of the gun platform could easily be rolled over.
+
+In addition to the particulars given there were other interesting
+features. It may be noted, for instance, that practically everything,
+except the engines and the guns, was made of aluminium alloy. The only
+woodwork was the narrow platform, known as the ‘cat-walk,’ which ran
+along the keel and connected the gondolas. It was closed in with fibre.
+There was a little wood also in the ventilators, which were found
+intact. The wood was covered with Manchester cotton, which looked like
+common sheeting, but was really of very fine texture. The pressure of a
+button in the captain’s cabin opened the sliding grille of framework,
+and an electrical device permitted each bomb to be dropped separately,
+either slowly or rapidly.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+LIEUTENANT W. K. TEMPEST, D.S.O.
+
+
+Concerning the raid over England by hostile airships which took place
+on the night of October 2, 1916, the official report issued by Lord
+French was to the effect that ten hostile airships crossed the East
+Coast between nine p.m. and midnight. One airship approached the north
+of London about ten p.m., but was driven off by gunfire and pursued
+by aeroplanes. She attempted to return from the north-west, but was
+attacked by guns and aeroplanes and brought to earth in flames in the
+neighbourhood of Potter’s Bar shortly before midnight.
+
+[Footnote 1: The _Times_, Oct. 3, 1916.]
+
+An eye-witness of the fall of the airship writes[1]: ‘I live in the
+country just outside the fringe of the great searchlights which guard
+the London area. From the verandah of the house one can obtain a
+wonderful view of any “pyrotechnic” display within a distance of
+twenty odd miles. The household is most familiar with Zeppelins,
+aeroplanes, bombs, guns, and searchlights. We have seen all the raids,
+we have seen three Zeppelins destroyed, and bombs have fallen all
+round us; but happily our little district has so far escaped damage.
+So accustomed are we to all these aerial affairs that we seem to
+know instinctively when a raid is due. And it was so on Sunday. The
+sky at eight o’clock looked very ominous. Some time later came the
+warning to the special constables, and at the same time the sky in our
+immediate neighbourhood was lit up by powerful rays from searchlights.
+I rightly surmised that the Zeppelin would attempt to reach London
+from the north. By now (I live close to the railway) the searchlights
+were sweeping the cloudless sky, and the air was quite still. About
+half-past ten we heard the beat of the Zeppelin engines; she was due
+north of the house. Then she sailed towards the east. The night was so
+clear that she was seen quite easily. With the aid of a night glass she
+appeared about a yard long.
+
+‘By the sound of her engines we could tell she was circling the
+fringe of light, for she gradually altered her course from east to
+south-east. Then we heard her wheel round to the left. She made a
+circle of some miles, and finally went south-east again, when we heard
+the engines no more. Meanwhile my children, two girls, aged eight and
+eleven, insisted on dressing: they wanted to “see the show.” With
+their mother they made themselves comfortable on the verandah. About
+half-past eleven, away to the south-east, we saw flashes from falling
+bombs, and the bursting of shrapnel, with the boom of heavy guns
+firing. The children were getting very interested. Suddenly a score of
+searchlights seemed to concentrate at one point, and quite distinctly
+we saw the Zeppelin “held.” Shrapnel was bursting all around her. Then
+the guns ceased, and we could see no Zeppelin. We thought she had
+managed to slip away. But our airmen were on her track, and soon there
+appeared a yellow light; it became larger and larger, until we realized
+that it was the Zeppelin alight. From yellow the flames changed to
+ruby; they seemed to spread from the centre to each end of the airship.
+When she was aglow from end to end she tilted, gradually became
+perpendicular, and fell slowly to earth. The flames lit up the country
+for miles; the framework of the machine was plainly visible. You could
+see smaller portions of her ribs, loosened by the heat, falling like
+small sparks. She fell five miles from my house, but I thought I heard
+the whole of England cheering.’
+
+Another witness, who watched the coming of the raider from the
+north-east, has given the following account: ‘What struck me was
+the evident uncertainty of the crew as to where they were, or where
+they wanted to go. They stopped; they turned this way and that; they
+manœuvred in every direction in order to avoid the searchlights which
+were darting about all round them. But it was all to no purpose. The
+way in which the great beams of light followed the airship in all
+its desperate efforts to escape was really wonderful. A few moments
+passed, and the guns began to shell the Zeppelin. The shells burst all
+round—some of them so near that it seemed as though hits had been
+scored. Then, in a moment, a bright light burst out in the body of the
+airship, and in another moment she was a mass of flame from end to end.
+She seemed to turn over on her side, and then gradually sink to earth.
+While coming down, she broke into halves, and during the descent
+she threw off huge bunches of some flaming material. From the great
+height at which she had been floating it was impossible to tell where
+she would come down, and for some moments the onlookers did not know
+but that she might fall upon them. But the blazing remains plunged at
+length behind some trees, and that is the last we saw of her.’
+
+The nearest view of this fourth airship débacle on British soil was
+enjoyed by a farmer at Potters Bar, on whose farm the Zeppelin came
+down. He has given the following interesting account: ‘We were awakened
+by the sound of the guns, and we got up. I went into my garden, and
+from where I stood the Zeppelin seemed to be right overhead. Thinking
+that she might be preparing to drop bombs, I brought my wife and two
+children into the garden away from the house. We had not been watching
+it many moments before the airship suddenly burst into flame. It was
+then apparently right over my house, and looked as though it would
+fall right across the roof. It was burning furiously, and blazing
+masses were flying away from it during its descent. I shouted to my
+wife to be prepared to run out into the road in case it should fall
+upon the house. But as it got lower and lower—it did not seem to
+fall very quickly—I saw it would fall into the fields behind my farm
+buildings. I ran through the stable yard and down a by lane leading
+to some grass fields. In the corner of one of these were some large
+haystacks, and I was afraid that these might be set on fire. When I
+reached the spot I found they were all right; but about 200 yards away
+the remains of the Zeppelin lay blazing furiously. I dared not go very
+near to it for two reasons: one was that the heat was very great, and
+another was that ammunition of some kind was exploding at intervals.
+I afterwards discovered that this was machine-gun ammunition, a large
+quantity of which seems to have been carried, for some was found in
+boxes unexploded. I only saw one bomb drop before the Zeppelin came
+down, but others were found among the débris. The Zeppelin had broken
+into two pieces. The larger half was hanging over a big oak tree, which
+stood in the middle of the field. I saw some dead bodies lying about.
+One appeared to be that of an officer, for I could see gold stripes on
+the arm of his coat. Another was wearing the Iron Cross. Some of them
+had wrapped themselves up in blankets, evidently trying to avoid the
+flames. I had a herd of valuable dairy cows in the field, and these
+were very much alarmed at the blazing Zeppelin. They galloped round the
+field in terror, and one of them seemed determined to rush into the
+burning mass. I had some difficulty in keeping her away, and I was very
+glad when the fire brigade came on the scene and began to throw water
+on the ruins.’
+
+There were many interesting incidents connected with the fall of this
+airship. An Iron Cross was picked up close by. The commander of the
+airship was wearing a wrist watch which had stopped at 1.20 (German
+time). One member of the crew, whose body was recovered, appeared to be
+a boy of sixteen or seventeen years of age. The heat of the wreckage
+was so great that full search was impossible till over twelve hours had
+elapsed after the fall. No less than thirty-nine bombs were dropped
+over one small area to the north of London. Most of the bombs fell,
+however, in fields and meadows.
+
+The airship was thwarted in its evil designs by our heroic airmen.
+In the course of a few days it was officially announced that
+Second-Lieutenant Wulstan Joseph Tempest, General List and Royal
+Flying Corps, had been appointed a Companion of the D.S.O., in
+recognition of conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in connexion
+with the destruction of an enemy airship.
+
+On the fateful day Lieutenant Tempest had finished his regular duties,
+and was spending the evening with friends at a dinner party. Before the
+meal was over a call reached him, and a few minutes later he was back
+at his aerodrome.
+
+He made a speedy start, with the idea of intercepting the airship,
+which was reported to be approaching. He had soon reached a height of
+upwards of 10,000 feet. He manœuvred around unwearying in a protracted
+vigil. At the end of two hours a searchlight picked out the airship
+and persistently stuck to it, despite its efforts to get beyond the
+focus of the beam. Soon other searchlights added to the volume of
+illumination, and anti-aircraft guns began to pepper at the airship.
+
+In a moment a great sheet of fire swept along the airship, and it began
+to fall at a speed increasing as the law of gravitation came into play.
+Immediately after the Zeppelin caught fire Lieut. Tempest travelled
+the complete length of the airship from stem to stern, being parallel
+with it all the time. Then he began to descend. But the falling airship
+hampered his movements very considerably. Once or twice he narrowly
+escaped collision with the flaming mass, and in order to avoid this he
+was compelled to resort to nose-diving.
+
+The work had been done under tremendous strain, but Lieut. Tempest
+fortunately escaped injury of any kind. The spot where he landed was
+miles away from the place where he had first taken the air. Without
+troubling to examine the burning airship, which had fallen not far
+away, Lieut. Tempest was driven back to his home station in a side-car,
+arriving about 2.30 a.m. Here he received a tremendous welcome from his
+brother-officers as the third man of the same flight who had brought
+down a Zeppelin.
+
+Lieutenant Tempest was born on January 22, 1890. He was educated at
+Stonyhurst, and afterwards entered the Mercantile Marine and received
+training on the _Worcester_. He learned to fly at one of the military
+schools, taking his pilot’s certificate on May 22 of the year of
+his heroic deed. He had previously been attached to the King’s Own
+Yorkshire Light Infantry, and was invalided home after fighting in
+France last year at Ypres. For nearly twenty-four hours he was buried
+in a dug-out, and as a consequence he is still liable to attacks from
+rheumatic gout. The experience also left him a little lame, but he
+still retains great skill and courage, and certainly takes high rank
+amongst our heroic aviators.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+LIEUTENANT WARNEFORD, V.C.
+
+
+To Lieutenant Warneford, V.C., falls the distinction of being one of
+the first airmen to destroy a Zeppelin. At the time of his heroic deed
+he was on patrol duty in Belgium, and, it seems, was under orders to
+await the return of raiding airships from England. After a long and
+trying vigil he sighted a Zeppelin, and made straight for a position
+above the giant structure.
+
+The attack, we must remember, was made in the year previous to the
+successful exploits dealt with in other chapters. At the time certain
+improvements in guns and cartridges had not come into use. Lieutenant
+Warneford’s only hope of completely destroying the airship was to drop
+a bomb on it from above, and this he did with remarkable skill and
+courage.
+
+[Illustration: Lieutenant Warneford, V.C.]
+
+On gaining the desired position, he dropped a bomb with such effect
+that an explosion immediately followed. His bravery will be fully
+appreciated when we recall the fact that so violent was the explosion
+that his machine was turned completely over, compelling him to
+‘loop-the-loop.’ This he did with coolness and skill, and although
+under great difficulties he succeeded in bringing about a safe landing.
+Unfortunately he was compelled, owing to engine trouble, to land on
+territory occupied by the Germans. Good fortune, however, favoured him.
+He managed, before the appearance on the scene of enemy troops, to
+restart the motor and again take to the air. It is generally thought
+that he was assisted by Belgians, but this does not appear to be
+established. It is, in any circumstances, sufficient to know that the
+heroic young aviator managed to escape and return safely to his base,
+there to receive the enthusiastic congratulations of his comrades.
+
+The stricken airship unfortunately fell upon a monastery, doing much
+damage and killing a number of the inmates. It was a Zeppelin of
+notable type, carrying an exceptionally large crew, including some of
+Germany’s most efficient engineers.
+
+The news of the destruction of the airship was communicated almost
+immediately to England, causing keen interest and delight. Lieutenant
+Warneford became the hero of the hour. The King telegraphed the honour
+of the Victoria Cross, and the heroic young pilot thus came into the
+distinction of being the first airman to win the coveted decoration.
+England and France united in honouring him, and hopes were widely
+expressed that fresh deeds of valour would be performed in coming days.
+
+But Lieutenant Warneford tasted earthly fame for only a few brief
+hours. Shortly after his heroic deed, whilst flying with an American
+journalist as passenger, his machine suddenly swerved, and in some way
+never fully explained, control was lost, and the machine dashed to
+earth, killing both the pilot and passenger.
+
+Deep regret was expressed by every friend of the Allies. Much hope had
+been centred in the courageous young pilot, and the end had come with
+terrible suddenness. People could not understand. But above all there
+shone brightly, and still shines, the deed of that _one glorious hour_,
+when self was forgotten and only duty called.
+
+The name and fame of Lieutenant Warneford will surely live in the
+annals of aviation—a fearless spirit, quick and strong to act,
+tasting for a brief while of conquest and fame, and then meeting, all
+unexpected, a sudden and untimely end. ‘Fame,’ it is written, ‘may
+fade, but not the great deeds that bring true fame; their influence
+lasts through all time.’ Lieutenant Warneford’s heroic act is not dead.
+His example has inspired and will continue to inspire, and to him we
+owe in no small measure many of the more recent deeds of our heroic
+airmen.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+THE NEW ARM IN WARFARE
+
+
+We shall, no doubt, have occasion to return later to the heroic
+achievements of our airmen in destroying enemy raiders. Meanwhile, our
+attention is claimed by a subject of great interest and importance,
+namely, the part played by aircraft on the various battle fronts of the
+great war. It was clear some while before the outbreak of hostilities
+that the aeroplane was destined to play a prominent part. Mr. Sydney
+F. Walker, R.N., M.I.E.E., remarks, in a useful little volume on
+aviation, published before the war, that the first important work to
+which the aeroplane has been put is that of scouting. ‘When armies
+are manœuvring in the field, it is the great object of each general
+to find out what his opponent is doing, exactly where his forces are,
+where each particular arm is weak, and where, above all things, he is
+open to attack. On the other hand, each general makes the greatest
+efforts to prevent his opponents from finding out all about himself.
+The art of hiding men, and even of artillery and of horses, has been
+brought to such success that the non-military observer might be in the
+midst of an army of 30,000 or 40,000 men and be perfectly ignorant of
+their presence. Every inequality in the ground, every natural object,
+such as a tree, a mound, a house, &c., is made use of for the purpose
+of concealing the presence of men, horses, and accessories. It will
+be evident that with an aeroplane flying at anywhere up to eighty
+miles an hour, and that has been exceeded at the time of writing, and
+viewing the surface of the ground from above—provided the pilots, or
+passengers accompanying them, are trained to observe the ground and the
+bodies of men on the ground from above—practically any disposition of
+the enemy could be discovered.’
+
+We are now able to judge by results and appreciate the work done. A
+point of primary importance in active warfare, as we have seen, is the
+use of the aeroplane for reconnaissance work. Other duties, and there
+are many, are set forth with admirable clearness by Mr. W. E. Dommett
+in his little work, _Aeroplanes and Airships_. The book was written
+at the early part of the war, and on that account is particularly
+instructive at this point; for it enables us to trace the progress
+made and the victories won by our airmen. ‘Reconnaissance work for the
+purpose of co-operation with artillery,’ Mr. Dommett writes, ‘forms the
+most important function next to scouting. An aerial observer is sent
+out to determine the position of hostile batteries whose existence
+may or may not be known by its fire, to determine the strength of the
+batteries, and how the units composing them are grouped. In addition it
+is the duty of the observer to look out for troops, stores, or other
+matters which could and should be subjected to the fire of one’s own
+batteries. He should supply as far as possible details as to range and
+elevation necessary for clearing intervening high ground. In addition
+the observer can report as to the effect of his own side’s artillery,
+and the manner in which it is failing or succeeding in its object.
+
+‘The value of this form of observation is beyond calculation, in view
+of the fact that the artillery have not to waste time and ammunition
+in getting the target. Moreover, the time during which the opposing
+batteries or forces can do damage is correspondingly reduced.
+Naturally, much depends upon the accuracy of an observer’s report as to
+its value, and in this respect it appears that the allied forces are
+superior to their opponents, and it would seem that this superiority
+is due not so much to the superiority in the observer’s machine, but
+to the better self-reliance, intelligence, and powers of initiative
+possessed by the men themselves. Observation work, it may be said, is
+generally accompanied by some offensive action on the part of the pilot
+or accompanying observer.’
+
+Observation in naval warfare is of course also of great importance. In
+the work of detecting submarines, for instance, aeroplanes have proved
+of great value, for it is possible to detect submerged objects with
+greater ease from considerable heights than from the water surface.
+Writing to the _Matin_, a correspondent stated in the early part of
+the war that an aviator flying several hundreds of feet above the sea
+off Cape Helles, saw a black spot in the water beneath him. Circling
+round, to enable him to observe it more closely, he at last made
+out the form of a German submarine, under water, moving towards a
+British transport, which was heavily laden with troops and munitions.
+Immediately the aviator flashed a wireless signal to the transport,
+and then, swooping down to a few feet of the surface of the water he
+dropped two bombs. These did no damage to the submarine, but taking
+warning she sank to greater depths. When the enemy thought enough time
+had passed he raised his periscope above the surface, but the aeroplane
+was still circling close at hand and once more a couple of bombs fell
+close alongside the boat. Then the submarine finally disappeared. Many
+incidents of a similar nature have been recorded.
+
+It is, moreover, sometimes necessary to find out the position of our
+own submarines in such a case as when a submarine has disappeared and
+not returned to its base. Before the war, when one of our A Class boats
+sank off the Cornish coast, whilst out from Devonport for exercise,
+an aeroplane was successfully employed for finding its whereabouts.
+The boats in company with the lost boat laid buoys to indicate the
+position, but these had become shifted by heavy seas, and had become
+useless for the purpose.
+
+Observation work is frequently accompanied by direct offensive action;
+but the work is sometimes done purely with the view to the offence.
+For example, as early as September 23, 1914, naval airmen, namely,
+Squadron-Commander E. F. Briggs, Flight-Commander J. T. Babington, and
+Flight-Commander S. V. Lippe, carried out a raid over a mountainous
+route of 120 miles upon the Zeppelin sheds at Dusseldorf. And at a
+later date a similar raid was made on the sheds near Lake Constance.
+
+In the early part of the war the Paris correspondent of the _Times_
+wrote as follows: ‘A feature of the operations along the front is the
+active use by the French of their air service, and the many indications
+given of the progress which has been accomplished in this branch of
+the service since the outbreak of the war. Realizing that for fighting
+purposes the chief mission of the aeroplane is to act like a gun of
+immense range, and that bombardment requires swarms of aeroplanes and
+not an isolated machine, the French have equipped and organized a
+number of air squadrons with the object of disturbing and destroying
+the enemy’s communications, either during or on the eve of military
+developments, so as to impede the arrival of men and shells from the
+reserve points during the progress of operations.
+
+‘For this purpose the squadrons are composed of three different types
+of machines, the names of which indicate the special duties of each
+type. These squadrons, in spite of the boisterous weather which has
+prevailed throughout the month, have raided no less than ten important
+German railway centres in the area of operations, throwing over 400
+bombs in their flight, while the chaser planes engaged any protecting
+enemy aircraft that tried to interfere with the operations.
+
+‘A glance at a map will show how effectively the air services are able
+to act as an extension of artillery in upsetting the enemy’s transport.
+Thus Challerange, an important junction on the Vouziers—St. Menehould
+and Vouziers—Apremont Railways, whence are served the requirements
+of the army operating in the west of the Argonne; Arnaville and
+Bayonville, to the south-west of Metz; Vigneuvelles les Hattonchattel,
+the railway centre for the south-eastern armies operating against
+Verdun; Autruy, to the north of the Argonne; and Conflans-en-Jarisy,
+on the Verdun-Metz railway, have been regularly bombarded by aerial
+squadrons, which in some cases have numbered thirty-five air machines.’
+
+In this connexion it is interesting to recall an extract from
+an official communiqué that was issued early in the war: July
+20—‘Thirty-one aviators yesterday bombarded the railway station of
+Conflans, an important junction. Three shells of 155 mm. and four of
+90 mm. were observed to have been neatly dropped on the station. The
+engine shed was struck by a shell of 155 mm. Three aviatiks were put to
+flight by our pursuing aeroplanes, which accompanied the squadron. One
+aviatik was compelled to land rapidly.’
+
+In the place of an enemy camp or railway junction the attack is made
+by the Naval Air Service on the submarine base or the dockyard. On
+many occasions naval airmen have bombarded German submarines in Ghent
+harbour. In the raid on Cuxhaven, seven seaplanes were conveyed to the
+vicinity of Heligoland and thence flew over Cuxhaven and dropped bombs
+on the docks.
+
+A report issued at a comparatively early date of the war stated: ‘Quite
+one of the features of the campaign, on our side, has been the success
+attained by the Royal Flying Corps. In regard to the collection
+of information it is impossible either to award too much praise to
+our aviators for the way they have carried out their duties, or to
+over-estimate the value of the intelligence collected, more especially
+during the recent advance. In due course certain examples of what has
+been effected may be specified, and the far-reaching nature of the
+results more fully explained, but that time has not yet arrived. That
+the services of our Flying Corps, which has really been on trial, are
+fully appreciated by our Allies is shown by the following message from
+the Commander-in-Chief of the French armies, received on the night of
+September 9 by Field-Marshal Sir John French:—
+
+‘“_Please express most particularly to Marshal French my thanks for
+services rendered on every day by the English Flying Corps. The
+precision, exactitude, and regularity of the news brought in by its
+members are evidence of their perfect organization, and also of the
+perfect training of pilots and observers._”’
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+FROM VICTORY TO VICTORY
+
+
+At a later date (September 12, 1916) a writer in the _Daily Chronicle_
+remarked: ‘All reports, official and unofficial, concur in warm praise
+of the daring, resourceful, and effective work of the British airmen.
+Our supremacy over the Germans in the aerial arm is incontestable.
+Every day’s fighting brings evidence of it. Not only are the exploits
+of our airmen the theme of admiring comment by our own soldiers, but
+they also extort reluctant tributes of admiration even from the enemy.
+Were it not for the accurate observation of these fearless, hawk-eyed
+scouts of the air, the marvellously effective results achieved by our
+gunners in the recent fighting would not have been possible, and the
+difficulties in the way of our heroic infantry would have been vastly
+increased.’
+
+By general consent, then, our aerial scouts far surpass those of the
+enemy in this work. Our aeroplanes have constantly hovered over his
+lines, his seldom over ours. Casualties have been inevitable in these
+perilous enterprises, but such is the dexterity of our fliers that the
+price paid has not been nearly so high as the risks run would suggest.
+In point of fact, our losses in the air have been less than those of
+the enemy, despite the greater enterprise and the bolder initiative of
+British airmen. ‘From July 1 to September 17 in France we destroyed no
+fewer than 104 German aeroplanes.’ These figures, compiled from the
+official reports, are the more impressive when it is remembered that
+it is the British rule not to include enemy machines damaged as lost,
+but only those that have, in fact, been actually destroyed. It is not
+surprising, in the light of the remarkable achievements of the British
+air service in the battle-line, that its critics, so loud-voiced a
+few months ago, have been silenced. Fresh in everybody’s recollection
+is the ridiculous fuss made by some sensational newspapers over the
+Fokker and its wonderful qualities. Where is the Fokker now? Where have
+those scribes vanished who were daily ‘crabbing’ our air service, now
+admittedly the best in the world? Will they, wherever they are, have
+the assurance to claim that it is their criticisms that have wrought
+what they would call the change? If so, it would be a baseless claim,
+absolutely without justification of any kind. Our Air Service has
+evolved steadily in strength and efficiency ever since the outbreak
+of war. Of course mistakes were made in the process of evolution
+and expansion. They could not be avoided in a new service, rapidly
+extending, and necessarily involving experimental changes in design
+and structure. But the progress has been steady and uninterrupted ever
+since the war began.
+
+The truth is, the original expeditionary force was well equipped with
+aeroplanes and well-trained pilots. Later came the rapid expansion of
+the army, which imposed heavy new demands on the Royal Flying Corps.
+Those demands have all been met. It is to the credit of the late Lord
+Kitchener that from the first he recognized the great importance of the
+aeroplane in this war. ‘When in the early autumn of 1914 authorization
+was sought for the manufacture of a sufficient number of machines to
+equip thirty new air squadrons he at once doubled the number, ordering
+not 720 aeroplanes, but 1,440.’ This was a notable instance of Lord
+Kitchener’s prevision as to the scale of the war. Early in 1915 a very
+large new constructive programme was embarked upon, and the output
+since then has progressively increased. At first we relied chiefly on
+France for the engines of our flying-machines. Now some of our best
+engines are made at home.
+
+The interim report of Mr. Justice Bailhache’s Committee, issued early
+in August, 1916, said: ‘There has been an enormous expansion of the
+Flying Service since the war; and all the critics of the Service,
+without exception, have borne testimony to the great progress made in
+its efficiency—a progress which, although most noticeable since the
+beginning of this year is, in the opinion of the Committee, the result
+of many months of strenuous work. To this efficiency the recent reports
+from the front bear eloquent witness.’
+
+Early in September, 1916, one who enjoyed facilities for visiting
+flying centres, and learning at first hand of the progress of aviation
+in the country, remarked that ‘there was no need to be an expert to
+appreciate the remarkable change that had come over certain districts,
+where, what a few months ago were mere country villages or stretches
+of pine wood, have been transformed into industrial centres, with as
+many signs of bustle and industry as are to be found in the great
+shipbuilding centres of the British Isles.
+
+‘A really remarkable thing is the enterprise and adaptability of firms
+who had never tackled the job before in organizing their work so that
+Britain’s output of machines was marvellously increased. Now the fruits
+of long and costly experimental work are being reaped, and the rate of
+output increases every week. This applies not to one establishment,
+but to the hundreds of works throughout the kingdom. So much is this
+the case that a country which at the beginning of war was believed to
+be behind in this branch of warfare is able not only to supply its own
+needs but also those of its Allies.’
+
+The same careful, persistent, and unobtrusive research work that
+has brought British aircraft to the top has also resulted in great
+improvements in the construction and invention of bomb sights and
+dropping appliances. British engines, too, are now second to none
+in point of power, and great improvements are to be recorded in
+carburettors and special appliances for flight at high altitudes. The
+same progress is to be recorded in the matter of speed. The average
+speed of aeroplanes as used by our Air Service two years ago was from
+sixty-five to seventy miles per hour. Nowadays it is much higher.
+
+As regards the future, a British officer remarked at the time now in
+mind: ‘With all the results achieved so far, and the knowledge gained
+by this great war, there is no reason to doubt that the British Air
+Service—like the British Navy—will be the premier in the world. That
+is our constant aim.’
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+AIR SUPREMACY
+
+
+The great Somme offensive proved beyond all dispute the claim of
+England and France to the supremacy of the air. It is not, however,
+always clearly understood precisely what air supremacy means. To that
+remarkably able war correspondent, Mr. Philip Gibbs, we owe one of
+the clearest accounts given of the part played by aircraft in modern
+warfare.
+
+Writing whilst with the British Armies in the field, September 12,
+1916, Mr. Philip Gibbs said: ‘To-day has been quiet on our front,
+without infantry fighting, up to the time I write. Southward, on our
+right, the French have been attacking heavily, with a bombardment that
+has swept a great stretch of country with fire between Combles and
+Péronne. When the French get to Combles—one need hardly use the word
+“if,” as they are now hammering at its outskirts—they will link up
+with us to the right of Ginchy and Leuze Wood, where the enemy is still
+holding out against us in a bad position, a few hundred Germans still
+defending themselves bravely in the “loop” trench which is flung like
+a lassoo to the north-east of Guillemont.... We are still below the
+line of the Ginchy telegraph on the high plateau, so that we have not
+yet obtained full observation of the valley slopes on the other side,
+though by the capture of Ginchy itself we have robbed the enemy of his
+old point of view, which was of enormous value to him in registering
+upon our batteries and watching our movements.
+
+‘His only means of observation now is from the air, and yesterday
+there was visible proof of this, because fifteen or sixteen of his
+kite balloons came creeping out of the clouds above the plateau here,
+peering at us at close range. I should hate to be a German observer
+in one of those “sausages,” as our men call them. They have a painful
+reminiscence of six such gas-bags brought down on one day, which was
+June 30 last, before the great battle began. Since then they have
+not floated aloft with any safety. On September 1 two of them were
+attacked by one of our air-pilots, who fired machine guns at them
+and dropped bombs on to them so that they had to haul down hurriedly
+in a great scare, and a few days ago one of our knights-errant of the
+air crossed the enemy’s lines at nearly 12,000 feet, mounted directly
+above a German balloon, and dived upon it, until he was no higher than
+500 yards above it. Then he fired until he almost touched the great
+bag, and as he passed it burst into a vast flame and was burnt to a
+wisp of smoke in a few seconds. For fighting purposes these German
+“Peeping Toms” are not safe and certain means of observation with our
+airmen hovering near them, even though they have adopted a new means of
+defence, which is a gun below them sending up a high-reaching flame to
+scorch the wings of any British moth who dares to come too close. Our
+moths will take the risk....
+
+‘To-day, a German plane did come across our lines, where I was
+wandering about some old dug-outs and trenches, watching our batteries
+plug away in a leisurely style, and wondering at the relative quietude
+of an _off day_ of battle. But that hostile bird was scared back by
+some of our hawks, and they followed him well into his own country of
+the sky, with their usual audacity. There is no humbug about all this.
+On this part of the battle-front we maintain the mastery of the air and
+blind the enemy’s point of view. It makes all the difference to our
+artillery, and it is extraordinary to go through the recent history of
+the Royal Flying Corps and to note how many German batteries have been
+put under heavy gunfire by aerial registration. It is not easy to knock
+out a battery by a direct hit. A gun is a small target, and shells may
+crump it all round and leave it unscathed; but on the laws of luck we
+have certainly scored many direct hits during the last week or two.
+Many ammunition dumps and pits have been blown up after aerial reports,
+as I have seen myself several times, watching the high enduring volumes
+of black curly smoke.’
+
+Thus we see that the claim of England and her gallant Allies to the
+supremacy of the air is an established fact. Later, we shall see more
+closely still how this has been brought about, and that more than can
+be estimated is due to the individual courage of our heroic aviators.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+FLIGHT-COMMANDER ALBERT BALL, D.S.O., M.C.
+
+
+Few airmen have a finer record than the young British officer,
+Flight-Commander Albert Ball, who for a while held a commission in the
+Notts and Derby Regiment, and later was attached to the Royal Flying
+Corps with the rank of Flight-Commander. He is a native of Nottingham,
+and joined the Sherwood Foresters as a private at the outbreak of the
+war. He has brought down no fewer than twenty-nine German aeroplanes
+and a Drachen observation balloon.
+
+He is only twenty years of age at the time of writing (October, 1916),
+and is probably one of the smallest flying officers in the service—a
+small man with great courage. He has black hair, the eyes of a hawk,
+and a jaw that spells two words—determination and fearlessness.
+
+During a brief period of leave in England he had with him two
+noteworthy mascots—the propeller of the aeroplane in which he brought
+down fourteen hostile machines, and a mascot in the form of a large red
+nose-cap of steel. The Germans know this mascot well.
+
+Whilst on his visit to England he said that his most ‘sporting fight’
+was one in which he and his opponent went at each other for over half
+an hour. Then, when the ammunition had all gone, the two flew side by
+side and grinned at one another in mutual admiration.
+
+‘We flew together,’ Lieut. Ball said, ‘in that way for quite a long
+distance, exchanging air greetings.’
+
+Good fortune has, of course, played a part in Lieut. Ball’s many
+successes. He has himself been forced down several times, but thus far
+not once has he suffered any personal injury.
+
+His exploits have won him the D.S.O., the Military Cross, the bar to
+the D.S.O., and the Russian St. George’s Cross, which is our Ally’s
+equivalent to the English Victoria Cross. The D.S.O. was bestowed
+on him for attacking seven enemy machines which he saw flying in
+formation. One of them he shot down at fifteen yards range, and the
+others retired.
+
+[Illustration: BOMB DROPPING.
+
+The dropping of aerial bombs is a more or less haphazard affair, and
+unless the target is a big one, such as a town or dockyard, it is
+exceedingly difficult to take aim with any degree of accuracy.
+
+_Reproduced by permission of the Editor of ‘The Royal Magazine.’_]
+
+Immediately afterwards, seeing five more hostile machines, he attacked
+one at about ten yards range and shot it down. He then attacked another
+of the machines which had been firing at him, and shot it down into a
+village. Still not satisfied, he flew to the nearest aerodrome for more
+ammunition, and returning attacked three more machines.
+
+The bar to the D.S.O. was awarded for subsequent acts of gallantry. On
+one occasion, observing twelve enemy machines in formation, Commander
+Ball dived in among them and fired a drum into the nearest machine,
+which went down out of control. Several more hostile machines then
+approached, and he fired three more drums at them, driving down another.
+
+The record of this heroic young aviator is indeed remarkable, and one
+is not surprised when one learns that the British Commander-in-Chief,
+Sir Douglas Haig, has written to the young hero as follows:
+
+ ‘Well done! D. H.’
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+LIEUTENANT ALLAN BOTT, M.C.
+
+
+Lieutenant Allan Bott, who has been awarded the Military Cross for
+gallantry and devotion to duty in the field, is a member of the
+editorial staff of the _Daily Chronicle_, and when war broke out acted
+for a time as a special correspondent in France and Switzerland. He
+went to Lake Constance to investigate the building of super-Zeppelins,
+and while at Kreuzlingen, a small Swiss town which is really a suburb
+of Constance, made an involuntary trip into Germany by entering the
+wrong train. He spent some hours in Constance, and managed to escape
+detection at the frontier by travelling under the seat of a cab driven
+by a friendly Swiss who was going back to Kreuzlingen.
+
+On his return to England, in November, 1914, Mr. Bott joined the
+O.T.C., and after training received a commission in the R.G.A., whence
+he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps. Since the deeds which have
+won Mr. Bott the Military Cross he has been promoted from the rank of
+Second-Lieutenant to Lieutenant. The story of his flight on a blazing
+aeroplane has been told modestly by the young officer in a letter to
+his parents:
+
+‘All at once our fuselage shivered, and looking down it, I saw that
+Archie had left his card in the form of a piece of burning H.E.
+
+‘“Fuselage burning—pass the fire extinguisher,” I shouted down the
+speaking-tube to my pilot. But the pilot’s earpiece had slipped from
+his cap during the dive, and he heard nothing. I stood up, leaned
+across and shook his shoulder. “Pass the fire extinguisher,” I yelled.
+
+‘“Hun down on the left,” he shouted back, my words having been lost in
+the roar of the engine.
+
+‘“Fire extinguisher,” I called again.
+
+‘“Why don’t you fire at that Hun?” was the reply.
+
+‘Seeing that the flames were licking their way back to the tail, I
+abandoned the attempt to get the extinguisher, and crawled down the
+fuselage to the scene of the fire. I managed to beat out the flames,
+which had eaten half-way through one of the longerons.
+
+‘Meanwhile, the pilot had been attacking one of the enemy machines, and
+a bullet had gone into our petrol tank. Confronted with a diminishing
+pressure, we decided to make for Allied territory at once, and turned
+west.
+
+‘Five minutes later, by which time the number of revolutions had
+dropped alarmingly, we found the way barred by two more Boche machines.
+My gun having jammed, the pilot did the only thing possible—he went
+straight at the nearest German, firing all the time. The Boche swerved
+just in time to avoid a collision, but had obviously been hit, for
+his machine all but did a nose-dive, and he only landed with great
+difficulty.
+
+‘Then our engine petered out altogether, and there was nothing for it
+but to do a long glide and try to reach the lines. We were at 4,000
+feet when we started to glide, and for a long time we didn’t know if we
+had sufficient height to get us across.
+
+‘But the pilot took advantage of a small salient, and we managed to
+glide over the trenches at a height of about 400 yards, fired at by
+machine-guns and rifles, besides dear old Archie. We landed just
+behind the second-line trenches of a certain part of the French line,
+and, to our joy and astonishment, we were not shelled on the ground.’
+
+It was an exciting adventure, showing the mettle of our aviators. There
+have been many such thrilling incidents on the various battle-fronts,
+some coming to light and winning well-deserved awards, others going to
+make up the great and glorious number of unrecorded deeds of gallantry.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+FLIGHT-LIEUTENANT GUYNEMER
+
+
+We learn from the _Matin_ that the French champion, Flight-Lieutenant
+Guynemer, once brought down three German aeroplanes in the record time
+of three minutes, and then himself had an extremely narrow escape from
+death. He was 3,000 yards up when a shell burst full in one of the
+wings of his aeroplane, and the frail bird seemed mortally wounded. The
+whole left wing was completely cut to bits, and the canvas fluttered
+in the wind, making the rent still worse. In a few seconds there
+was nothing left on the frame but a piece of canvas the size of a
+pocket-handkerchief.
+
+The machine fell with a crash through space—it would not support its
+pilot any longer. Lieutenant Guynemer declares that he gave himself up
+for lost; the only thing he asked Providence for was that he should not
+fall in enemy territory.
+
+‘I was powerless to make my will felt,’ he has said. ‘My machine
+refused to obey me. At 1,600 yards I determined to make a fight for it
+all the same.
+
+‘The wind had brought me back into our own lines. I was almost happy. I
+had been thinking of my funeral, with sorrowing friends walking behind
+my last remains. I had nothing more to fear from the “pickelhauben.”
+However, I felt that it was death, and that thought is not a very
+pleasant one.
+
+‘My fall continued. In spite of all my efforts, I could not do what I
+wanted with my machine. I tried to turn it first to the right and then
+to the left. I pushed and pulled, but all to no purpose. I could do
+nothing.
+
+‘Down I fell, faster and faster, drawn surely and inevitably to the
+earth, where I was going to be smashed to atoms.
+
+‘I shut my eyes, then I opened them again and looked down. At something
+like 110 miles an hour I crashed into a pylon. There was a terrific
+cracking sound and a deep thud. I looked round and found that nothing
+was left of my machine.
+
+‘How is it I am still alive? I wonder myself. I think it was the straps
+which held me in my seat which saved my life. They had eaten right into
+my shoulders anyhow, but if it had not been for them I should be dead
+at this moment.’
+
+Only to the fortunate is it given to relate their experiences. Sudden
+and untimely death overtakes many heroic pilots, sealing their lips
+and robbing the world of personal records of their deeds. We are
+indeed fortunate in having from Flight-Lieutenant Guynemer a story so
+thrilling. He is one of our gallant Allies’ most courageous and skilful
+pilots, and in aviation France is second to none. Later, we shall
+afresh see how rich she is in skilful and heroic airmen, and we shall
+see in particular how well the heroic aviator, Lieutenant Guynemer, has
+continued to acquit himself.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+LIEUTENANT STEWART GORDON RIDLEY
+
+
+It has been said that the story of Second-Lieutenant Ridley, a young
+British flying officer, is as great as the story of Captain Oates.
+‘Captain Oates walked into the Antarctic blizzard so that his comrades
+should have a better chance of living. Lieutenant Ridley, stranded
+in the burning Libyan Desert with an air mechanic, and seeing his
+tiny stock of water near its end, shot himself in the hope that his
+companion might live.’
+
+The heroic young aviator went out singly on a machine from an oasis in
+the Libyan Desert as an escort to another pilot, who was accompanied
+by Air-Mechanic J. A. Garside. After flying for an hour and a half,
+the party failed to locate the camel patrol which had been sent out in
+advance to establish a temporary landing-place.
+
+They encamped for the night. The next morning it was found that
+Lieutenant Ridley’s engine would not work, and it was agreed that the
+other pilot should try to discover the track of the camel patrol. He
+left his water and provisions with the others, and arranged to return
+on the following day. The pilot picked up the camel patrol, but when he
+returned to find Lieutenant Ridley and Garside they had disappeared.
+
+Search parties, consisting of camel patrols, motor-cars, and aeroplanes
+were at once sent out. Nothing was discovered of the missing men until
+four days after the start of the original mission, when, twenty-five
+miles away from the spot where the first night had been spent, a second
+landing-place was found. The two men had evidently flown away again
+after patching up their machine. Two days later a motor party found the
+machine and the two dead bodies of the aviators.
+
+During the search the footprints of the two men had been discovered.
+They were noticed to have been overtaken by a hostile camel patrol, and
+for a time it was believed that Lieutenant Ridley and Garside had been
+captured.
+
+A diary kept by Garside throws peculiar light on the moving story:
+
+‘_Friday._—Mr. Gardiner left for Meheriq, and said he would come and
+pick one of us up. After he went we tried to get the machine going, and
+succeeded in flying for about twenty-five minutes. Engine then gave
+out. We tinkered engine up again, succeeded in flying about five miles
+next day, but engine ran short of petrol.
+
+‘_Sunday._—After trying to get engine started, but could not manage it
+owing to weakness, water running short—only half a bottle—Mr. Ridley
+suggested walking up to the hills.
+
+‘_Six p.m._—Found it was further than we thought; got there
+eventually: very done up. No luck. Walked back; hardly any water, about
+a spoonful. Mr. Ridley shot himself at 10.30 on Sunday while my back
+was turned. No water all day; don’t know how to go on; dozed all day,
+feeling very weak; wish some one would come; cannot last much longer.
+
+‘_Monday._—Thought of water in compass, got half bottle; seems to be
+some kind of spirit. Can last another day. Fired Lewis gun, about four
+rounds; shall fire my “Very light” to-day: last hope without machine
+comes. Could last days if had water.’
+
+On the following day the bodies were discovered by a motor-car.
+
+The Commander of the Imperial Camel Corps reports that from what he
+discovered he has formed the opinion that Lieutenant Ridley gave his
+life in the hope of saving the mechanic. Added to this, the commanding
+officer of the Royal Flying Corps states: ‘There is no doubt in my mind
+that he did this in an act of self-sacrifice in the hope of saving the
+other man.’
+
+Lieutenant Ridley, who was affectionately known as ‘Riddles’ in the
+corps, came of a celebrated Northumbrian family, one of his ancestors
+being Bishop Ridley, who, bound to the stake at Oxford, ‘played
+the man’ with Latimer amid the flames. ‘It may well be,’ states a
+sympathetic admirer of this gallant officer, ‘that there came across
+the desert from Gordon at Khartoum a message in the words of Latimer,
+“Be of good cheer, Master Gordon, and play the man.”’
+
+The fallen hero was a young man of attractive appearance and great
+charm of manner. His character, as known to intimate friends, confirms
+in all respects the interpretation put upon his last act, ‘He gave his
+life in the hope that his companion might be saved.’
+
+Both Lieutenant S. G. Ridley and Air-Mechanic J. A. Garside were
+unmarried, but Garside was the only son of a widowed mother, and
+evidently in the mind of his heroic companion had special claims upon
+life.
+
+A chaplain with a party of service men paid the last honours. At the
+head of the grave a cross was erected.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+SOUS-LIEUTENANT LOUIS NOËL
+
+
+An Army Order, signed by General Sarrail, describes how Lieutenant
+Noël, when hardly convalescent from a grave operation, from the
+effects of which he was still suffering, effected on two occasions
+the bombardment of an enemy capital, and assured a long-distance link
+between two friendly armies, covering 1,100 kilometres (roughly 700
+miles) there and back, of which 850 kilometres (over 500 miles) were
+over enemy territory.
+
+Lieutenant Noël is an old pilot, remarkable for his address, his
+bravery, his coolness, and his modesty. Numerous difficult and perilous
+missions in France and in the Orient have been successfully carried out
+by him, and in addition to the Cross of the Legion of Honour he has
+earned the Médaille Militaire, the Croix de Guerre, and the Russian
+Cross of St. George.
+
+Describing his remarkable flight from Salonica to Bukarest, a Roumanian
+journal (September 16, 1916) says: ‘Roumania received yesterday the
+visit of gracious Allied winged guests, who come to us from Salonique,
+from the heroic army of Sarrail, from that corner of ground which,
+right in the heart of the Balkans, sinks in like a vice, to choke in
+its powerful grip the Bulgars and our common enemies. As legitimate
+reprisal for the cowardly attack on Bukarest by the Zeppelins, the
+French aviators had received orders to bombard Sofia and reach Roumania
+afterwards. Yesterday, Wednesday, at 6.20 a.m., four French avions left
+Salonique. The first, a Farman biplane, was conducted by the heroic
+Sous-Lieutenant Noël, one of the best aviators of the French Army,
+who had already sunk two German avions in the course of seventeen
+months passed on the German front. The Sous-Lieutenant Noël brought
+with him Lieutenant Leseur, one of the best observers of the Army of
+Salonique. The second biplane was mounted by Sergeant Lamprou and the
+Soldier-Machine-Gunner Masson; the third by the Lieutenant Quillery and
+an observer, and the fourth by the Sergeant Rohan and a machine-gunner.
+
+‘At 8.40 the Noël biplane arrived above Sofia, where were to be seen
+several fires lighted by one of the French avions which had just
+passed. The Lieutenant Leseur let go many bombs. The aviators were
+perfectly guided by the sparkling dome of the cathedral. Let us say
+that the bombs thrown contained an explosive newly discovered by the
+French, and of an extraordinary power of destruction. Some German
+avions made chase to the French avions, which were soon able to
+distance them without being touched by their projectiles. At 11.20 a.m.
+the avions, piloted by the Sous-Lieutenant Noël, arrived at Bukarest,
+where he descended directly in the aviation field, in the midst of the
+delirious acclamation of the Roumanian aviators. The biplane Lamprou
+descended at Alexandria, and the two others landed, according to
+orders, at Turnu-Magaurele.
+
+‘Six hundred kilometres in a single stage! A hundred and twenty
+kilometres to the hour! The difficult crossing of the Balkans, with
+their heights of over 2,900 metres (9,000 feet), their pernicious
+currents, their thousand and one difficulties, effected without
+encumbrance, without the least accident! What marvellous exploit of
+ability, of cool blood, of this legendary and magnificent heroism
+French! What new and beautiful page of glory to inscribe to the credit
+of the aviation French! Salutes to you, glorious heroes of the air!
+Salutes to you, well-beloved colours of France, which in these solemn
+hours come to unite yourselves to the tricolour Roumanian! Roumania has
+received you open-armed with legitimate pride, and from the plains of
+the Danube up to the slopes of the Carpathians, and from the banks of
+the Olt and of the Muresh, and from those of the Black Sea, to those of
+the Thass, a sole cry sincere, but which sums up all our sentiments,
+will hail you, “Vive la France! Vive l’armée française!!”’
+
+High praise, very warmly expressed, and richly deserved!
+
+‘The aviators,’ says one who writes with intimate knowledge of their
+movements, ‘deserved thoroughly the acclamation. All the French pilots
+remained for a while in Roumania except Louis Noël, who flew back alone
+on the nineteenth again without landing. Owing to a head wind after
+reaching the seaward side of the Balkans, he only just scraped home
+without a drop of essence.’ It should be added that Lieutenant Noël
+is well known at Hendon, and has been justly termed one of the most
+decorated and distinguished of Hendon aviators.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+
+FLIGHT-LIEUTENANT HAROLD ROSHER, R.N.A.S.
+
+
+All are conscious of the fact that to our Royal Naval Air Service the
+highest praise is due. The service is rich in heroic pilots. Few,
+however, are known by name to the wider public. But we must not suppose
+that our Navy has not in its service a goodly share of skilful and
+heroic pilots.
+
+The letter, for instance, of Flight-Lieutenant Harold Rosher, R.N.A.S.,
+written to his family and published by Chatto and Windus, reveals an
+aviator of fine character. ‘One wonders,’ a friend writes, ‘whether
+most to admire the man in him, the gentleman, or the accomplished pilot
+of the skies who took all risks, keeping his head among them, because
+that way lay duty and achievement.’ He is well reflected in his quiet,
+modest manner of writing. Here is a little picture of the difficulties
+of flying at a great altitude, ‘absolutely lost’ and in search of
+bearings:
+
+‘I nose-dived, side-slipped, stalled, &c., &c., time after time, my
+speed varying from practically nothing to over a hundred miles an hour.
+I kept my head, but was absolutely scared stiff. I didn’t get out of
+the clouds, which, lower down, turned into a snowstorm and hail, until
+I was only 1,500 feet up. I came out diving headlong for the earth.’
+
+Mastery of the air becomes still more difficult when making a raid,
+as Lieutenant Rosher did more than once, on the German fortifications
+along the Belgian coast. ‘A few seconds passed,’ he writes, ‘and the
+shrapnel burst a good deal short of me, but direction and height
+perfect. I turned out to sea and put another two miles between me and
+the coast. By now a regular cannonade was going on. All along the coast
+the guns were firing hasty, vicious flashes, and then a puff of smoke
+as the shrapnel burst. I steered a zigzag course and made steadily to
+sea, climbing hard.’
+
+Of another time when he was under fire and travelling faster than he
+had ever travelled before, he writes: ‘My chief impressions were the
+great speed, the flaming bullets streaking by, the incessant rattle of
+the machine-gun and rifle fire, and one or two shells bursting close
+by, knocking my machine all sideways and pretty nearly deafening me.’
+
+There is inspiration in the letters, chiefly, perhaps, on account
+of the fact that they were written for the late Lieutenant Rosher’s
+dearest friends. He was killed at Dover, while trying a doubtful
+machine before allowing a fellow-aviator to ascend—a hero’s death.
+
+He has been described as one of the most promising officers in the
+Service. ‘He was not merely a first-class pilot; he was a born
+organizer and leader of men, and, moreover, he had the heaven-sent gift
+of being personally popular with all ranks without losing his control
+over those below him.’ Knowing personally all the senior officers
+under whom he served, they all had the highest regard for his personal
+qualities and for his ability as an officer.
+
+‘One may deduce,’ says a writer in the _Aeroplane_, ‘that his letters
+may fairly be taken as expressing the views, experiences, and feelings
+of the best class of R.N.A.S. officer, and his father, Mr. Frank
+Rosher, has done well in publishing them, for they give a vivid and
+intimate picture of life in the Royal Naval Air Service during the
+early days of the war. The naval censorship is to be congratulated on
+having left untouched certain passages which indicate to those who have
+understanding some of the mistakes made in those early days in the
+supply or choice of the engines, aeroplanes, and landing grounds. There
+is no grumbling in the letters themselves, but plain statements are set
+down.’
+
+The letters begin with Lieutenant Rosher’s early experiences at the
+Bristol School at Brooklands, whither he went to learn as much as he
+could between applying for and receiving his commission, and the fact
+that he took this course is evidence of the keenness which in his short
+flying life carried him so far in the Service.
+
+In one of his letters Lieutenant Rosher describes thus how he came
+through a curtain of fire: ‘I found myself across the yards and felt a
+mild sort of surprise. My eyes must have been sticking out of my head
+like a shrimp’s! I know I was gasping for breath, and crouching down in
+the fuselage.’ He was too brave a man to be afraid of admitting that he
+was afraid.
+
+Later in the book there is a story like a nightmare of how, when he
+went to attack an airship shed at Brussels, he was instead chased by a
+Zeppelin, which was already in the air when he got there, and so high
+up that his old machine could not reach it: the machine was, in fact,
+barely able to go fast enough to keep out of the way of the airship.
+
+Lieutenant Rosher, although highly imaginative and impressionable, was,
+as we have seen, of the ‘stuff’ of which heroes are made. All who knew
+him join in acclaiming him a young officer of heroic mettle.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII
+
+AN OBSERVER IN THE R.N.A.S.
+
+
+Further light is thrown on the work of naval pilots by an observer
+writing in the _Border Telegraph_. ‘Most of us know,’ he says, ‘what
+the pilot of an aeroplane does. But have we as true a conception of
+the observer’s duties? The man who makes his mark nowadays is the
+specialist. There are first-rate aeroplane observers and first-rate
+seaplane observers. Common-sense plays a great part in the affairs of
+both. Any man may recognize a haystack from a moderate altitude, but
+how many can tell a topsail schooner from a barquentine, a flotilla
+leader from a light cruiser, or a German ship of the line from one of
+the Entente? Therein lies the secret.’
+
+It is abundantly clear that a very necessary feature in a pilot is
+a thorough working knowledge of wireless telegraphy. The days of
+returning to report are passing. The observer ignorant of wireless is
+no longer classed as an observer. He is becoming a ‘back number.’ It
+stands to reason that if a British seaplane sights a hostile squadron,
+and is, say, forty miles from her base, or from the nearest unit of the
+home fleet, then a precious forty minutes at least is going to be lost
+if the observer does not understand wireless telegraphy. ‘Conversely a
+radio message, travelling at something like thrice the circumference
+of the earth in one second, will reach a receiving installation forty
+miles off while you cough, and a great deal quicker. That is one point,
+and the time was when it was thought any one could qualify in wireless.
+Quite a number of wise men have since then given up the attempt.’ The
+observer must recognize ships at sight, and from a reasonable height,
+with the aid of prisms, be able to note their type, direction steering
+in, nationality, whether armed or otherwise, and their distance from
+the nearest mark, probably a buoy. He has, of course, to recognize and
+name the buoy. ‘Sometimes he will make a hazard at the cargo carried by
+detecting a clue somewhere. In a channel recently swept clear of mines,
+and just open to traffic, when scores of merchant-men and patrol craft
+are under way, the observer has got to get busy on the job. Very often
+if the pilot is daring and gets down to 500 feet, even the names of
+the ships can be discerned. Also the observer has got to discriminate
+between a U Boat and an E Boat and an S Boat.’
+
+The writer of the article in the _Border Telegraph_ goes on to point
+out that bomb-dropping is a difficult matter: ‘Any one can drop bombs,
+you say. “Just heave ’em overboard!” Exactly. But it’s no use dropping
+a sixteen-pounder on a battle-cruiser. It mightn’t like it. Besides,
+it won’t wait till you drop it. You can take it that long before you
+get within dropping distance anything from a centimetre to a six-inch
+shell is up searching for you. The same when you spot a submarine. If
+you take too long calculating and guessing what curve the dropping
+bomb will take or how long it should take to reach the objective if
+the speed increases thirty odd feet per sec., they’ll sling out the
+six-pounder at you, and mighty smart, too. A young man once dropped a
+few bombs for practice where he thought was well out in the bay. Alas!
+he forgot the curve a bomb makes in its flight. Don’t ever forget that
+curve when you watch a hostile machine dropping bombs. On this
+occasion the friendly bombs struck the water a couple of hundred yards
+from a fairly crowded esplanade, and caused something analogous to a
+panic. You see, those bombs, having had the pins extracted, made water
+spouts when they burst, not to mention noise. Rumours flew so fast that
+the District Brigade Major, being informed that the German fleet were
+shelling the port, called out the military. Why, it is not for me to
+say, and I’m not quite sure if the special constables were not called
+out, too, because I was making tracks, like Huckleberry Finn, for the
+back country shortly—very shortly, indeed—after the occurrence.’
+
+[Illustration: GUARDING OUR COASTS.
+
+A Naval Patrol in difficulties in the North Sea.
+
+_Reproduced from ‘Flight,’ by special permission._]
+
+It is, of course, highly important that the observer should be able
+to tell the difference between the ships of Britain and her Allies
+and an enemy ship. Moreover, at 1,000 feet in a fairly good light the
+observer has to distinguish between a floating mine and a war channel
+buoy. ‘Then he will never cause his machine to descend to 200 feet for
+the purpose of informing his pilot that _it’s a buoy_.’ All this time
+communication has to be maintained with the wireless telegraphy station
+ashore or afloat. Instructions sent to the ‘plane are taken down and
+given effect to, or the observer’s report sent, as required.
+
+Furthermore, the observer must be a master of aerial gunnery, and he
+must withal be an air mechanic in the best sense. One can readily
+imagine what would happen if an aeroplane had to alight fifty or sixty
+miles out to sea with a stubborn engine, if the pilot had no knowledge
+of motor mechanism.
+
+Finally, the observer must possess and use sufficient intelligence and
+aptitude to write a report satisfactory to the exacting minds of the
+Admiralty every time he returns from his patrols. The work, in brief,
+is not for every man. Many high qualities are required, and above all
+the naval observer must have the spirit of daring enterprise. He must
+be a man of heroic mettle.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV
+
+HEROES OF THE ROYAL NAVAL AIR SERVICE
+
+
+Here we shall see afresh that the British Naval Air Service is rich
+in men who possess to a remarkable degree the qualities named in the
+foregoing chapters. Flight Sub-Lieutenant Dallas, for example (who in
+addition to performing consistently good work in reconnaissances and
+fighting patrols since December, 1915), has been brought to notice by
+the Vice-Admiral Dover Patrol for the specially gallant manner in which
+he has carried out his duties. Amongst other exploits is the following:
+On May 21, 1916, he sighted at least twelve hostile machines, which
+had been bombing Dunkerque. He attacked one at 7,000 feet, and then
+attacked a second machine close to him. After reloading he climbed
+to 10,000 feet, and attacked a large hostile two-seater machine off
+Westende. The machine took fire and nose-dived seawards. Another enemy
+machine then appeared, which he engaged and chased to the shore, but
+had to abandon owing to having used all his ammunition. For these
+heroic exploits he has been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
+
+The same honour has been conferred upon Sub-Lieutenant Oxley, who acted
+as observer with Flight-Lieutenant Edward H. Dunning, D.S.C., as pilot,
+on escort and reconnaissance patrol for a flight of bombing machines on
+the Bulgarian coast, on June 20, 1916. Two enemy machines were engaged
+at close range and forced to retire, and as our machine withdrew
+Flight-Lieutenant Dunning was hit in the left leg, and the machine
+itself was badly damaged. Sub-Lieutenant Oxley, having first improvised
+a tourniquet, which he gave to Flight-Lieutenant Dunning, took control
+of the machine, whilst the latter put on the tourniquet. The pilot was
+obliged to keep his thumb over a hole in the lower part of the petrol
+tank in order to keep enough fuel to return to the aerodrome, where he
+made an exceedingly good landing.
+
+The Distinguished Service Cross has also been awarded to
+Flight-Sub-Lieutenant Donald Ernest Harkness, R.N.A.S., and
+Flight-Sub-Lieutenant Ralph Harold Collett, R.N.A.S., in recognition
+of their services on the morning of August 9, 1916, when they
+dropped bombs on the airship sheds at Evere and Berchem St. Agathe.
+Flight-Sub-Lieutenant Collett dropped all his bombs on the shed
+at Evere from a height of between 300 and 500 feet, under very
+heavy rifle, machine-gun, and shrapnel fire from all directions.
+Flight-Sub-Lieutenant Harkness could not descend so low owing to the
+very heavy anti-aircraft fire which had by this time been opened on
+the machines, but he dropped some of his bombs on the shed, and then
+proceeded to Berchem St. Agathe, which he also bombed.
+
+Honour has also been conferred upon Flight-Commander T. Harry England,
+R.N.A.S., in recognition of his services on August 26, 1916, when,
+accompanied by a military officer as observer, he flew a seaplane
+forty-three miles inland from the Syrian coast, crossed a range of
+hills 2,000 feet high, with clouds at 1,500 feet, and after dropping
+bombs on the station of Homs, returned safely to his ship. The machine
+was exposed to rifle fire at extremely low altitudes for long periods,
+and Flight-Commander England showed remarkable pluck, determination,
+and skill in carrying out the flight under very adverse conditions.
+
+Another officer to be decorated is Flight-Sub-Lieutenant Ronald
+Grahame, R.N.A.S., for exceptional gallantry in attacking and beating
+off four enemy seaplanes whilst on escort duty off the Belgian coast,
+September 22, 1916.
+
+Mention must also be made of Flight-Sub-Lieutenant Stanley James
+Goble, R.N.A.S., who has been decorated in recognition of his services
+on September 24, 1916, when he attacked two hostile machines in the
+vicinity of Ghistelles at close range, and brought one of them down on
+fire in a spiral nose-dive.
+
+With each passing day the list of R.N.A.S. heroes grows, calling forth
+just pride. Further reference to individual cases will be given later
+on in these pages. It may be stated here, however, that the following
+officers, together with many others in the Royal Naval Air Service,
+have been decorated by the King:—
+
+Squadron-Commander Reginald Bone, Flight-Commander Redford Mulock,
+Squadron-Commander Francis Haskins, Flight-Commander Douglas Evill,
+Flight-Commander Vincent Nicholl, Flight-Lieutenant John Petre,
+Flight-Lieutenant Roderic Dallas, Flight-Lieutenant Ralph Collett.
+The first two officers named have been invested by the King with
+the Insignia of Companions of the Distinguished Service Order. The
+last-named officers have been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV
+
+TOLD BY THE ADMIRALTY
+
+
+Official communications are apt to make cold reading, but how much may
+be ‘read into’ them! Considered in the light of a lively imagination
+they convey a great deal. Between each line a story of considerable
+length and great interest might be written. Take, for instance,
+the following communication issued by the British Admiralty in the
+latter part of October, 1916: ‘Yesterday afternoon, one of our naval
+aeroplanes attacked four enemy seaplanes off Ostend. Our machine was
+under fire from all four seaplanes, but succeeded in bringing down one,
+which was completely destroyed, and in driving off the others.’
+
+This was the second British aerial success against odds in the same
+week. A few days previously a naval single-seater machine attacked a
+large German double-engined tractor seaplane. The enemy pilot and
+observer were shot, and the seaplane dived vertically into the sea two
+miles off Ostend. Another British naval aeroplane destroyed a kite
+balloon in the same locality on this occasion.
+
+We may crave for further details, but the time is not yet. Naval and
+military censors, though subjected to much adverse criticism, are wise
+in their generation.
+
+Experience has shown that it is far better to give a light touch or
+two of romantic colouring, than to fall into the fault of conveying
+the kind of direct and definite information which might by some chance
+prove of service to the enemy. The following communications are
+above suspicion in the direction named, but they are not devoid of
+colour. They enable one to appreciate in a very real sense the heroic
+achievements of our naval aviators:
+
+Between August 25 and 31, 1916, a series of attacks were carried out by
+naval aircraft upon the Bulgarian lines of communication beyond Kavala.
+
+On the twenty-fifth the railway station and bridge at Buk (about
+twenty-two miles north-east of Kavala) were successfully bombed. On
+the twenty-sixth a similar attack upon the railway station at Drama
+(twenty-two miles north-west of Kavala) resulted in the burning of a
+large petrol store and considerable destruction among the rolling stock
+in the sidings. Bombs were also dropped on the billets of the enemy’s
+troops at Doksat (fourteen miles north-west of Kavala).
+
+On the twenty-seventh, Okgilar (twenty-five miles north-north-east of
+Kavala) railway station, where the headquarters of the 10th Division
+were situated, was successfully attacked. The station buildings were
+set on fire and considerable damage was done to the permanent way.
+
+On the twenty-eighth Drama Station was again bombed. The station
+buildings were considerably damaged. On the same day Kavala forts were
+attacked with excellent results.
+
+On the twenty-ninth a large body of infantry and transport concentrated
+at Porna (about thirty-two miles west of Kavala, on the Seres—Drama
+line) were attacked. Considerable havoc was caused in the village
+and among the troops. A large fire was started among the stores in
+the transport park. The moral as well as the material effect of this
+bombardment seems to have been considerable, as a reconnaissance made
+on the following day showed that all troops, camps, and transport had
+been removed from this district.
+
+On the thirty-first an attack was made on Angista railway station
+(twenty-five miles west-north-west of Kavala). Direct hits were made
+and extensive damage was caused.
+
+Further communications issued by the Admiralty in the same month showed
+that between August 25 and 29 a series of attacks and reconnaissances
+upon the enemy railway communications in Palestine were carried out by
+a British seaplane squadron. These fights were made under hazardous
+conditions, due to the fact that the railway runs, for the most part,
+behind a range of mountains difficult for seaplanes to surmount.
+Bombs were dropped on Afuleh Junction, where considerable damage
+was done to the rolling stock, permanent way, and to stores in the
+vicinity. A railway engine and fourteen carriages were also set on
+fire and destroyed. The railway stations at Tulkeram and Ardana and
+an enemy camp four miles north-west of Remleh (thirteen miles from
+Jaffa) were successfully bombarded and severely damaged. And on August
+26 a seaplane bombarded the railway station at Homs (about eighty
+miles north of Damascus). This flight, carried out at a distance of
+forty-five miles inland under extremely adverse conditions and through
+clouds low down on the mountains, was a singularly fine performance for
+a seaplane.
+
+At a later date, from September 13 to September 22, further series of
+attacks were carried out by naval aeroplanes operating against the
+Bulgarian coast. On the thirteenth the head quarters of the Bulgarian
+10th Division at Bademli Chiftlik were attacked, with considerable
+effect. Subsequently these head quarters were removed elsewhere,
+but were discovered, and attacked three days later, with excellent
+results. A large explosion was caused, and a fire, which lasted for
+a considerable time, broke out among the buildings. On the sixteenth
+considerable damage was caused to transport proceeding on the road
+towards Drama, and on the same day the shipping in Foujes harbour
+was bombed. On the seventeenth and eighteenth the rolling stock,
+gun emplacements, and stores at Drama station were bombarded and
+considerable damage done to them. On the nineteenth a column of troops
+and transport were thoroughly plied with small bombs, which caused
+considerable damage and confusion.
+
+In October, 1916, a hostile seaplane was shot down and destroyed
+by one of our naval aircraft. The enemy machine fell into the sea.
+This was evidently the raider that approached Sheerness at 1.45
+p.m., flying very high. Four bombs were dropped, three of which fell
+into the harbour. The fourth fell in the vicinity of the railway
+station, damaging several railway carriages. No casualties, however,
+were caused. Naval aeroplanes went up and the raider made off in a
+north-easterly direction. But our men of the Royal Naval Air Service
+pursued the enemy machine, and after a short, sharp battle in the air,
+sent it diving into the sea.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI
+
+HEROES OF FRANCE
+
+
+_Vive la France!_ To her heroic sons we owe in a great measure the
+supremacy in the air enjoyed by the Allies. Who can forget the heroic
+and skilful M. Pégoud? Great is our debt to him. With his remarkable
+skill as a pilot in the earlier days of flying—his wonderful diving,
+‘turning and twisting,’ his ‘looping the loop’ and flying upside down,
+all with amazing ease and grace—he taught the astonished world a great
+object-lesson in the materiality of the air. ‘He showed that the air
+can give the aviator as much support as water to a fancy swimmer, and
+that where stability is lacking the human brain can supply the need,
+and that in human flight, like the bird and its wings, the machine
+and the individual can be in closest touch.’ To his bold example and
+skilful illustrations as a pilot we owe more than can be told. Above
+all, would we praise his heroic spirit.
+
+It is indeed the heroic spirit of the airmen of France that has been
+largely the source of our great success. Who has not heard how at the
+time of the great German offensive against Verdun the aviators of
+France, thinking of naught but conquest for their beloved country, flew
+straight into enemy aircraft, thus robbing the enemy’s pilots of their
+nerve, and gaining a supremacy by their self-sacrificing courage which
+has remained firmly in their grasp! And never must we forget that to
+the heroic courage of the airmen of France is added remarkable skill.
+Take, for instance, the triumphant French aviator Lieutenant Nungesser,
+who has brought down no less than twenty enemy machines. Such victories
+could only have been gained by great skill linked with indomitable
+courage.
+
+The official communiqués of France tell many thrilling stories.
+Take, for instance, the following for September, 1916: ‘One of our
+aeroplanes, which was attacked by four enemy machines, succeeded
+in freeing itself from its opponents, one of which, subjected to
+machine-gun fire at very close quarters, fell in the Chaulnes district.
+
+‘September 7.—Our Service d’Aviation took an active part in the
+actions of the past days on the Somme front, watching the movements
+of the enemy’s infantry, carrying out bombardments in the rear of the
+German lines, and attacking with machine-guns troops on the march. Our
+machines, armed with guns, repeatedly bombarded the enemy’s trenches.
+During the air-fights which took place yesterday two machines were
+brought down by our pilots. One fell in the direction of Gueudecourt,
+and the other in the neighbourhood of Brie-en-Santerre.
+
+‘Five other German machines were forced to descend damaged.
+
+‘During the night of the sixth, in spite of unfavourable atmospheric
+conditions, sixteen of our bombarding aeroplanes dropped heavy bombs on
+railway stations, bivouacs, and enemy stores at Roisel and Villecourt
+(Sommecourt), where a big fire was caused.
+
+‘September 8.—Yesterday, on the Somme front, two enemy aeroplanes were
+brought down in the region of Epenancourt. Another was forced to land
+after a fight near our lines, and was destroyed by artillery fire.’
+
+On the fifth day of the same month the champion French aviator of whom
+we have read, Lieutenant Guynemer, brought down in the region of
+Ablaincourt his fifteenth enemy aeroplane.
+
+On September 10, 1916, French aeroplanes were engaged in forty actions
+over the enemy lines, in the course of which the German aircraft
+suffered appreciable losses. On the Somme front, Adjutant Dorme
+brought down his ninth aeroplane, which fell at Beaulencourt, south of
+Bapaume. Four other German machines fell damaged—one in the region of
+La Maisonette, the other to the north and the east of Péronne. On the
+Verdun front an enemy aeroplane which came under machine-gun fire at
+very short range crashed to the ground near Dieppe. Another machine was
+brought down in the German first lines near Vauquois.
+
+On the following night French aeroplane squadrons dropped 480 bombs on
+the stations and enemy depots in the region of Chauny. Several machines
+belonging to this squadron twice flew from their aerodrome to the place
+where the bombardment was carried out. During the same night eighteen
+aeroplanes dropped numerous bombs on the military establishments at Ham
+and in the region to the south of Péronne.
+
+The French aviator, Adjutant Maxime Lenoir, who distinguished himself
+at this time, calls for special note. On August 4, 1916, he brought
+down his sixth enemy machine, and performed other most valuable
+services. The coveted decoration, the Legion of Honour, has been
+conferred upon him.
+
+Concerning French pilots in general, Mr. Lawrence Jarrold, writing in
+the _Daily Telegraph_, has said: ‘In aviation, _les Boches n’existent
+plus_, every one in this camp agrees. Since the Somme offensive no
+German aeroplane has ever dared to cross its own lines into French
+territory. The French have invented methods of air photography the
+perfection of which is almost miraculous. “Does not the enemy do the
+same?” I asked. “No, he never comes to photograph us, because we never
+let him.” In July fifty-eight German aeroplanes were brought down by
+the French attacking squadron. One of the new French machines alone
+brought down seven Boches, and not one of these machines was lost.
+These are the new attacking machines of extraordinary speed. There
+are other new French aeroplanes of great power. Some of these have
+lost a gunner killed, but all have always come back. One of the French
+aviator-captains who showed me over the camp was the officer who had
+himself read the letter taken from a German aviator officer, moaning
+over the incompetency of German aviation. That German aviation has
+ceased to count on the Somme is no exaggeration at all. One morning I
+saw over twenty French sausages lolling in the air, where they cast a
+seeing eye upon the German positions. Not a single German sausage was
+anywhere to be seen—none has been seen for weeks. “The moment a German
+sausage comes up, one of my men rises and puts an inflammatory fuse
+into the thing, and it bursts up,” said the aviator-captain.’
+
+Mr. Jarrold also reported that the same fate had befallen the German
+aeroplanes. ‘Not one dares cross over the lines. The result is that
+the German artilleryman is blind. He fires over and over again at the
+same place upon which he had long ago trained his gun, but he can fire
+nowhere else with any knowledge. French mastery of the air on the Somme
+is an absolute fact. But in the air, on the Somme, the Boches are now
+powerless, and the French work their war machine absolutely peacefully.
+Their aviators have told them that they are safe from air attacks, and
+they know it is a fact.’
+
+On September 15 French aviators particularly distinguished themselves
+in combats above the enemy’s lines on the Somme front. Sub-Lieutenant
+Guynemer brought down his sixteenth, Sub-Lieutenant Nungesser his
+twelfth, Lieutenant Heurtaux his sixth, and Sub-Lieutenant de Rothefort
+his sixth aeroplane. Moreover, it was confirmed that, in one of the
+recent fights, Lieutenant Deullin secured his sixth victory. Two other
+German machines, attacked at very short range, were forced to descend
+in a seriously damaged condition. Moreover, on the Verdun front, an
+enemy machine was brought down to the north of Douaumont.
+
+Bombarding aircraft showed great activity during the night of the
+fourteenth. A squadron of ten machines dropped eighty-five bombs on
+the railway stations and the lines at Tergnier and Chauny, and on the
+station and the huts at Guiscard. Many of the bombs found their mark. A
+big fire was observed at Tergnier and the beginning of an outbreak at
+Guiscard. Another French squadron dropped forty bombs on the barracks
+at Stenay, where several fires were observed, and forty on the works
+at Rombach. One pilot got as far as Dillingen, in the Valley of the
+Saar, where he dropped eight bombs on a large workshop, causing a
+fire. During the same night the blast furnaces at Rombach received ten
+bombs, and the railway from Metz to Pont-a-Mousson four, which caused
+considerable damage.
+
+Later, it was learnt that besides the nine German aeroplanes brought
+down on the French front on the fifteenth, six other enemy machines
+were forced to come down in a damaged condition in their own lines
+after fights with French pilots.
+
+On September 17 it was confirmed that an enemy machine, which was
+attacked by machine-gun fire by Adjutant Lenoir, fell north of
+Douaumont. This was the eighth brought down by this pilot. It was also
+confirmed that Adjutant Dorme defeated his tenth enemy machine, which
+fell on September 15 between Erie and Ennemain.
+
+At a later date (September 23), French aviators fought fifty-six
+engagements on the Somme front, in the course of which four enemy
+machines were brought down, while four others were seen to fall in a
+damaged condition. During these fights Adjutant Dorme brought down
+his eleventh German machine (in the neighbourhood of Goyencourt),
+Lieutenant Deullin his seventh (south of Doingt), Adjutant Tarascon
+his sixth (south-west of Hergny). The fourth German machine reported
+as having been brought down fell south-west of Rocquigny. On the same
+day, in the region of Verdun, Adjutant Lenoir attacked a German machine
+at close quarters and brought it down in its lines north of Douaumont.
+This was the tenth machine brought down by Adjutant Lenoir.
+
+At a later date, the French pilot, Adjutant Baron, accompanied
+by a bombardier, left his aviation camp at 7.15 p.m. and reached
+Ludwigshafen, in the Palatinate (about 100 miles from the nearest point
+of the French border), where three bombs were dropped on military
+establishments. Continuing their route, the aviators dropped three more
+bombs on an important factory at Mannheim (ten miles farther east), on
+the right bank of the Rhine, where a vast fire and several explosions
+were noticed. The aviators returned safely at 12.50 a.m.
+
+On September 24, the German aviators having shown more activity than
+usual, French _escadrilles de chasse_ delivered on the greater part
+of the front veritable aerial battles. French pilots gained great
+successes and indisputably had the upper hand of the enemy. On the
+Somme front there were twenty-nine engagements; four enemy aeroplanes
+were brought down. One fell in the Vaux woods. Two others successively
+attacked by Sous-Lieutenant Guynemer came down in flames after some
+minutes’ fighting. Sous-Lieutenant Guynemer consequently brought
+down the same day his seventeenth and eighteenth aeroplanes. The
+fourth machine fell south of Misery. Three other German machines were
+seriously hit and fell wrecked near Estrees; and in the region of
+Péronne four enemy machines were compelled to come to earth in their
+own lines. It is also confirmed that one of the German aeroplanes,
+given as seriously hit on September 22, was brought down between Misery
+and Villers-Carbonnel. Farther to the south, between Chaulnes and the
+Avre, six German machines were brought down. One of them fell in flames
+near Chaulnes, in the course of an engagement between four machines
+and a group of six enemy machines. The second fell at Licourt, the
+third at Parvillers, the fourth was seen crashing to earth south of
+Marchelepot, the fifth and sixth were brought down by the same pilot
+in an engagement between one of the French squadrons and six German
+aeroplanes, and they fell in the region of Andechy, one of them in
+the French lines. In the region north of Chalons a Fokker fell in
+flames near the French lines, and another Fokker appeared to have
+been seriously hit. In the Verdun region an enemy aeroplane was fired
+at by machine-guns at close quarters, side-slipped, and descended on
+the Poivre Hill. East of St. Mihiel a Fokker nose-dived into its own
+lines. In Lorraine a French pilot pursued a German machine for twenty
+kilometres (12½ miles) into its own lines, killed the passenger, and
+compelled the machine to descend. Another enemy machine came down in
+the Forest of Gamecy. Finally, in the Vosges, two enemy aeroplanes
+nose-dived into their own lines in an abnormal manner after fights with
+French pilots.
+
+It is noteworthy that on the following morning Captain de Beauchamps
+and Lieutenant Daucourt, each piloting a machine, started at
+eleven o’clock from their aerodrome, and threw twelve bombs on the
+factories of Essen (Westphalia). The aviators returned safely to
+their landing-point after accomplishing a flight of 800 kilometres
+(500 miles)—a remarkable achievement! Captain de Beauchamps,
+who is twenty-nine years of age, once commanded a squadron on the
+Eastern frontier, and Lieutenant Guynemer served for some time under
+him. Lieutenant Daucourt, thirty-seven years old, also has many
+long-distance flights to his credit. In April, 1913, he flew from Paris
+to Berlin, a distance of 560 miles, beating his own ‘record’ in the
+contest for the Pommery Cup, when he made the journey from Calais to
+Biarritz. In October of the same year he started with a passenger for
+Cairo, a flight of 3,750 miles, but was forced to land in the Cilician
+Taurus, on November 26, owing to an accident. He has been mentioned in
+Army Orders for his fine courage and tenacity in the accomplishment of
+missions. In February, 1915, when attacked by two German aeroplanes and
+his machine-gun had jammed, he escaped by daring airmanship. In the
+following month he attacked four enemy machines single-handed, and put
+them to flight.
+
+Special reference must also be made to the heroic French aviator,
+Adjutant Tarascon, who was mentioned in the official communiqué of
+September 18 as having brought down five German aeroplanes. We learn
+from a French source that he enlisted voluntarily, having been rejected
+owing to an aviation accident, of which he was the victim, in peace
+time. He was picked up in a very serious state, and it was found
+necessary to amputate his left leg. Tarascon temporarily abandoned
+the sport which cost him this infirmity, but asked to be allowed to
+resume his position as pilot when it was a question of defending his
+country. The courage of this hero cannot be sufficiently admired. He is
+an expert, and one would never believe, whilst watching the evolutions
+of the aeroplane which he handles with such skill, that he had but one
+leg. Recently, during one of these astonishing raids, almost level
+with the tops of the trees above the enemy lines, which have become a
+speciality of Allied aviation, Tarascon received a shell splinter in
+his artificial leg, the shot being so violent that the leg was broken.
+
+A number of American volunteers are in the French Air Service. Inspired
+by the example of the heroic sons of the country they delight to serve,
+they have earned high honours and warm praise. Describing an action
+witnessed from an anti-aircraft gun emplacement, one writer says:
+
+‘The Germans dropped back for a moment, then the whole force came
+forward to attack the Americans. There was a circular counter formation
+on the part of the Americans, and the rapid firing of the guns was
+accelerated.... At times it was impossible to distinguish the Germans
+from the Americans in this most unequal fight. We saw Prince and
+Balsley capsize and fall. In the apparent death-drop Prince righted
+his machine when near the ground, and returned to the aviation field
+uninjured, but with a bullet through his helmet. Balsley was not so
+fortunate. He owes his life, perhaps, to the fact that his feet were
+strapped to the controls. An explosive bullet struck him on the hip,
+rendering him helpless for a time, but he was able to regain command
+of his machine sufficiently to make a landing, though the machine
+was completely wrecked. Balsley explains that his machine-gun jammed
+during the second rush of the Germans. He is now in the American
+Ambulance Hospital in Paris. His wound is not believed to be dangerous,
+but the doctors say he will never fly again. Just after these two
+men had fallen, when things looked bad for the American squadron,
+reinforcements of French machines came up. The Germans were soon
+driven back across the lines, and the engagement was over. One German
+machine was destroyed and its two occupants killed, others were
+injured. The French suffered no casualties except the wounding of
+Balsley and the loss of his machine.
+
+‘The American aviators are not reckless or foolhardy, but brilliant
+fliers, who use their heads. They continue to be very active, despite
+unfavourable circumstances, such as repeated bombardments of their
+camps and hangars by German aviators. The Germans try constantly
+to draw out the Americans. At Belfort they sought to get them at a
+disadvantage, and again just recently in a raid on Bar-le-Duc. In this
+latter engagement the Americans ascended as the invading squadron’s
+approach was telephoned from the firing line. They met and opened fire
+directly over the French hangars at Bar-le-Duc. The Germans again
+outnumbered them two to one. Both the French captain and Prince were
+forced to come down, one with a punctured gasoline tank, and the other
+with his ammunition box blown off by explosive bullets. Soon after
+Cowden’s machine-gun choked, and he, too, descended, leaving Hall and
+Chapman to fight off the Germans alone until reinforced by a French
+squadron from Toul. They were then able to force the Germans back into
+German territory and inflict heavy losses, though no injuries were
+suffered on the French side.’
+
+Among the American aviators who have been most successful is Lieutenant
+Thaw. He has fought sixteen battles and brought down five adversaries.
+His machine received several bullets while over the German lines at
+Verdun, one of which hit him in the elbow, breaking a small bone. He
+has recovered, and is again with the Corps. Sergeant Kiffin Rockwell
+destroyed a German ‘plane on May 18, and attacked several on May 26,
+when he was badly wounded in the face. He brought down two German
+machines during the battle at Verdun. Sergeant Bert Hall, after a long,
+hard fight on May 22, brought down a German from a height of 13,000
+feet. He followed it down 3,000 feet, and saw it crash to the ground
+just within the German lines.
+
+On September 25, 1916, French _avions de chasse_ fought forty-seven
+engagements on the Somme front. Five enemy machines were brought down,
+while three more, which were seriously damaged, were obliged to
+alight. Another machine, which was attacked at close quarters with a
+machine-gun, fell disabled, but could not be followed to the ground.
+During these engagements, Sous-Lieutenant Heurtaux brought down his
+eighth machine in the direction of Villers Carbonnel, and Adjutant
+Dorme his twelfth machine north of Lieramont. In the Woevre, Adjutant
+Lenoir attacked an enemy machine constructed to carry three, and after
+a very hard fight brought it down near Fromezey (north-west of Etain).
+This was the eleventh machine brought down by this pilot.
+
+Further aerial combats, which again resulted in victory for the French
+aviators, were fought on September 27. Sous-Lieutenant Nungesser in
+the course of the day alone brought down two German aeroplanes between
+Le Transloy and Rocquigny, and an enemy captive balloon, which fell
+in flames in the Neuville district. These three victories bring up to
+seventeen the number of machines brought down by this pilot. Moreover,
+two other German aeroplanes which had been seriously hit fell out of
+control—one towards Le Transloy and the other near Le Mesnil Bruntel.
+Another captive balloon, attacked by French pilots, collapsed near
+Nurlu. In Champagne a Fokker, attacked at close quarters, fell at first
+in spirals, then vertically, and was smashed, crashing to the ground at
+Grateuil.
+
+It is noteworthy that the much-vaunted German Fokker machine was now
+under the shadow of defeat. On September 27 a Fokker, on being attacked
+by a French pilot, crashed to the ground near Rheims. Another, shortly
+after, ‘nose-dived’ into its own lines. Many other German machines
+of the same type fell victims to the courageous and skilful French
+aviators.
+
+The French communiqué of September 24 recorded Lieutenant Guynemer’s
+seventeenth and eighteenth victories over German aircraft on the
+Somme front. As a matter of fact, Lieutenant Guynemer destroyed three
+aeroplanes on that day while extricating a brother aviator from the
+clutches of five enemy craft. Two of the latter took flight, and three
+remained. At 11.22 the first German was shot down. The second followed
+thirty seconds later, and the third, already in full flight, was
+destroyed at 11.25.
+
+A summing up of the French communiqués issued between July 1 and
+September 25 showed that 250 enemy aeroplanes had been destroyed
+or brought down out of control within their own lines; twenty-two
+observation balloons had been burned; 142 objectives within the
+territory occupied by the Germans had been hit; and 5,426 bombs had
+been dropped. Such figures bear eloquent testimony to the air services
+of our gallant Allies.
+
+Further good work was done in October of the same year. On the second
+day of the month Sergeant Sauvage brought down his fifth German
+machine. A few days later Adjutant-Pilot Baron and Adjutant Chazard
+bombarded at Stuttgart the Bosch magneto factory. Dense smoke was seen
+rising from this factory as the result of the bombardment. Stuttgart,
+the capital of Würtemberg, is 100 miles from the nearest point on the
+French frontier. The return journey, therefore, involved a flight of at
+least 200 miles.
+
+On the tenth day of the same month, in addition to numerous
+surveillance, reconnaissance, and range-regulating flights, French
+aeroplanes fought fifteen engagements in the Verdun region, fourteen
+south of the Somme, and forty-four north of that river. In the course
+of the latter engagements four enemy machines were brought down, one
+by Adjutant Dorme, who thus brought down his thirteenth machine. Six
+other enemy machines were seriously hit and fell into the German lines.
+
+It is noteworthy, as showing the unity of action between the French
+and British Air Services, that on October 13 a Franco-British squadron
+of forty aeroplanes bombarded the Mauser Works at Oberndorf on the
+Neckar. Four thousand three hundred and forty kilogrammes (over four
+tons) weight of projectiles were dropped, and their attainment of the
+objectives aimed at was noted. Six German aeroplanes were brought
+down in the course of fights into which they entered to defend their
+factories. The raid on the Mauser factory was one of a series of
+attacks on important works in Germany carried out by Allied aviators.
+During the previous three weeks military establishments, blast
+furnaces, and factories had been raided.
+
+A new method of warfare for aviators, first undertaken by French
+pilots, is that of flying low over the enemy’s lines, and attacking
+enemy troops with machine-gun fire. The _Daily Telegraph_ Paris
+correspondent, praising this work, has stated that ‘the aviators
+attached to the infantry belong to a special section. They precede
+each attacking wave by a few yards and fly extraordinarily low,
+sometimes not more than a hundred yards or so above the enemy’s lines,
+upon which they drop bombs, thus paving the way for the infantry
+advance, and simultaneously, of course, signalling back information to
+the infantry as it comes on.’
+
+On October 22 it was reported that Adjutant Dorme had brought down
+his fifteenth machine at Barleux, and Marechal de Logis Flachaire
+his fifth machine, which was dashed to pieces on the ground in the
+same district. On the following day, in spite of a thick mist, French
+aircraft displayed activity and fought some twenty engagements. Three
+enemy machines were brought down—one to the north of Azannes, another
+near Ornes, while the third was seen to fall with a broken wing north
+of Romagne. Following upon an engagement fought by one of the French
+air squadrons with an enemy group in the region of Verdun, one of the
+French pilots came down to within about a hundred yards from the ground
+in order to set fire to a shed and to open with his machine-gun on a
+motor-car.
+
+Later it was reported that Sergt.-Aviator Sauvage had brought down
+his fifth German aeroplane. He was the youngest French aviator to
+be mentioned in dispatches. His one desire, we learn, since he was
+fourteen, was to become an aviator. At sixteen he was apprenticed to
+a small aeroplane builder. He worked hard, and under the direction of
+the aviator Gilbert he built a machine to which he added some small
+improvement. He had just gone to Valenciennes to try this machine when
+war broke out, and he had to make off, leaving the aeroplane behind,
+which presumably fell into the hands of the Germans. After one year of
+war he managed to get taken into the aviation service, got his pilot’s
+licence in March, and went to the front three months later.
+
+It may be recorded here that a new name has been added to the official
+list of French aviators considered worthy of mention in dispatches.
+This distinction is awarded only after an aviator has brought down
+his fifth enemy machine. At the time of writing (October, 1916), the
+following heroic French aviators enjoy this remarkable distinction:
+Sous-Lieutenant Guynemer, who has brought down eighteen enemy machines;
+Sous-Lieutenant Nungesser, seventeen; Adjutant Dorme, fifteen;
+Sous-Lieutenant Navarre, twelve; Adjutant Lenoir, eleven; Lieutenant
+Heurtaux, ten; Sergeant Chainat, nine; Lieutenant Deullin, eight;
+Sous-Lieutenant Chaput, eight; Sous-Lieutenant De la Tour, seven;
+Sous-Lieutenant Pégoud, six (killed in action); Sous-Lieutenant De
+Rochefort, six (killed in action); Adjutant Tarascon, six; Adjutant
+Bloch, Sergeant Viallet, Sergeant Sauvage, Adjutant Lufbery (American),
+and Marechal des Logis Flachaire, each five.
+
+There can be no fitting praise in view of such achievements. Truly
+France has many heroic sons! Again comes the cry—_Vive la France!_
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII
+
+AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
+
+
+The various awards and decorations conferred upon aviators and other
+men of heroic stamp claim our keenest interest. Mention has already
+been made of the Victoria Cross and other familiar orders. Here we
+purpose setting down a few of the outstanding points of interest
+regarding leading French and Russian orders and decorations, and of
+certain medals awarded by our own King for heroic and meritorious
+service.
+
+The Legion of Honour is the only _Order_ of France. It was instituted
+by Napoleon in 1802 as a general military and civil order of merit. The
+French Cross of War dates from 1915, and is awarded for distinguished
+service to both officers and men. The qualification for the distinction
+is that the action must be mentioned in the orders of the day. The
+French military medal was created in 1852. N.C.O.’s and men are
+eligible. It is also deemed the highest decoration for generals.
+
+The Russian Order of St. George was founded in 1769 by the Empress
+Catherine II. It was originally intended to be a reward for conspicuous
+bravery in the field. It consists of eight classes, the first four
+of which are higher degrees, and are awarded to officers only, the
+remaining four being reserved for men. The peculiar method of tying the
+ribbon of the order indicates the various classes.
+
+The English Distinguished Conduct Medal was instituted in 1862, and
+is awarded for individual acts of distinguished conduct in the field.
+The Distinguished Service Medal was instituted in 1914, and is awarded
+to chief petty officers and men of the Navy, and non-commissioned
+officers and men of the Royal Marines in cases where the Distinguished
+Service Order would be inappropriate. The Distinguished Service Cross
+was originally the Conspicuous Service Cross instituted in 1901. In
+1914 the title was changed to the Distinguished Service Cross, and all
+officers below the rank of Lieutenant-Commander were made eligible for
+the award. It is frequently bestowed in cases where services are not
+considered of a suitable nature for appointment to the Distinguished
+Service Order.
+
+[Illustration: AWARDS AND DECORATIONS.
+
+  1. The Legion of Honour: Fifth Order, Croix Chevalier.
+  2. The French Cross of War.
+  3. The English Distinguished Service Cross.
+  4. Distinguished Service Medal.
+]
+
+We shall here see afresh how widely and how well awards and decorations
+have been earned by our airmen. Captain William Douglas Stock Sanday,
+M.C., R.F.C., has been made a Companion of the Distinguished Service
+Order for conspicuous gallantry and skill. He had led over thirty-five
+patrols with great courage. On one occasion a machine of his formation
+was attacked, but he charged and brought down the enemy machine in
+flames. He has destroyed at least four enemy machines.
+
+The same honour has been conferred upon Lieutenant (temporary Captain)
+Alan Machin Wilkinson, for conspicuous gallantry and skill. He has
+shown great dash in attacking enemy machines, and up to the end of
+August, 1916, he had accounted for five. On one occasion while fighting
+a hostile machine he was attacked from behind, but out-manœuvred the
+enemy and shot him down. Finally he got back, his machine much damaged
+by machine-gun fire.
+
+The Military Cross has been awarded to Lieutenant (temporary Captain)
+Leslie Peech Aizlewood, for conspicuous gallantry and skill. Seeing
+five hostile machines, he manœuvred to get between them and their
+lines; then, diving on one of them, he reserved his fire till he was
+only twenty yards off. The hostile machine fell out of control, but he
+was so close to it that he collided with it, breaking his propeller and
+damaging his machine. Though it was barely controllable, he managed to
+get back to our lines.
+
+The same decoration has been conferred on Lieutenant (temporary
+Captain) John Oliver Andrews, for conspicuous gallantry and skill. He
+has proved a fine leader of offensive patrols, and has himself shot
+down four enemy machines. On one occasion he got within twenty-five
+yards of an enemy machine under heavy fire and brought it down a wreck.
+
+The Military Cross has also been earned by Lieutenant (temporary
+Captain) Keith Riddell Binning, for conspicuous gallantry and skill,
+notably when he made two patrol flights over the enemy’s trenches
+at a height of under 1,000 feet. His machine was repeatedly hit by
+machine-gun and rifle fire, but he rendered exact reports of the
+position of our own and the enemy’s troops.
+
+Lieutenant Allan Duncan Bell-Irving has also earned the Military Cross
+for gallantry and skill in attacking a hostile balloon at 1,000 feet
+under heavy fire and bringing it down in flames. On a previous occasion
+he brought down a hostile machine.
+
+Second-Lieutenant Walter Horace Carlyle Buntine is another recipient
+of the Military Cross. As escort to a bombing raid he attacked several
+hostile machines, one of which fell to the ground nose first. Later he
+was attacked by three enemy machines, his own machine being damaged
+and himself severely wounded. With great skill he managed to land in
+our lines, though most of his propeller was shot away and his machine
+otherwise much damaged.
+
+Second-Lieutenant Clifford Westley Busk has also been decorated with
+the Military Cross. He has taken part in many reconnaissances and
+fights, and on one occasion shot down an enemy aeroplane. On another
+occasion, when his pilot’s control wires were cut and the machine went
+into a spin, he helped to restore stability by leaning far out on the
+upper side, and remained in this position till the machine got home.
+
+Another officer in the R.F.C. to receive the Military Cross is
+Lieutenant (temporary Captain) James Lander Chalmers. He has done much
+fine counter-battery work, often flying very low under heavy fire from
+the ground. On one occasion one of our shells broke the main spar of
+his machine. On another in one flight he dealt effectively with four
+enemy batteries.
+
+It will be seen that the Military Cross is a much favoured decoration
+for officers of the Royal Flying Corps. The deeds of gallantry and
+skill, however, for which the Cross has been awarded vary in many
+cases. Second-Lieutenant Leslie Frederick Forbes, has, for instance,
+been decorated for conspicuous gallantry and ability in attacking
+hostile machines and bombing railway lines, especially on one occasion,
+when he descended to 350 feet in order to accomplish his object.
+Second-Lieutenant Euan James Leslie Warren Gilchrist has also been
+decorated for conspicuous gallantry and skill when he attacked a
+hostile balloon and brought it down in flames, although under heavy
+fire and attacked by six hostile machines.
+
+The case of Second-Lieutenant (temporary Captain) Ian Henry David
+Henderson is also worthy of special note. He drove down a machine out
+of control, and two days later dispersed six enemy machines which
+were attacking his formation. A few days later again he brought down
+an enemy biplane, the observer being apparently killed. A week after
+this he attacked and drove down another machine which had wounded his
+leader. He has also carried out several excellent contact patrols and
+attacked retiring artillery and a kite balloon. Another heroic pilot
+(Second-Lieutenant Geoffrey Terence Roland Hill) attacked an enemy kite
+balloon under very difficult circumstances, and continued firing until
+he was within twenty feet of it. He was then only 1,000 feet from the
+ground and under heavy fire from anti-aircraft and machine-guns, but on
+looking round he saw the burning wreckage of the balloon on the ground.
+Mention must also be made of Captain Henry John Francis Hunter, who
+has done fine work for the artillery, and has accounted for many enemy
+guns. On one occasion, when a heavy storm drove all other machines back
+to their aerodromes, and the enemy guns took the opportunity to become
+active, he remained up and did excellent work.
+
+Lieutenant (temporary Captain) Charles C. Miles has earned distinction
+for showing great dash in contact patrol work. On one occasion he
+reconnoitred an enemy trench at 500 feet altitude, under heavy fire,
+which severely damaged his machine. Five days later, while working at
+600 feet, he was severely wounded.
+
+On one occasion another heroic pilot, Captain Pearson, with one
+other pilot, attacked ten hostile aeroplanes. The other pilot had
+his controls cut and had to return, but Captain Pearson fought on
+till all the enemy aeroplanes were dispersed. On another occasion
+he bombed trains from a low altitude. He has done other fine work,
+and has been decorated by the King. Another pilot of similar stamp
+is Second-Lieutenant Herbert H. Turk, who, with Lieutenant Scott as
+observer, attacked seven hostile machines flying in formation. One
+was brought down as a wreck. When turning to meet another machine his
+rudder controls were shot away, and his machine got into a spinning
+nose-dive. After falling 5,000 feet he partially regained control, and,
+though his machine kept on turning, he managed to land safely. The
+machine was badly damaged; but, thanks to his skill, neither he nor his
+observer was hurt. He has been awarded the Military Cross.
+
+Another to receive the Military Cross is Lieutenant John R. Philpott
+for conspicuous gallantry and skill in descending to about 300 feet,
+under heavy fire of all descriptions, in order to bomb a train.
+Finding that his fellow-officer, Captain Tyson, had wrecked the train,
+he dropped his bombs on a station and then assisted him to beat off
+hostile machines. He then, with Captain Tyson, attacked a machine which
+was endeavouring to leave the ground. He had previously displayed great
+gallantry.
+
+In recognition of their gallantry and skill Captain J. Upton Kelly and
+Captain A. M. Miller have been made Companions of the Distinguished
+Service Order. Captain Kelly when making a reconnaissance came down to
+700 feet under heavy fire, and obtained valuable information. Again, in
+attempting to observe through clouds, he flew over the enemy lines at
+500 feet, and although severely wounded and almost blind, he brought
+his machine back to our lines. Captain Miller on one occasion flew
+close to the ground along a line of hostile machine-guns, engaging them
+with his machine-gun, drawing their fire, and enabling the cavalry to
+advance. Again, when alone, he engaged five enemy machines, bringing
+one down, and also successfully bombed a troop train, coming down to
+300 feet to make sure of hitting.
+
+Besides the names already given, the following officers have been
+awarded the Military Cross: Lieutenant Norman Brearley, Captain
+Dixon-Spain, Second-Lieutenant Spencer Reid. Each has performed
+remarkable feats. Lieutenant Brearley on one occasion went out to
+attack an enemy kite-balloon and managed to get immediately above his
+objective. He then pretended that he had been hit by anti-aircraft
+fire and side slipped down to 1,500 feet, when he suddenly dived at
+the balloon, which was being hauled down, and fired into it until he
+almost touched it. When at 300 feet from the ground, the balloon burst
+into flames and was entirely destroyed. Captain Dixon-Spain, with
+Second-Lieutenant Reid as pilot, attacked and drove back a hostile
+machine. A few minutes later four hostile machines were seen, three of
+which were attacked, one after another, and driven back, the fourth
+being accounted for by another patrol. Another time they attacked two
+hostile machines, shot one down, and drove the other back. Two days
+later they attacked two more machines, of which one is believed to
+have been destroyed, the other being pursued back to its aerodrome.
+
+Reference must also be made of the courage and fortitude of Lieutenant
+Eardley Harper, who has been awarded the Military Cross for conspicuous
+skill in many aerial combats, and notably when his machine, with two
+others, met six hostile aeroplanes. He at once attacked, and shot down
+one machine. He then attacked and drove down a second one. A thick fog
+came on, and in landing his machine was wrecked, and he was badly cut
+and shaken. He managed, however, to walk two miles to his aerodrome and
+to deliver his report before collapsing.
+
+Another noteworthy case is that of Lieutenant Charles M. Chapman, who
+has been awarded the Military Cross for conspicuous skill in action
+against hostile aeroplanes. On one occasion he attacked three ‘L.V.’
+machines and one Fokker, shooting the latter down. Later, during an air
+battle with eleven enemy machines, he brought another Fokker down.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII
+
+FRENCH APPRECIATION
+
+
+The _Matin_ has published a most appreciative article on the heroic
+deeds of British aviators. ‘The English aviators,’ says the writer,
+‘are entrusted with the same mission as the French. The same halo of
+brilliancy encircles them, they obtain the same glorious results, and
+yet there is an indefinable something which distinguished them from
+their French colleagues. What is this elusive quality which enables one
+to distinguish the nationality of the aviator on merely hearing the
+details of an aerial exploit? I think it is because our Allies carry
+on aerial warfare in a more sporting than military spirit. They regard
+an encounter in the air with their abhorred enemies as an exciting and
+thrilling experience.’
+
+The writer goes on to observe that the English mode of action, while
+permitting the British remarkable results, has also the inconvenience
+of augmenting the losses. ‘The combat in the air is often unequal,
+the Englishman will not hesitate to attack single-handed ten or twelve
+Germans. He brings down several, but is often beaten himself in the
+long run by force of numbers. The English, with perfect loyalty,
+state in their official communiqués the number of their aeroplanes
+which do not return to their base. In September they lost forty-eight
+airmen, brought down fifty-three enemy machines, and damaged about one
+hundred. The French during this month brought down fifty-six, damaged
+fifty-seven, but their losses were very much less.
+
+‘But marvellous,’ the article continues, ‘are the deeds of heroism
+inscribed each day in the annals of the Royal Flying Corps. I will
+cite a few of them. During a reconnaissance in Egypt an aeroplane was
+attacked by two enemy machines. A bullet broke the English pilot’s jaw,
+another pierced his shoulder, a third found a resting-place in his left
+leg, and finally his left hand was also wounded. He fainted, regaining
+consciousness when only 150 metres above the earth. He was over his own
+lines. He brought his machine safely to land, and then found that his
+observer was wounded in the chest and shoulder. With difficulty he
+made his report and fainted and died.’
+
+Another case cited is that of the heroic aviator Lieutenant Albert
+Ball, who during a bombing mission noticed twenty enemy aeroplanes,
+divided into three groups. He advanced towards the first group, which
+contained seven machines, and fired on them at a distance of ten yards.
+The first German wavered, wheeled, and fell. He then threw himself
+upon the others, firing two volleys at them. The first took fire and
+fell. The others attempted to escape, but Lieutenant Ball immediately
+started in pursuit and followed them until he had discharged his last
+cartridge, one of the enemy machines falling on a house in a village.
+Ball then returned for more ammunition, came back to the charge, and
+attacked three more aeroplanes, which he put out of action, then,
+having no more petrol, was obliged to return to his base with his
+machine disabled.
+
+In another part of the article the writer observes that attacks on
+trains are very popular with the R.F.C. ‘In spite of the bad weather
+Lieutenant Owen Tudor Boyd one day descended to within 350 metres
+in order to drop bombs on a passing train. Lieutenant Gordon Kidd
+descended from 2,200 metres to 300 for the pleasure of dropping a
+bomb on a munition train, which caught fire and blocked the line with
+wreckage. Lieutenant Taylor derailed a troop train. Lieutenant Gordon
+Gould, attacked during a reconnaissance, was wounded in the leg. In
+spite of the intense pain, he brought down one enemy machine, severely
+damaged another, and then calmly continued his appointed work.’
+
+Special reference is also made to Captain Gerald Speim, who, one day,
+observed four enemy machines. He attacked three, one after the other,
+and put them to flight, the fourth in the meantime being engaged by
+another Englishman. The following day he fought two enemy machines,
+brought one down, forced the other to recede, and continued his
+successful career by again bringing down a German machine the next
+day. Other British airmen referred to in the article are Lieutenant
+Evans and Lieutenant MacLaren. Lieutenant Evans, during one flight,
+conquered four German machines, crashing them to earth. A remarkable
+feat was accomplished by MacLaren. Flying over an enemy aerodrome,
+he noticed a machine about to rise. Pilot and observer were in their
+places, mechanicians held the wings. MacLaren came gently down to
+within thirty yards and dropped a bomb. Aeroplane, pilot, observer,
+and mechanicians were vanquished. Then MacLaren went serenely on
+his bombing way, set fire to a hangar, and destroyed the Fokkers it
+contained.
+
+The French writer of the article concludes by saying that among the
+many heroic deeds performed by British aviators there is one which
+would have inspired the admiration of Edgar Poe: ‘An English aeroplane
+was soaring 3,000 metres above German territory on reconnoitring work.
+Suddenly a shell burst near it, killing the pilot instantly, severely
+damaging the machine, but not injuring the observer, Lieutenant Howey,
+in any way. The aeroplane tipped nose downwards, and fell 2,000 yards.
+Howey, during this terrific fall, performed a veritable gymnastic
+feat. He succeeded in slipping from his place to that of his comrade,
+unclasped his dead hands, sat upon his knees, and, in spite of the
+appalling situation, seized the control-lever, and in a miraculous
+manner righted his machine just at the moment it reached the earth
+after a seeming plunge to death. Howey was taken prisoner, but he was
+uninjured.’
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX
+
+THE EYES OF OUR ARMIES IN THE FIELD
+
+
+Here we come into still closer contact with the work of the Royal
+Flying Corps on the various battle-fronts. On September 3, 1916, the
+fighting in the air on the Western Front was continuous. Again the
+enemy’s aircraft were forced to remain some miles in rear of their own
+lines, and entirely failed to interrupt the work of our machines. On
+two separate occasions our aeroplanes opened fire on the enemy’s troops
+on the ground. As a result of many combats, three hostile machines were
+brought down and many others were driven down in a damaged condition.
+
+On the previous day, in spite of the very unfavourable weather
+conditions, our aeroplanes carried out successful co-operation with
+our artillery. One of our patrols, consisting of four machines,
+encountered and drove off a hostile patrol of thirteen aeroplanes. A
+few days later British machines bombed an important railway junction
+on the enemy’s lines of communications, causing great damage to the
+station and rolling stock. One of the enemy’s aerodromes was bombed,
+one machine being destroyed on the ground and others damaged. Many
+other points of military importance were bombed. Some good work was
+also done from low altitudes, locating the positions reached by our
+troops. Three hostile machines were wrecked and four others driven down
+in a damaged condition.
+
+Again, on the fifteenth of the month our pilots kept up constant
+and successful co-operation with our artillery and infantry, and
+frequent and accurate reports were furnished of the course of the
+battle. Hostile artillery and infantry were effectively engaged by
+our aeroplanes with machine-gun fire. Many bombing attacks were also
+carried out against hostile aerodromes and railway stations, in the
+course of which troop trains were hit and transport railway sidings
+attacked with machine-gun fire. A German kite balloon was brought down.
+The total number of hostile aeroplanes destroyed was fifteen. Nine
+others were driven down in a damaged condition.
+
+On the twenty-second of the month there was again great aerial
+activity. A highly successful raid by about fifty of our machines
+was carried out on an important railway junction, where much damage
+was done, two trains containing ammunition being destroyed and many
+violent explosions caused. A number of other raids on enemy railway
+works and sidings, aerodromes, and other points of military importance
+were equally successful. In addition many fights took place in the
+air, in the course of which three hostile machines were destroyed,
+and five others driven to earth in a damaged condition, besides many
+others which broke off in the middle of the fight and were seen to be
+descending steeply, but could not be watched to the ground owing to our
+machines being too busily engaged. On the following day five bombing
+attacks were carried out by our aviators against railway stations on
+the enemy’s communications. Much damage was done. In the course of an
+air fight one of our aviators collided with his opponent. The hostile
+machine fell vertically. Our machine fell for several thousand feet,
+when the pilot managed to regain control and re-cross the lines,
+safely flying over thirty miles with an almost uncontrollable machine.
+
+The month closed in brilliant fashion for our Flying Corps. On the
+thirtieth, two of the enemy’s aerodromes were successfully bombed by
+our aeroplanes, and at least one machine destroyed. In the fighting
+over the front, four enemy machines were brought down. Enemy troops and
+transport were repeatedly attacked from the air with machine-gun fire,
+and in one case several hundred infantry were dispersed. Another enemy
+kite balloon was brought down in flames. There were many fights in the
+air, in the course of which two enemy machines were destroyed and many
+others driven down. On this particular day we suffered no losses.
+
+Referring to the work of the month, Sir Douglas Haig said: ‘Our
+aircraft have shown in the highest degree the spirit of the offensive.
+They have patrolled regularly far behind the enemy’s lines, and have
+fought many battles in the air with hostile machines and many with
+enemy troops on the ground. For every enemy machine that succeeds in
+crossing our front, it is safe to say that 200 British machines cross
+the enemy’s front. A captured Corps report described our aeroplanes
+as _surprisingly bold_, and their work has been as conspicuous for its
+skill and judgement as for its daring.’
+
+The opening days of the following month were unfavourable to aerial
+activity. On the tenth, however, our aeroplanes showed activity and
+destroyed, by bombing, two enemy battery positions, and damaged many
+others. They penetrated well behind the enemy front and bombed railway
+stations, trains, and billets with good effect. There was now much
+fighting in the air, and in one case two of our machines engaged seven
+hostile aeroplanes and drove down or dispersed them all. One of these
+hostile aeroplanes was seen to be destroyed and two others severely
+damaged.
+
+The clear weather of the middle of October, 1916, gave scope for great
+aerial activity. On the seventeenth our machines made a large number
+of reconnaissances and bombed enemy railway lines, stations, billets,
+factories, and depots. There were numerous fights in the air, three
+enemy machines being destroyed, another driven to earth, and many
+dispersed. Two more enemy kite balloons were attacked and forced down,
+one being afterwards seen in flames.
+
+Later in the same month, in spite of adverse weather conditions, our
+aeroplanes co-operated successfully with our artillery. This indeed
+has been one of the chief parts played by our heroic airmen. They
+have acted as ‘the eyes of our artillery,’ observing, directing, and
+reporting as only efficient aviators can.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX
+
+RUSSIAN PRAISE AND RUSSIAN ACHIEVEMENTS
+
+
+The Russians have been most generous in their praise of the work done
+by the Allied aviators in France. A correspondent of the _Bourse
+Gazette_, writing in the _Daily Chronicle_, has said: ‘One need
+only stay at the British front one single day to be convinced that
+the verdict is right. The Allied aviators dominate the air. This is
+a phrase no longer. It is as much a reality as the British Battle
+Fleet or the Allied artillery. The Allied aeroplanes are everywhere.
+They guide and direct the artillery fire, make bold reconnaissances,
+photograph the enemy positions before and after the bombardments, fill
+the enemy trenches with grenades, and combine with the infantry to
+attack the German fortifications. During the first two months of the
+Somme offensive the British aviators covered more than 100,000 miles in
+the air, and that in spite of the fact that for a whole fortnight there
+was no flying at all because of the heavy mist and rain. According to
+careful military statistics, the British airmen covered not less than
+1,000,000 miles over the German lines in the first two years of war.’
+
+The correspondent of the _Bourse Gazette_ goes on to remark that the
+history of the struggle for mastery in the air is very instructive. ‘At
+the beginning of the war the supremacy in aviation undoubtedly belonged
+to the British and the French. But during the first year of the war the
+Germans, availing themselves of their superior industrial organization,
+went ahead of the Allies. For a brief period German aviation surpassed
+not only the British and French aviation separately, but both combined.
+That period coincides with the appearance of the Fokkers and the
+activity of Immelmann and other prominent German pilots.’
+
+But the Germans, as we have seen, could not maintain their superiority.
+Towards the end of the second year, the supremacy passed to the Allies
+once more. By the quantity and quality of their machines, as well as
+by the quantity and quality of their pilots, the British and French
+now so much surpass the Germans that at present one can speak of the
+absolute superiority of the Allied aviators.
+
+‘The Allied aviation,’ the writer in point continues, ‘is divided into
+three separate branches or three kinds of fighting—the attacking
+battle-squadron, something like aerial cavalry; the scouts, rather
+like aerial infantry; and a division of aerial photographers. The
+pilots of the aerial battle-squadron are the real fighters of the air.
+Most of them are young. And the lives of all of them are filled with
+unprecedented adventures.’
+
+Of all branches of aviation, however, the most important in the
+estimate of the writer of the article is that of photographing from
+an aeroplane: ‘Before the bombardment of any enemy position, the head
+quarters make a detailed map, drawn up from photographs taken from the
+aeroplanes. Then, while the bombardment is in progress, the aviators
+continue to take photographs of the position at fixed intervals. The
+bombardment continues until the photographs taken by the aviators show
+them all the _points d’appui_ of the positions have been demolished. I
+saw these photographs and the maps of the German positions prepared
+from them. The making of these photographic maps is one of the greatest
+technical miracles of the present war. But its realization demands
+indomitable courage and sang-froid. Photographing the enemy positions
+is at once the most ingenious and the most dangerous of aerial
+operations. The aviator-photographer having risen to a great height
+above the enemy position, settles his aeroplane almost vertically
+above the position he is going to photograph. Descending a certain
+distance, he arranges his camera, takes his photograph of the German
+defences, and at once climbs up at top speed in order to regain his
+own lines. One can imagine with what a fire the Germans meet their
+uninvited visitor. All the while his dizzy manœuvres over the German
+positions are going on, he has to face the fire of anti-aircraft guns,
+machine-guns, and rifles.
+
+‘As I stood on a hill,’ the writer of the article continues, ‘I noticed
+a tiny spot in the sky far above the German lines, around which small
+white clouds exploded. I asked my officer-companion if this was a
+fight between aeroplanes in the air. “No,” he said, “it’s our man
+photographing the German positions, and the Germans are firing at him
+from their trenches....”
+
+‘All day long the British aviators rushed through the air. At certain
+moments, when they closed together, I could count up to thirty
+aeroplanes. From below they appeared like a flight of some mighty
+birds. Several of them evidently formed an aerial patrol. They circled
+round the kite balloons. The others flew away, singly or in groups, to
+the line of the German trenches. During the whole day only one single
+German aeroplane flew over the British lines and tried to attack a kite
+balloon. But it was driven off by the aerial patrol.’
+
+As regards the praiseworthy work done by Russian aviators, it is
+noteworthy that on September 14, 1916, a squadron of four Russian giant
+aeroplanes of the Slyr-Murometz type bombarded the German seaplane
+station on Lake Angern, in the Gulf of Riga. Seventeen seaplanes
+of various sizes and models were discerned. The Russians dropped
+seventy-three bombs, of a total weight of sixty-two poods (about one
+ton). The sheds were soon concealed in smoke and flames. Eight enemy
+seaplanes attacked the Russian machines, but were speedily put to
+flight by machine-gun fire. As the result of the bombing and the air
+fight not fewer than eight enemy machines were destroyed or put out
+of action. The Russians returned safely, notwithstanding a hail of
+incendiary shells from anti-aircraft guns. On a previous occasion one
+Slyr-Murometz and one Ilya-Murometz, with a crew of five, routed seven
+attacking German seaplanes.
+
+On the twenty-ninth of the same month Russian aviators carried out
+a raid on the rear of the enemy’s cantonments in the Bourgunt Krevo
+district (about forty-five miles south-east of Vilna). The bombs
+dropped caused explosions and fires in the enemy’s depots at various
+points. Bombs were also dropped on convoys, a narrow-gauge railway, and
+on wagons. In the course of the raid there was an air fight in which
+four German machines were brought down.
+
+Russian airmen who call for special mention are Sub-Lieutenant Orloff,
+Lieutenant Gorkovenko, Captain Kayakoff, Captain Schifkoff, and
+Midshipman Safonoff. Captain Schifkoff in particular has many aerial
+victories to his credit.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXI
+
+ITALY’S PART
+
+
+Italy has fought many air battles. Her sons are men of the right
+mettle. Her beautiful cities have suffered from raids, but the enemy
+has been made to pay the price. Italian airmen have not only put up
+a strong defence, but have made their power felt far beyond Italian
+territory.
+
+On September 13, 1916, enemy aircraft bombarded Venice, Pordenone
+(thirty-five miles north-east of Venice), Latisana, Marano, Cervignano,
+and Aquileia on the marshland between Venice and the Isonzo. The
+Italians replied with a raid on Trieste and Parenzo, in which
+French aviators took part. With the departure of heavy Capronis for
+Trieste, squadrons of seaplanes set out from sea-bases for Parenzo.
+Five French machines joined forces with eleven Italian seaplanes.
+Shortly after 5.30 p.m. the first of them were over Parenzo, dropping
+explosive and incendiary bombs on the enemy’s defence batteries and
+seaplanes station. Only one enemy ‘plane succeeded in getting off the
+water, and was immediately forced to come down by the attacks of the
+French aeroplanes and to take refuge among a squadron of Austrian
+torpedo-catchers, which continued to hug the coast. In spite of the
+lively fire of Austrian army gunners, all the allied aeroplanes
+returned to their bases. For a long time on their return journey could
+be seen the useful effects of the bombing carried out by the Italian
+and French pilots in broad daylight, the hangars and batteries being
+shrouded in the smoke from the fires. Scrupulous care was taken not
+to do damage to the unredeemed city. The Caproni squadron arrived
+over Trieste about 4 p.m., and, supported by other squadrons of light
+machines, began from some 9,000 feet the bombardment of the arsenal,
+the technical dockyard offices, the timber yards, and the depots
+housing the rolling-stock and kerosene supply, this latter at St.
+Sabba. Photographs and the dense columns of smoke showed with what
+results!
+
+On the thirteenth of the same month an Italian aeroplane squadron
+fought a hotly contested battle, in the course of which two enemy
+‘planes were brought down. On the seventeenth of the same month,
+Italian aviators scored further victories. On the same day an Italian
+squadron dropped bombs on the works and sheds of the narrow-gauge
+railway in Comignano (Komen on the Carso, ten miles south-east of
+Gorizia). Effective results were observed. It was also on this day
+that another squadron of Caproni battle-planes, escorted by Nieuport
+chasers, dropped bombs on the stations at Dottogliano (about eight
+miles north of Trieste), and Scopo (about two miles farther north), on
+the Carso, hitting the railway establishments, the adjoining stores,
+and the water tanks and trains standing in the stations. All the
+Italian aeroplanes returned safely, although chased by the enemy and
+fired on by anti-aircraft batteries.
+
+Later it was made known that Italian squadrons of seaplanes in the
+course of a general reconnaissance, carried out by them along the west
+coast of Istria on October 16, succeeded in spite of unfavourable
+weather in successfully bombarding detached naval units near Rovigo,
+as well as military works at Rovigo and at Punta Salvore. At one point
+they became engaged in a fight with enemy aeroplanes, and damaged two
+of them, one of which was seen to fall into the sea. In spite of enemy
+artillery fire all the seaplanes returned safely to their bases.
+
+On the first day of the next month, Italian aviators engaged
+in numerous further air fights, in the course of which several
+enemy machines were driven down. On the same day fourteen Italian
+battle-planes, escorted by Nieuport chasers, bombarded with marked
+success the railway stations of Nabresina (coast railway, Gulf of
+Trieste), Dottogliano, and Scopo (on the Gorizia-Trieste Railway),
+on the Carso. The aviators were fired on by anti-aircraft guns and
+attacked by enemy aeroplanes, but all returned safely to the Italian
+lines.
+
+Again, on November 8, 1916, squadrons of Italian aircraft carried out
+an offensive reconnaissance on the enemy coast. Bombs were dropped with
+good results on the aviation station at Parenzo-Istria, and on craft
+used for military purposes in the harbour of Cittanuova. In spite of
+the violent fire of the anti-aircraft defences and of a counter-attack
+by enemy seaplanes, all the machines returned safely.
+
+Many battles in the air were fought during the days that followed,
+various enemy machines being driven down by the skilful Italian
+aviators. Amongst those who have earned special notice are Lieutenant
+D’Annunzio, the son of the poet; Second-Lieutenant Garros; Capitaine de
+Fregate Arturo Ciano; and Baron Mario de Bratti, of the old nobility,
+who lost his life while serving his country. His funeral was attended
+by all connected with the Italian Aviation Corps and the technical
+and constructional side of the science, from General-in-Command to
+mechanics and artificers, so widely was his loss felt.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXII
+
+ENEMY ACTIVITY
+
+
+In November, 1916, a series of brilliant conquests by British and
+French aviators had reduced the Germans to a secondary, if not
+actually a futile, part in the air. But after a period of bad weather
+and a lull in the fighting, German aviators again ventured over the
+Allies’ lines. Their enterprise, however, was short-lived. Proof of
+the Allies’ superiority was again seen on November 10 in an important
+aerial victory over the German lines. Thirty British machines defeated
+a greater number of the enemy—his strength is believed to have been
+between thirty and forty—while on a bombing expedition between Bapaume
+and Arras. The fact worth remembering is that the British airmen were
+not turned off, but that they punished their assailants decisively and
+then fulfilled their obligations as ordered, delivering seventy-two
+high explosive bombs on Vaulx-Vraucourt with satisfactory effect.
+
+‘It is a pity,’ writes Mr. Percival Phillips, special correspondent of
+the _Daily Express_, ‘that such a thrilling episode of aerial warfare
+cannot be told in detail—but there are very few details to be had. The
+only eye-witnesses at close range were the intrepid airmen involved,
+who were so fully occupied with their own individual opponents that it
+was impossible to follow the fortunes of the entire enemy fleet until
+its ignominious disappearance. I am told, in the dry, matter-of-fact
+language of our airmen, that the British bombing ‘planes, flying at
+pre-arranged altitudes in a westerly wind, surrounded by their escort,
+sighted the German battle machines climbing through the rising mist to
+try to intercept them. The British fleet dropped to accept battle, and
+they closed a mile above the German trenches.
+
+‘Then followed a breathless, furious duel, fought at a dizzy speed as
+the opposing ‘planes swirled and eddied through the clouds, intent on
+each other’s destruction. Machine-gun bullets ripped their hulls. They
+circled and dived with amazing confidence and accuracy. British and
+Germans alike drove their craft with superb skill, for the science of
+fighting in the air has become as intricate and difficult as handling
+a group of Dreadnoughts. No longer do the aeroplanes barge blindly at
+each other, firing point-blank, like old ships of the line. The expert
+crews twist and dodge in a manner undreamed of even a few short months
+ago, working their guns with nice discrimination, perhaps putting in
+one skilful shot where the pioneer guns of the air would have wasted
+half a drum. The battle was won as much by good airmanship as by the
+work of individual gunners. The German pilots were out-manœuvred. When
+at last their machines had enough of the fight—three of them had
+reeled earthwards, smoking wrecks—they dropped beyond range to examine
+their wounds, and the victorious British fleet passed on its way, in
+full view of the great army of spectators gazing upwards from the
+fields, road, and trenches below.’
+
+Besides the three German ‘planes destroyed, others were sent down more
+or less damaged, but the full extent of the enemy casualties could not
+be ascertained. A broken aeroplane does not drop like a stone. It takes
+three or four minutes to reach the earth, and there is not time during
+an engagement for the men who are fighting to follow the progress of
+every crippled machine in its aimless descent.
+
+The British casualties for the day’s work were two bombing machines
+and two escorting machines missing, one observer killed and two pilots
+wounded. Of the latter, one managed to alight inside the British lines;
+the other came down in ‘No Man’s Land.’
+
+The special correspondent of the _Times_ describing the same battle
+writes: ‘It is a long time since the German initiated anything new in
+the air. Now, in his recrudescence of activity he is doing his best
+to learn from us. He copies exactly our methods, formations, and air
+tactics. In the recent moonlight nights especially his airmen have been
+penetrating behind our lines, trying to bomb rail-heads and transport,
+and so forth; and individual Germans are even getting so bold as to
+do what we have done for the last four months, namely, fly low enough
+to use their machine-guns on troops in trenches or on columns on the
+road. So far, they are making little by it; and they are having a most
+exciting time. One of the chief evidences of the new activity has been
+the great aerial battle, wherein some seventy aeroplanes were engaged,
+which the official communiqué has already mentioned. It took place
+between nine and ten o’clock on the morning of November 9, well over
+the German lines in the direction of Vaulx-Vraucourt, whither certain
+of our aeroplanes were bound on a bombing expedition. With them were
+fighting machines and scouts, making in all a fleet of thirty sail.
+Near the villa of Mory, just before reaching Vaulx-Vraucourt, they
+sighted an enemy squadron somewhat outnumbering themselves, the actual
+strength being something from thirty-six to forty aeroplanes.
+
+‘They attacked at once. Some of our machines were flying at a higher
+level than the enemy, and they plunged headlong to join in the general
+engagement, which was fought at an average height of not much above
+5,000 feet. Of the mêlée which followed, it is impossible to get any
+coherent account, for no man in it had time or thought for anything
+except the enemy machines with which he was successively engaged; but
+for twenty minutes there raged among the clouds such a battle as the
+world has never seen before: an inextricable tangle of single combats,
+of darting, swirling machines, the air filled with the roar of seventy
+propellers and the chatter of guns.
+
+‘Four of our machines were lost, that is to say, that they were
+compelled to descend in German territory, a strong westerly wind
+drifting the battle as it raged more and more over enemy’s soil. In the
+ships which came home, one brought a dead observer, and two others,
+with wounded pilots, had difficulty in beating up against the wind and
+landing in our lines. Of the enemy we know that six machines were sent
+to earth, of which three are known to have crashed. What happened to
+the other three, beyond that they were falling out of control, is not
+known. In yet another the pilot was seen to be shot dead. What further
+casualties the enemy suffered he only is aware; but the best evidence
+that the victory was ours lies in the fact that the whole enemy
+formation was broken and scattered. The Germans fled for safety in all
+directions, leaving us in possession of the sky. Then we went upon our
+business; we punctually dropped our bombs on the stores and ammunition
+depots of Vaulx-Vraucourt, and then came home proudly flying in regular
+formation, no German daring to interfere.’
+
+Again and again the Germans have made desperate efforts to snatch the
+control of the air from the firm grasp of the Allies, but without
+the desired result. The Allies’ aviators are not to be beaten. Their
+enterprise, their courage, above all their heroic bearing, are proof
+against all attacks.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIII
+
+A GENERAL VIEW
+
+
+‘Any unbeliever in the reality of the command of the air being in the
+hands of Britain and her Allies,’ writes the editor of _Flight_, ‘must
+indeed be despaired of, after the daily records of the wonderful work
+of our pilots which are issued officially, combined with the unstinted
+paeans of praise emanating from every imaginable source upon this and
+the other side of the world. Quite recently again, Mr. H. G. Wells
+repeated his admiration of the Allies’ air-work; at the same time he
+entered the lists with General Brussiloff as prophet as to the duration
+of the war, Mr. Wells putting it at June, 1917.
+
+Mr. Wells’ reasons for his prophecy are as follows: ‘I think so for a
+hundred reasons, but above all for these: The marvellous organization
+of the French front, the mastery of the air which is assured to our
+aviators—I was witness of it, and I should rather say the exclusive
+possession of the air. Then the photographic marking by aeroplanes, in
+which the French take first rank. Lastly, by your artillery fire, which
+demolishes, methodically and mathematically the enemy batteries without
+fear of reprisals.’
+
+An interesting communication upon the same subject has just come to
+hand from the well-known correspondent of the _Chicago Daily News_, Mr.
+Edward Price Bell, in which he states that the British flying man is in
+the air every day between four and eight hours, constantly under fire.
+Ordinarily along the British front the flying men are in the air from
+two to three hours each day. Mr. Price Bell hits upon the basic reason
+for our superiority when he points out that our officers are always
+‘hunting for trouble’ above the German lines, never declining a combat,
+and fighting, however outnumbered. Altogether he calculates that up to
+the latter part of 1916 British flying men on the Western front must
+have flown entirely over the enemy’s lines much more than a million
+miles.
+
+An officer of the Royal Flying Corps, also writing of the supremacy of
+the Allies, says: ‘Man for man, we undoubtedly are masters of the air
+on the west front. This fact I attribute to the mental and physical
+training we give our boys in England. Our youngest pilots have done
+wonderfully well. They learn quickly, are intensely keen, have great
+alertness of mind and act instinctively.’
+
+‘Our people have the tails up morally and mechanically,’ adds another,
+‘and though they have plenty of fighting when they get to the other
+side of the lines, they are on the offensive all the time. The moral
+as well as the physical uplift is considerable, when one has a machine
+which will get above the German range of accurate fire in a quarter of
+an hour, and will do in or about 100 miles an hour when pushed. With
+such a machine one can attack and keep on attacking; and though perhaps
+not even the majority of our people are mounted on such machines, the
+worst machine at the front to-day is probably nearly as good as the
+best a year ago, and there are enough of the first-class machines to
+protect the weaker brethren. Despite all the errors of the past, our
+air service has certainly acquired dominance, if not absolute command,
+in the air, and for that fact very great credit is due to the officers
+who have so thoroughly reorganized affairs at the War Office, and who
+have so notably increased the performance and output of the machines
+now in use.’
+
+The great improvement in the construction of machines for long-distance
+flying is particularly worthy of note. We have seen how Captain de
+Beauchamps, leaving France in the morning, flew in broad daylight as
+far as Munich, where he dropped bombs on the stations. Then turning at
+right angles towards the south, he flew over the whole of the Tyrol
+and crossed the Alps, to land at length 12½ miles north of Venice, in
+the village of Santa Dona, on the small River Piave, having journeyed
+without stopping a distance of about 700 kilometres.
+
+Captain de Beauchamps holds the flight record for bombing raids on
+German towns, but the longest journey made by an Allied aviator
+during the war was that of Lieutenant Marchal, who visited Berlin on
+a previous date. He, however, only dropped pamphlets on the German
+capital, before making off to the Russian frontier. He came down sixty
+miles within the German lines, having flown over 800 miles.
+
+Captain de Beauchamps was accompanied in his great flight to Essen
+by Lieut. Daucourt, who made at the time some extremely interesting
+entries in his logbook:
+
+‘11 a.m. My friend Beauchamps has just gone, and I followed two minutes
+later. One thousand yards up, 2,000-3,000, we keep on getting higher
+and higher. The weather is clear with just a few clouds over 9,000
+feet. The air is distinctly cold.
+
+‘12 a.m. I am full over the Boche lines. We are seen and the
+anti-aircraft guns start a curtain fire a little forward but too high.
+The white puffs of the 77 make a line of smoke which I have got to
+cross. Soon the shots become more and more numerous; 300 shots at least
+must have been fired in a few minutes. Time after time I get right
+into the smoke of the bursting shells, and I can hear pieces of steel
+whistle near, very near. Oh! the Boche gunner rectifies his range. But
+he is too low now, so I go higher still, and I pass.... Now there are
+shots on my left, which burst with black smoke, 105 calibre shells.
+This is getting more serious. Shots get nearer, I point towards the
+left slightly, and, all of a sudden, I go ninety degrees to the left
+and drop straight towards the ground for 300 feet. The game is finished
+and the gunners done. Out of spite they shoot all over the place, and
+the shells burst now at the back of me. It looks as if I was going to
+get out of trouble without much difficulty.... Now where is my friend?
+I cannot see him. Has he been brought down? Has he changed his line?
+A little under me I can see a big, fat yellow ‘plane. Black crosses!
+It’s a Boche. Another one follows very near. The distance between us
+is about 600 feet, but they are slower than I am. Clac—clac—clac. It
+is Mr. Boche opening fire. The short bursts of his machine-gun keep
+crepitating. The brute does not shoot badly. Shall I engage him in a
+fight? It is really very tempting. But no, Essen is my only target, and
+I have no right to compromise, by a passing engagement, the success of
+our raid. I open my engine right out, and soon lose my aggressors....
+As I fly over Treves I just distinguished on my left the outline of
+another ‘plane. It is getting nearer and nearer. The sun prevents me
+from seeing it clearly, although I seem to recognize the silhouette
+of my companion’s machine. No doubt it is he. I can now see his blue,
+white and red cocarde. And all of a sudden I feel very happy....
+
+‘A little later I change my direction and go straight north, leaving
+Coblenz on my left. Far in front of me I can see a small grey ribbon
+... The Rhine. It looks beautiful from up here. Somehow my confidence
+increases every minute. Sure everything will go well. I cross over the
+right bank. On the river many long convoys of barges go up towards
+Coblenz. If only I did not have a consignment of bombs to deliver, I
+should go down to gun them. It is funny how strong these temptations
+are.... Here is Bonn. My friend and co-raider is still on my right. My
+engine keeps on turning merrily, and I marvel at the ease with which
+I have covered these first 200 kilometres. A quick calculation shows
+me that we are going at the rate of about 130 miles an hour. It is
+a goodish speed. The weather is cold up here. My thermometer shows
+sixteen degrees below zero. To try and get warm I move arms and legs as
+much as I can in that cramped space. A few drops of peppermint which
+I drink warm my inside and cool my mouth.... Underneath the Rhine,
+and still more boats!... Now we pass a town which seems enormous.
+It is Cologne. What a splendid target it would make! But there are
+women, children, old people, and I am a soldier, not a pirate. I must
+only aim at destroying the military power of the enemy. Now I point
+straight towards Dusseldorf. But all the district disappears under a
+pool of smoke. What an extraordinary agglomeration of works! Here are
+Solingen, Elberfeld, Barmen, black country criss-crossed by innumerable
+railway lines and with hundreds of high chimneys, like guns, pointing
+to the sky. Down there a tremendous amount of arms of all sorts, guns,
+munitions, &c., all to be directed against us, are produced with a
+tremendous activity.
+
+‘Essen at last. I am over what has been considered as the heart of
+Germany, over the town which stands as the symbol of brutal force.
+Where now are the Krupp’s works? There, at the west of the town. How
+large they are! The shops and buildings, between which trains are
+running, seem innumerable. The attempts to disguise it are indeed
+foolish. It is the most perfect target one can imagine. Now I suppose
+I am going to be _strafed_. I look here and there for bursting shells.
+Nothing! They aim too low. However, some very violent waves of air of
+which I do not understand the cause disturb for a moment my bombing
+preparations.
+
+‘2 o’clock. The centre of the works pass. I drop my torpedoes in
+rapid succession. My friend, who is over me and a little on the left,
+drops his also. I guess, more than I can exactly see, as I am so very
+high, that underneath in the works the people suffer from a sort of
+madness. There are rushes of people soon hidden by clouds of smoke
+which rise from many points. Nearly at the centre it seems that there
+is a formidable explosion, followed by intense fire. What a joy to have
+attained one’s aim! Krupp has been bombed, in full daylight, in spite
+of its anti-aircraft guns and of its ‘planes. I suppose that now the
+Boches must be mad with fury, and will try to chase us. Never mind, my
+mission has been fulfilled. I will fight enemy ‘planes if they come....
+Here I am again over Dusseldorf, but not going so fast as in coming.
+The wind, which has veered, hampers me. A quick verification of my oil
+and petrol tanks. All is well; I can keep up for another six hours. The
+clouds get denser and denser. There is at some moments a thick mist,
+which veils completely the ground. As I am browsing, some explosions
+thunder louder than the noise of my engine. I turn right round, so
+that the Boche gunner loses the range. But as I turn I see 1,500 or
+2,000 feet under me three Boche ‘planes who are giving chase. Their
+machines are as fast as mine, but as soon as they try to go up they
+lose ground. I slacken for a few seconds, and going straight towards
+the most forward of them, I serve him at about 150 yards with three
+bursts of my machine-gun. Unnerved, he prefers not to engage a fight
+and flies towards the left. But the others are attacking me from the
+back. It is time to go.... Have I wounded my opponent? I don’t think
+so, as he seems to be flying straight again, but very much lower. Soon
+the two others are only black spots.... The chase has lasted over
+thirty minutes, and I have got a real stiff neck, so often did I turn
+round.... Now I have been up six hours. Time drags dreadfully. My eyes
+hurt, and I suffer from the cold. Evidently I am over Belgium now. But
+where? I must know. I come down, engine stopped. How sweet is that
+silence, after six hours of tempest! Four thousand feet; it is low
+enough.
+
+‘6.30. I cannot stand it any more, I am coming down, 7,000 feet,
+5,000 feet, 1,000 feet. I cannot hear the guns any more. But what are
+these? Bivouacs. Am I in France? I keep on for another quarter of an
+hour, going south, and finally alight in an immense field, far from
+a village. If I am on the territory invaded by the Germans I’ll fly
+away under their nose. I am at the end of the field, ready to start
+again in case of need. I have kept my engine turning slowly. After five
+minutes of waiting, some people come running towards me—peasants. I
+shout to them at the top of my voice, “Where am I?” “At Champaubert,”
+they answer me. What a joy is mine! I am in France. Back, after having
+succeeded in what seemed to men an impossible enterprise.’
+
+It is particularly interesting to note that in their remarkable flight
+both Captain de Beauchamps and Lieutenant Daucourt used machines of
+British manufacture.
+
+We have seen that the officers and men of the Royal Naval Air Service
+have also to their credit many long-distance flights. Indeed, in all
+respects the R.N.A.S. have kept at ‘level-fight’ with the R.F.C. The
+two Services work, however, under different conditions. The following
+is an extract from a report from Admiral Sir John R. Jellicoe, G.C.B.,
+G.C.V.O., then Commander-in-Chief, Grand Fleet: ‘_Iron Duke_, August
+23, 1916. Sir,—With reference to my dispatch of June 24, 1916, I have
+the honour to bring to the notice of the Lords Commissioners of the
+Admiralty the names of officers who are recommended for honours and
+special commendation. Where all carried out their duties so well it
+is somewhat invidious and difficult to select officers for special
+recognition.’
+
+We have seen, however, that many naval aviators have been decorated.
+In addition to the names already given, mention must be made of
+Flight-Lieutenant F. J. Rutland, who has been decorated with the
+Distinguished Service Order for his gallantry and persistence in flying
+within close range of four enemy light cruisers, in order to enable
+accurate information to be obtained and transmitted concerning them.
+Conditions at the time made low flying necessary.
+
+This is also a fitting place to record that it has been officially
+announced that the King has conferred the Distinguished Service Cross
+on Flight-Lieutenant Charles T. Freeman, R.N.A.S., for the following
+act of gallantry: On the night of August 2, 1916, he made a determined
+attack on a Zeppelin at sea, only abandoning the attack when he had
+exhausted all his ammunition. As darkness was approaching at the time,
+and his chances of being picked up were problematical, his courage
+and devotion in returning to the attack a second and third time were
+exemplary.
+
+There is every indication that our airmen are becoming more heroic
+and skilful each passing day. Touching their great service in dealing
+with enemy airships, the editor of the _Aeroplane_ writes: ‘One of
+the commonest and cheapest jeers of certain papers which have adopted
+anti-Churchillism as part of their political creed has been the
+constant jibe at the late First Lord of the Admiralty that the defence
+which he promised against enemy airships has not been forthcoming.
+It is now many, many months—in fact, it runs into years—since Mr.
+Winston Churchill informed the world that, if enemy airships ventured
+to invade this country, they would be met by ‘a swarm of hornets’ which
+would make them regret that they had ever come.
+
+‘At that time the defence of England was entirely in the hands of the
+Navy. The Army was still piously supposed to be the Expeditionary
+Force. Naturally, as part of the Navy, the R.N.A.S. was supposed to
+be responsible for the defence of the country against aircraft; a
+perfectly logical position, and an eminently sensible one, for the
+Navy has always been able to obtain all the money it has wanted for any
+scheme it might have in hand. Consequently there seemed to be no reason
+why Mr. Churchill’s rhetorical phrase—to which one might have returned
+the time-honoured question, “Is that a threat or a promise?”—should
+not have become before long a literal truth. There was one point
+on which all of us seem to have tripped up, however—namely, that
+in talking or thinking of invasion by aircraft we all pictured to
+ourselves a fleet of machines coming over in broad daylight, and the
+world’s aerial navies grappling in full sight, complete with central
+blue as fitted. None of us seems to have had the sense to see that
+nocturnal invasions would be very much more effective, both morally and
+practically, than any daylight show could have been.
+
+‘If the Germans had sent their airships over early in 1915, in
+daylight, they would certainly have been wiped out by aeroplanes. We
+had very few aeroplanes then; not a fraction of the number we should
+have had if the supply of engines and machines had been properly
+handled before the war by the Government. But nevertheless, we had some
+few, such as Sopwith tabloids and Bristol scouts, quite capable of
+reaching and catching and destroying any airship of that period, if it
+could be seen. The destruction of the very first Zeppelin ever brought
+down by an aeroplane—that which ultimately wrecked itself after being
+damaged and made uncontrollable by Squadron-Commander Bigsworth,
+R.N.—proves it, for this officer was flying a standard 80 h.-p.
+Avro, a considerably slower machine than either of the single-seaters
+mentioned. The Germans spotted this quickly enough, and so their ships
+only came over at night, with the result that for over a year they came
+and went unhindered, so far as defensive aeroplanes were concerned.
+The only people who suffered were the gallant young officers of the
+R.N.A.S., who went up to try to abolish the airships.
+
+‘The Admiralty published openly the names of those killed in these
+operations. Young Mr. Lord, of Newcastle, was, I believe, the first
+victim. He was killed in the south of England when trying to land a
+fast scout in the dark. Much about the same time Mr. Hilliard was
+killed through the bombs he had on board his Caudron exploding as he
+landed. Mr. Richard Gates was killed when landing a Henry Farman
+in the dark. Mr. Barnes was killed through landing a big Sopwith
+pusher in the early morning fog after flying all night. There may
+have been other deaths, but those are all I recall in the early part
+of 1915. There were many other officers injured, and still many
+more marvellous escapes. I have been told how an officer jumped out
+of his machine near the ground, chancing where he fell rather than
+risk being blown up by his bombs. Another officer had a still more
+extraordinary experience. He landed on a Caudron, and his bombs blew
+up. Subsequently investigation showed clearly where his skids first
+struck the ground. About twenty-five yards farther on was the wreck of
+the machine and engine, all burnt to bits by the petrol set on fire by
+the bombs; and about twenty yards farther still was the place where
+the pilot had finished having a private fire of his own. Seemingly the
+first shock had jarred and bent the stems of the bombs and released
+the firing mechanism. The second shock had exploded them, had blown
+the whole machine to pieces, had burst the petrol tank so that the
+spirit splashed all over the pilot and caught light, and, finally and
+fortunately, had blown the pilot clean out of the machine into some
+longish grass, where he fell without being stunned, and rolled over and
+over till he put the flames out. I gather that his worst injury was a
+rather burned hand, due to his glove falling off while he was beating
+the flames out on his coat.’
+
+Never must we forget the debt we owe to these heroes of the Royal Naval
+Air Service. They have played, as we have seen, a most heroic part.
+
+And we would bear in mind the fact that the work of our heroic aviators
+covers the _whole_ field of the World War. In Mesopotamia, for
+instance, much good work has been done. A correspondent of the _Daily
+Telegraph_ wrote in October, 1916: ‘On the night of the 19th one of
+our aeroplanes raided an enemy aerodrome at Shumran, dropping eight
+20-pound bombs, which fell all round a machine, apparently damaging
+the same, and putting out lanterns left on the ground by the guard,
+who fled on the aviator’s approach. Early in the morning of the 26th
+two of our aeroplanes successfully bombed a hangar, descending to 100
+feet. One of our machines was damaged. A bullet cut a control wire,
+and the aeroplane “nose-dipped” 1,000 yards, but the pilot succeeded
+in righting the machine and landed safely. The Turks, believing they
+had destroyed the machine, started cheering in the trenches. Several
+exposed themselves, and were “picked off.”’
+
+At a later date news came from Mesopotamia of an affair which afforded
+a striking instance of aeroplanes working in co-operation with cavalry.
+Mounted enemy irregulars had driven off our camels on the left bank of
+the river, and were proceeding north-west. Two aeroplanes were sent out
+with machine guns to attack the raiders. Our aviators soon passed over
+scattered bodies of mounted men, who were taking cover in nullahs and
+firing at the machines. These were driven out by machine-gun fire from
+the aeroplanes, and, breaking into small groups, made for the hills.
+Several were hit, and three or four killed. During the action our
+machines flew very low, descending at times to within twenty feet of
+the ground. After dispersing this body our aviators pursued the raided
+camels, which were seen being driven towards the hills by troops of
+irregular cavalry. Fire was opened from the aeroplanes, and the escort
+immediately abandoned the camels, retiring towards the mountains. A
+troop of our cavalry coming up recaptured the camels. The machines and
+cavalry continued to chase the raiders, inflicting further casualties.
+
+Further reports from the same quarter show that on October 25, 1916,
+one of our aviators, returning from a reconnaissance, attacked a
+party of enemy irregular cavalry. After dropping bombs among them, he
+descended to 800 feet, firing his machine-gun into them, and killing
+many. In the evening five of our machines raided a cavalry camp by
+Shattlhai, dropped bombs, and again brought the machine-gun into
+action, causing considerable loss and panic.
+
+All will remember how our aviators, overcoming many serious
+difficulties, dropped provisions into besieged Kut, thus enabling our
+soldiers to prolong their defence.
+
+In Egypt also some very useful work has been done. The Officer
+Commanding has reported that on September 4, 1916, the Royal Flying
+Corps carried out a further raid on the enemy’s encampment at Mazar.
+One anti-aircraft gun was put out of action and a number of bombs were
+dropped with good effect on camps, supply depots, and camel lines.
+Further reports showed that on the following day two of our aeroplanes
+raided the Turkish aerodrome and aeroplane repair section at El Arish.
+Twelve bombs were dropped with good results. Enemy aeroplanes attacked
+our machines, but did not close, and only opened fire at long range.
+They ultimately gave up the fight, and our machines returned undamaged.
+
+From Salonika news came in September, 1916, of an enemy machine being
+shot down on the seventh and of a second enemy machine being shot down
+on the following day north-east of Lake Doiran. The days that followed
+were equally favourable to the Allied airmen.
+
+An account of the sensational landing of a French bombarding aeroplane
+containing two aviators has come from an officer in the Doiran
+district: ‘A piece of bursting shrapnel having severed one of the
+control wires of an aeroplane,’ he writes, ‘the machine began to dive
+head-foremost and was apparently lost. It was falling within the
+enemy’s lines, to the great delight of the Bulgarians. When within a
+hundred yards of the ground the observer managed to leave his seat, and
+succeeded in hoisting himself on to the upper plane of his machine,
+where, lying on the canvas, he was able to restore the balance of the
+machine by moving the plane by hand. The motor controls were undamaged,
+and as soon as the equilibrium of the aeroplane was restored it was
+able to return to the Allied lines and land without further mishap,
+with a bomb still on board.’
+
+Another sensational incident was that of a naval observer in a
+‘sausage’ balloon operating in Macedonia, attacked by two Fokkers,
+which fired a stream of bullets, piercing the ‘sausage’ at several
+points and destroying the telephone. The observer had on board a small
+machine-gun and a parachute. After having sent the contents of two
+belts of ammunition at his enemies, the gun jammed. He then threw
+himself overboard with his parachute, and fell for about 600 feet. At
+last, however, the parachute opened, and the observer landed safely.
+After which the balloon was repaired and he went up again.
+
+From the Secretary of State for India news came in November, 1916,
+of aeroplanes being used in Indian warfare for the first time. Large
+Mohmand forces (estimated at 6,000) collected on the border opposite
+Shubkadr, and were dealt with by our aviators with remarkable effect.
+
+Each passing day our heroic airmen add to their laurels. But it must
+not be supposed that so much has been accomplished without the loss of
+valuable lives. Many heroic men—aviators of whom we are prouder than
+words can tell—have made the supreme sacrifice.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIV
+
+THE HEROIC DEAD
+
+
+‘Those who die for their country,’ says the author of _The Wrack of
+the Storm_, ‘must not be numbered with the dead.... This death, on the
+field of battle, in the clash of glory, becomes more beautiful than
+birth, and exhales a grace greater than that of love. No life will
+ever give what their youth is offering us, that youth that gives, in
+one moment, the days and the years that lay before it. There is no
+sacrifice to be compared with that which they have made; for which
+reason there is no glory that can soar so high as theirs, no gratitude
+that can surpass the gratitude which we owe them. They have not only a
+right to the foremost place in our memories: they have a right to all
+our memories and to everything that we are, since we exist only through
+them.’
+
+Amongst the heroic aviators who have made the supreme sacrifice is
+Lieutenant William Herbert Stuart Garnett, R.F.C., who was killed
+while making a flight. While still at the university, Mr. Garnett, who
+in 1903 took a First Class in the Mechanical Science Tripos, wrote a
+book on the turbine engine, which went through several editions, and
+was translated into German. After a brief spell as a master at Eton, he
+was called to the Bar, and though he did not practise, he produced a
+valuable book on ‘Children and the Law.’ Mr. Garnett had made a special
+study of the National Insurance Act, and joined the legal department of
+the Commission when it was set up. On the outbreak of war he joined the
+R.N.V.R., and did valuable work in mine-sweeping for nearly a year. He
+was a son of Dr. William Garnett, the eminent educationalist.
+
+Many other men of high promise have made the great sacrifice. Captain
+Keith Lucas, R.F.C., who was killed in a flying accident on October 5,
+1916, had already acquired a world-wide reputation as one of the most
+promising physiologists of the younger generation. Captain Lucas was
+born in 1879, was the son of Francis Robert Lucas, and was educated
+at Rugby and Trinity College, Cambridge, of which he became a Fellow
+in 1904. He was elected F.R.S. in 1913, and was invited to give the
+Croonian lecture to the Royal Society even a year before his election
+to it. Before the war he was fully engaged in both teaching and
+research work at Cambridge, and was, moreover, one of the directors
+of the Cambridge Scientific Instrument Company. But on the outbreak
+of war all this was put aside in order that he might devote his rare
+instrumental skill and inventiveness to the Flying Services.
+
+Lieutenant Anderson Mann, R.F.C., who lost his life whilst on active
+service on August 9, 1916, was twenty-one years of age, and was
+educated at Ardvreck, Charterhouse and Trinity College, Cambridge. Mr.
+Mann was the best rifle shot of his year in the Public Schools. On the
+outbreak of war he was gazetted to the Scottish Rifles, and joined the
+R.F.C. in March last. Shortly afterwards he and his pilot distinguished
+themselves by bringing down eight German aeroplanes in seven days.
+They were each awarded the Military Cross for consistent gallantry
+and skill. Mr. Mann was the eldest son of Mr. John Mann, chartered
+accountant, of Glasgow and London.
+
+Captain Leslie Charles, R.F.C., who was killed in action on July
+30, 1916, was the second son of Mr. and Mrs. R. Stafford Charles,
+of Broomfield, Stanmore. He was educated at Stanmore Park, where he
+took a Mathematical Scholarship for Harrow. At Harrow he became a
+member of the O.T.C. and the Philatelic Club, and was also head of
+his house. He left Harrow in July, 1914, and in the following month
+received a commission in the Worcestershire Regiment. In May, 1915, he
+was sent to Gallipoli, and was present at the battles of June 4-9. He
+was subsequently invalided home, and was gazetted Captain on November
+20, 1915. Early in 1916 he joined the R.F.C., and took his pilot’s
+certificate in April. He left for active service on July 5 and lost his
+life in a combat in the air over the German lines.
+
+Second-Lieutenant J. Hampson Dodgshon, who lost his life on October
+1, 1916, at the age of twenty-five, was educated at Westminster, and
+was a member of the school cadet corps. He joined the H.A.C. in July,
+1913, and played Rugby Football for the corps. He went abroad with
+the H.A.C. in September, 1914, and spent the first winter of the war
+fighting in Flanders and France. He was invalided home, and on his
+recovery was gazetted to a commission in the Surrey Yeomanry. He
+served for six months in Egypt, and was at the Dardanelles as Assistant
+Military Landing Officer. On his return to England he declined a post
+as Assistant Equipment Officer in the R.F.C., as he felt he ought to
+take a more active part in the war. He obtained his ‘wings’ in August,
+and was made an instructor. His commanding officer writes of him: ‘His
+memory will be green for ever.’
+
+Captain Brooke-Murray, another heroic officer to lose his life in
+action, was educated at Cheltenham College. At school he was a very
+good shot, and was in the Cheltenham Bisley Eight of 1908, 1909, and
+1910. Entering Sandhurst in September, 1910, he was gazetted to the
+A.S.C. in 1911. He went to France in August, 1914, with the first
+Expeditionary Force, and took part in all the operations of the 19th
+Brigade from Mons to the Marne and Aisne, Ypres and Armentières. From
+April to July, 1915, he was adjutant of the advanced Horse Transport,
+and from July to October, 1915, he was staff captain, G.H.Q. Afterwards
+he became embarkation officer, Marseilles, and officer to the
+Divisional Ammunition Park (April to June, 1916). He was then flying
+officer observer to the date of his death from wounds received in
+action on September 16 in an air combat against three enemy aviators.
+
+The Royal Naval Air Service has lost a valuable officer by the death
+in a flying accident of Squadron-Commander Dalrymple Clarke. Before
+joining the R.N.A.S., in 1913, he was in business in London, and prior
+to that he was an officer of cavalry. After joining the R.N.A.S.,
+he was stationed for some time at Eastchurch, and quickly showed
+that he was not only a very fine pilot, but had the gift of studying
+his machine’s peculiarities and reporting thereon in a manner which
+made his tests of high value to the Service. From Eastchurch he was
+transferred to the Central Flying School, under Commodore (then
+Captain) Godfrey Paine, R.N., and was appointed an instructor. There
+he did much useful work, and was responsible for the training of many
+pilots who have since distinguished themselves on active service. Later
+on he was appointed to experimental work, and carried out many tests
+which produced far-reaching results, not only as regards aeroplanes,
+but also concerning engines, bomb-dropping, and various scientific
+adjuncts to aircraft.
+
+Another loss to the Royal Naval Air Service and the country came with
+the death of Flight-Lieutenant Charles Walter Graham, R.N., D.S.O.,
+who was awarded the D.S.O. for his services on December 14, 1915,
+when, with Flight-Sub-Lieutenant A. S. Ince as observer and gunner, he
+attacked and destroyed a German seaplane off the Belgian coast.
+
+The Royal Flying Corps lost another most promising officer with the
+death in action of Captain J. O. Cooper, R.F.C., previously reported
+missing, now stated to have fallen in action. He was twenty years of
+age, and was the youngest son of Lady Cooper, of Ossemsley Manor,
+Christchurch, Hampshire. Educated at Lockers Park and Harrow, he
+returned from Australia for the war. He joined the R.F.C. and got his
+commission in January, 1915. Captain Cooper was considered by all
+who knew him one of the most promising men in the R.F.C., and if he
+had been spared would, it is said, have led a squadron before he was
+twenty-one.
+
+Further loss came with the death in action of Lieutenant Ian
+Macdonnell, R.F.C. He obtained his brevet from the Royal Aero Club as
+a pilot in December, 1913, after passing through the Bristol School of
+Flying at Brooklands. Soon after the outbreak of war he was gazetted
+a lieutenant in his father’s regiment, Lord Strathcona’s Horse. In
+March, 1915, he became A.D.C. to Brigadier-General J. E. B. Seely,
+C.B., D.S.O., commanding the Canadian Cavalry Brigade, and served
+with them in the trenches, including the battle of Festubert, till he
+became attached, on probation, to the R.F.C. in September, 1915. He was
+gazetted flying officer on November 6 of the same year. He met with a
+serious accident through the failure of his engine in December, 1915.
+His observer was killed and he himself more or less seriously injured.
+He reported for duty with the R.F.C. on May 18, 1916. His major in the
+R.F.C. wrote that he was very skilful, full of daring and gallantry.
+He was a grandson of Lieutenant-Colonel J. T. Campbell, a Crimean
+veteran, and his father belonged to a Cadet family of the Macdonnells
+of Glengarry, which have given so many officers to the Empire.
+
+In the case of another gallant officer, Second-Lieutenant L. C. Kidd,
+death followed quickly upon brilliant achievements. Shortly before
+his death he was awarded the Military Cross. He took his pilot’s
+certificate at Hendon before the war, and was tea-planting in Ceylon
+when war was declared. He returned as soon as possible, and was at once
+given a commission in the R.F.C., and, after a short period of home
+training, went to the front in February, 1916. Since then, with two
+short intervals of leave, he had been flying continuously at the front.
+
+Amongst other names on the Roll of Honour we would mention
+Second-Lieutenant J. S. Mitchell, Second-Lieutenant Aubrey F. A.
+Patterson, Second-Lieutenant Robert Shirley Osmaston, M.C., and
+Lieutenant Edward Carre.
+
+Second-Lieutenant J. S. Mitchell, R.F.C., was the only son of Colonel
+and Mrs. Mitchell, of Sandygate, Wath-on-Dearne, Rotherham. He was
+educated at Bramcote School, Scarborough, and Rugby, leaving there
+in July, 1914. He went for a tour to Australia and Canada, returning
+in July, 1915, when he began to work on munitions at Sheffield. In
+January, 1916, he applied for a commission in the R.F.C., and was
+gazetted in June, being appointed a Flying Officer on September 4.
+He died abroad of injuries accidentally received on October 5, aged
+twenty.
+
+Second-Lieutenant Aubrey F. A. Patterson, R.F.C., who is unofficially
+reported as having died of wounds while a prisoner of war in Germany,
+was born in 1895. He was the youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. W. R.
+Patterson, of 40 Cleveland Square, Hyde Park. Educated at Berkhamsted
+and Eastbourne College, he distinguished himself as an athlete, and won
+the swimming championship at Eastbourne when he was sixteen. Within
+a few days of the commencement of the war he enlisted in the H.A.C.,
+and went out to France at the end of 1914. Returning invalided to
+England in 1915, he was appointed to a commission in the West Yorkshire
+Regiment, and was subsequently attached to the R.F.C. He went back to
+the front in 1916, and became actively engaged in bombing operations,
+in which he did ‘excellent work.’ He was brought down on September 17
+by a numerous German squadron, and died of his wounds at Osnabrück.
+
+Second-Lieutenant Robert Shirley Osmaston, M.C., was the son of Mr.
+and Mrs. Francis P. Osmaston, of Stoneshill, Limpsfield, and grandson
+of Mr. John Osmaston, late of Osmaston Manor, Derby. He was born in
+1894, and educated at Earleywood Preparatory School, Ascot, and
+Winchester College (Kingsgate House), where he gained the gold medal
+for gymnastics in 1912. He had a short course of agricultural training
+after leaving Winchester, and when the war broke out enlisted as a
+private in the U.P.S. Brigade. In May, 1915, he obtained his commission
+in the Royal Sussex Regiment, and went to the front on December
+1, 1915. Early this year (1916) he was an instructor of Lewis gun
+training, and later acting-adjutant of his brigade, and was attached to
+brigade head quarters learning staff work. In April he conducted a raid
+into the enemy trenches very successfully and without any casualties,
+and was shortly afterwards awarded the Military Cross. In July he
+transferred to the R.F.C., and served as observer till he was killed.
+
+Lieutenant Edward Mervyn Carre, R.F.C., who was killed in October,
+1916, aged twenty-two, was the youngest son of the Rev. Arthur A. Carre
+and Mrs. Carre, of the Rectory, Smarden, Kent. Educated at Christ’s
+Hospital from 1903 to 1910, he left as Deputy Grecian and entered the
+College of the Resurrection, Mirfield, and in 1912 matriculated at
+Leeds University, whence he obtained an Honour Degree in Classics. On
+the outbreak of war he joined the Artists’ Rifles, and served abroad,
+receiving a commission in the Lincolnshire Regiment in March, 1915.
+Being promoted Lieutenant, he was transferred to the R.F.C. in May,
+1916. His commanding officer writes: ‘We are all very sorry to lose
+your son. He has done very good work since joining the squadron, and
+was really one of my best observers.’ His eldest brother, Maurice
+Tennant Carre, Australian Infantry, was killed at Lone Pine on
+September 2, 1915. Two remaining brothers, Captain M. H. Carre, M.C.,
+and Second-Lieutenant G. T. Carre, are serving in the Royal West Kent
+Regiment, and have both been twice wounded.
+
+The Roll of Honour grows as the days pass. Hero follows hero. To give
+the names of all who have made the supreme sacrifice is impossible;
+neither can we hope to find fitting words of gratitude and praise.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXV
+
+CONCLUSION
+
+
+In November, 1916, the famous French aviator, Lieutenant Guynemer,
+brought down his twenty-first enemy machine, thus establishing a new
+world’s record for aerial warfare. The duel was fought at an altitude
+of over two miles, after a chase of about forty-four miles, and was of
+a most dramatic nature.
+
+Suddenly Lieutenant Guynemer, whilst flying many miles behind the
+German lines, sighted a German squadron of two observation aeroplanes
+with an escort of two fighting machines heading for the French lines.
+There was nothing to prevent Lieutenant Guynemer giving immediate
+battle, except the fact that in the event of being forced to land he
+would fall within the German lines and be taken prisoner. He therefore
+took refuge behind some friendly clouds until the German squadron
+passed ahead of him, and then started the pursuit from behind,
+closing up sufficiently so that if he should be seen by the German
+anti-aircraft gunners from below he would be taken for one of the
+escorting German aeroplanes. For several miles he kept up the pursuit,
+concealing himself as much as possible from the German machines by
+keeping behind the clouds.
+
+Then, when the French lines at last appeared below him, he emerged in
+full view and began the fight. The German machine nearest him chanced
+to be an observation ‘plane, and, darting down on it, he opened his
+machine-gun fire at an altitude of about 12,000 feet, or just two
+miles. With unerring aim he killed the observer with his third bullet,
+and with the tenth the pilot likewise shot out from the machine, the
+‘plane at the same time beginning its whirling giddy course down
+towards the French lines. Although the machine was the second one
+Guynemer had brought down that day, he at once started after the
+other three, but they, in the meantime, had all disappeared, having
+apparently turned back at his very first shot. Without further ado
+Lieutenant Guynemer started in search of his victims, and succeeded in
+locating the machine in the ravine of Mocourt.
+
+Amongst British aviators who continue to add to their victories mention
+must again be made of Flight-Commander Ball, to whose Distinguished
+Service Order a second bar—the first time such an honour has been
+conferred—was added in November, 1916. Each passing day brings further
+evidence of heroic deeds.
+
+On November 29 hostile airships again made a raid over England under
+the cover of night, but with dire results for the enemy. Two German
+airships were brought down. An official communication stated that a
+number of hostile airships approached the north-east coast of England
+between ten and eleven o’clock. Bombs were dropped on various places
+in Yorkshire and Durham, but the damage was slight. One airship was
+attacked by an aeroplane of the Royal Flying Corps and brought down
+in flames in the sea off the coast of Durham at 11.45 p.m. Another
+airship crossed into the North Midland Counties and dropped some bombs
+at various places. On her return journey she was repeatedly attacked by
+aeroplanes of the Royal Flying Corps and by guns. She appeared to have
+been damaged, for the last part of her journey was made at very slow
+speed, and she was unable to reach the coast before day was breaking.
+Near the Norfolk coast she apparently succeeded in effecting repairs,
+and, after passing through gunfire from the land defences, which claim
+to have made a hit, proceeded east at a high speed and at an altitude
+of over 8,000 feet, when she was attacked nine miles out at sea by four
+machines of the Royal Naval Air Service, while gunfire was opened from
+an armed trawler. The airship was brought down in flames at 6.45 a.m.
+
+One eye-witness has stated that it was just after daybreak when from
+the east coast a German airship was seen, travelling slowly from the
+west. As she passed over the coast the sound of heavy firing was heard,
+and soon, over a low bank of mist some distance out to sea, a great
+burst of flame was seen and the stricken raider fell blazing into the
+sea. A little later a British airman flew in from the sea and descended
+on the coast. He was given a tremendous ovation. Townspeople carried
+him shoulder high through streets crowded with cheering people, while
+sirens of shipping shrieked triumphantly.
+
+‘The defence was extraordinarily powerful,’ said an official report of
+the raid issued in Berlin. Such praise from the enemy speaks volumes!
+
+At noon on the following day a German aeroplane managed to reach London
+and drop bombs. But the fate of this raider also was sealed. On its
+return journey if fell a victim to our gallant French Allies.
+
+Who can now doubt that supremacy in the air is with the Entente?
+Whether in dealing with raiders by night or enemy machines on the
+western battle-front by day, our heroic allied aviators have proved
+their superiority.
+
+The names of the heroic naval aviators who brought down the German
+airship in the manner described are Flight-Sub-Lieutenant E. L.
+Pulling, Flight-Lieutenant E. Cadbury, and Flight-Lieutenant G. W.
+R. Fane. The first named officer has been awarded the Distinguished
+Service Order. His age at the time of his heroic deed was twenty-six
+years. He was formerly in the Government wireless service, and he
+received his commission in the Royal Naval Air Service on August 21,
+1915. Tireless energy and boundless enthusiasm, combined with great
+courage, mark him out as an aviator of high promise.
+
+Flight-Lieutenant Egbert Cadbury was twenty-three years of age at the
+time of receiving the Distinguished Service Cross. At the outbreak of
+war he left Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was studying for the
+law, and joined the _Zarifa_ as an A.B., the vessel being a converted
+yacht manned mostly by Cambridge men. After nearly a year at sea he
+entered the R.N.A.S., gained his pilot’s certificate, and was stationed
+on the East Coast. He is the youngest son of Mr. George Cadbury.
+
+Flight-Lieutenant Fane joined the Royal Naval Air Service in July,
+1915, as a Flight-Sub-Lieutenant. He came straight from Charterhouse
+and was only nineteen years of age at the time of being decorated. His
+fellow-airmen speak of him as a pilot of remarkable skill and courage.
+
+
+In February, 1917, whilst these pages were in proof, it was announced
+that the first of the officers named above, Flight-Lieutenant E. L.
+Pulling, D.S.O., had made the ‘supreme sacrifice.’
+
+  Another body!—Oh, new limbs are ready,
+  Free, pure, instinct with soul through every nerve.
+
+
+_Printed by Jarrold & Sons, Ltd., Norwich, England_
+
+
+Transcriber’s Notes
+Page 72—changed contritributor to contributor
+Page 157—changed Decenber to December
+Page 217—changed achines to machines
+
+
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 76758 ***