The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-04
Commands the British Flyers


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 Commands the British Flyers
 No branch of the British army has done Letter work since the fourth day of Au- gust. last than has the royal flying corps. Both General French and General Joffre have praised it in high terms, the former claiming that 1t has established It's ascendency over the aerial branch of the German army. This is high praise V hen it is remembered that the German tiytrs held most of the international rec ords before the outbreak of war and pos sessed many more machines than Eng lara.
 Much of the credit for the showing made by the British airmen Is due to the organization and training of one man Col Sir David Henderson. director of military training and head of the royal flying corps. Sir David is compara- lively young man--'being born in 1S62-but he has seen a lot of active war service in the Sudan and South Africa. For years he specialized In reconnaissance and eight years ago wrote book on the subject which has become more or less of a textbook in the British army
 He was ono of the earliest to see the possibilities of the aeroplane for scout ing purposes and it was at his own earn est request that he was given the job of bringing the new arm into line with the needs of the modern army. He spent much time at Tendon, the great flying ground near London, until he secured his pilots certificate. He is not a spec tacular flyer believing that he has more important mission in life than to thrill society buds by looping the loop and executing the dip of death. As soon as he fully mastered his machine, Sir David set about strengthening the royal army corps. He went among the more enterprising and intelligent of the young army officers and impressed upon them the possibilities of the newest arm and soon had about him a rare collection of daring souls.
 If Is with these men-or rather with those who are left. because many lost their lives in the early days of eXperi- ment before the war-that Sir David has, according to the commander-in-chief of the British forces, taken much of the heart out of the German flyers Under his control has come also that remarka ble band of naval flyers who. under the in- mediate leadership of the intrepid Wing Commander Sampson, have carried death, destruction and confusion into the coun- try back of the German lines in Flan- ders.
 Wales Forever"
 The picturesque Welsh about whom, before the advent of Lloyd-George we in London heard little and cared less, have come very prominently into the limelight in the past few days. It seems that although the household brgades con tained two English regiments, Scotch and an Irish, it was not, up to the outbreak of the war. considered that the Welsh were entitled to be represented in the Kings "bodyguard." Now that has all been changed and the new Welsh Guards recently watched over Bucking- 11,v. 11, Al the Welsh residents in London, who gath cred in hundreds to watch them.
 It was perhaps not an unintentior,al coincidence that this synchronized With the celebration of St. David's day. when girls in the Welsh national costume paraded the London streets and solo flags. At the same time there was ~aged fierce battle over the question of whether the leek or the daffodil is the national emblem. And when Lloyd George reviewed some Welsh troops the men wore leeks in their caps while the chancellor wore the daffodil in his but tonhole. It has since been decided by royal decree that George was wrong and the troops right and that henceforth the leek shall be the Welsh national flower" You can imagine what trouble numerous artistic souls are experience ing in trying to adapt the straight lines of the leak to pleasing design for button.
 Eats His Own Words
 One has had frequent cause since the war started for wondering whether or not the prominent socialists and agita- tors of the several countries engaged have been troubled with indigestion through eating their own words You will perhaps remember John Ward. the burly labor member of the British House nf Cnmfnnna ho hao e, for brief moment in the Ulster crisis when he stood up in Parliament and told the King that if he didn't keep his place the common people" would very soon put him into it. Some of his de- lightful radical friends subsequently elected him an honorary member of the National Liberal club for saying what everybody was thinking"
 Well, war has evidently changed John Wards views on the subject. be- cause he has, after seven months o1 sober thought, joined the army and sworn allegiance, not to his flag or his country or his fellow people, but to his King. He has, by his own oath. ac- knowledged the very right of the King which he so vehemently denied him in the House of Commons
 Ward has formed what is known as the Navvies' battalion. made up Of ex- perts In the use of the pick and the shovel, who will go to the front, not 10 nght, but to prepare the trenches which have become such vital factors in mod ern warfare. Ward himself was a nayvv petore he became d labor leader and an w. r. and IS known among his casual acqua1ntances as Handsome Johr Ward does not discourage the use of the sobriquet
 Queer History of Darlington Hall
 It would be quite safe to rav ina, no. act of the British government since inc war pesah-not even what many consider. us paitering with the SPY question-bas ! ulssusted so many reople In this conn uN as US recent action in taking over DohinSton hall, on the Trent one of th largest and most luxurious mansions in Lelcestershire, and fitting it up-reeard less of cost-as an abode for the Gor,nan officers who are now prisoners in Eng land
 NO one wants. of course, to have these unwilling guests of the nation other than adequately housed and cared for hut ', bv they should be installed in one of Inc i1nest private palaces in the country. the seat or one of it's oldest families esno- cialiy when everything appears to indj cate that British prisoners of war in Ger many are-wel. anything out pampered- IS question which, as the famous Lord Dundreary put 1t, mo feller can under stand.''
 Speaking on behalf Of the war office night before last. H. J. Tennant it's par-