The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-11-01
EXPERIENCES OF
 BRITISH AVIATOR Baptism of Fire Came From
 French Guns
  MISTAKEN FOR ENEMY Escaped Unhurt Despite Many Hits. One of German Anti-Aircraft Guns Nicknamed "Archibald"-Had
 Many Narrow Escapes
MISTAKEN FOR ENEMY

ter home, a British aviator gives a pie turesque account of an airscout's life, as follows:
 My Dearest Mother-I got your letter today just after had come back from a reconnaissance of about 120 miles. I got absolutely frozen, but am getting used to that now. Besides, it's all in the days work. It wasn't quite such an in- teresttng reconnaissance as usual. We dropped one of two bombs on some bivouacs that must have stirred them up a bit, because they began firing at us with rifles. We only got hit once, but then the machine we were in Is rather | hard to hit, because its speed is some thing like 30 miles an hour.
 The Germans have some special guns for dealing with aircraft. They consist of gun which fires kind Of shrapnsl shell which bursts at a certain height. As soon as they find your height they let off their shells, about seven or eight at time, which burst all around you. Each shell is loaded with round bullets about the size Of a marble. and these shoot about when the shell explodes. Whenever we go up we have these anti aircraft guns popping off at us. We have nicknamed one of them Archibald He has very distinctive way of firing at you. He'll let off one. just to see where it bursts. and then find out his range by 1t. and then lot off six, one after an- other. We take them more less as joke. but I think they are pretty sure .. 10 bring one of us down sooner or later. It Is really only matter of tinle-
 His First Reconnaissance
 Did I tell you about my first recon Iaissance? It was at Maubeuge. started off to fly over by Mons and Enghien and Ath--in that direction. We xan Into clouds just beyond Mons, so had Ln-r .s.r~ f<r <I- over the French lines, saw a movement and hustle among the troops, and then there was the noise of about 100 rifles cracking at us. They had mistaken me for German because my machine was different from most of the others! That was my baptism of fire" and I shall never forget it.
 My first sensations were Of surprise, which rapidly developed into a kind of fear, which in turn changed to fascina- fiont. It positively fascinated me to see the holes appearing in the planes as each bullet ripped its way through {although there were only a few of them). I was looking at my instrument board to see what height was, when suddenly bull let hit the board and splinter jumped Hp in front of me. At the same time q bullet pierced the petrol tank and all the petrol ran out. Another one hit one of the instruments and smashed it. When the petrol ran out there was nothing for if but to ccme down. so trusted to luck and came down in the first good field I saw
 A dozen or so Belgian and French sol d;ers rushed out, apparently not sure whether I was English or German till [ shouted "Anglais Angiais.' Then they hustled to and did all they could for me. happened to have two tanks so I filled ur the other one and got ready to start off again. The odd part of it was shrapnel began bursting in the field next to Hfe-ons after another--whfch seemed to point to the fact that the Germans had brought me down and not the French ss had supposed. A French major came up in car and entreated me to hurry away. sHe said:
 Quick, quick. The Germans are not far away-about two mies!'
 I didn't believe him. but all the same got into the machine. My passenger thought we should not be able to get out of the field. but we Just managed 1t. Just before we started someone came up and said that an English girl would like to see me before we went. so went into the middle of the crowd and found the girl (who turned out to be an American). She said she had lived there (the name of the place was Solve-sur- -Lambre on the east of Maubrege) for five years and after blessing me wished me good luck. Just as We left the ground we were hit again; this time it hit the machine. When we got back counted 12 hits
 Taste of Archibald"
 The next reconnaissance I made had taste of "Archibald"-the anti aircraft gun. We were up by valen- cfennes, which was infested with Ger mans. Suddenly I saw five or six thick white puffs of smoke beneath us. which were shells bursting. The next time they made a better shot and were on tho same level, but to the left-and or. [ Ano !, bursting around us at once Another machine was about 1000 feet above us at the time and when we got back the people in it told me that they really l thought we were going to be done in | that time. Since then the old gun has been ct us every day. One day l took i Up my camera and waited until it had | sent up about six or seven shells and l took a photo of them bursting I l hope it will come out well--although | there won't be much to see.
 Strange to say, the type of machine l that flew has had extraordinary bad N1uck. There were only four of them and this is what happend to them ThA first one met it's end at Amiens | I daresay you read about 1t in the papers It crashed to the ground and burst into flames-both pilot and pas- senger were burned to death. The second one met it's end on the way from Amicns to Maubeuge, the pilot breaking Optu HIS lc6S diu tnc passenger De1nR I killed. The third was mine. I was turning too close to the ground and one of the wings caught in the ground and smashed itself. The machine was sent away for repairs. but haven't heard | of it since. The fourth machine was found burnt after having been miss ing for two days Nothing has been | heard of the pilot or the passenger but I think they must have been shot hy the Germans. because the wreckaea 9 | of the machine showed bullet holes | in it.
 It may interest you to know that | by rights should have been killed in- | stead of--. They wanted an ob- | server so I was told to go with- Then tho major said to me No we l wort send you because you are pilot. | We'll send you on another reconnais- ance." So he sent - instead and | incidentally. that is why am now alive.
 In looking back over the past few weeks. I begin to marvel at the luck I have had. Still we have all had mar row escapes. so suppose there is noth- ing much in it.
 Calls Belgian Dops Heroes
 From the New York Tribune
 Belgian soldier speaking of the oueratious at fhe front nales cna