The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1917-08-08
BRITISH
AIRMAN
MEMBER

bIoH dTTlNeu AT l u CLOCK Oh the
steamer from Seattle. After
luncheon in the Tacoma hotel
they were scheduled to start at
l O'Clock on trip to Mount Ia
coma.
Public Meeting.
The party will return from the
mountain Thursday, and on Thurs
day evening will appear at a pub
lie meeting at Stadium high school
where war pictrues will be shown
and talks made on the military
situation
The commission is composed of
e. Il. Allen of the lumber commit
tee of the council of national de-
Tense, representing the aircraft
board; Lieut.. Col. l.. w. b. Raes
of the British royal flying corps;
Maj. b. Perfetti of the Italian
mission; Capt. Henry Dourif of
the French mission; William Cha
deayne, representing the aircraft
manufacturers, and Howard +.
Jayne and f.. A. Douty, represen-
tatives OF the spruce lumbcrmen.
Northwest Holds Key.
1--WE want spruce" was the de-
mand of the visitors, and Tacoma
is promising to do its part in the
task of filling the want. The
keynote struck by each member
was that Washington spruce, to
be used in the construction of a
huge airplane fleet, by means OF
which the supremacy of the air
will be decided, will win the war
for the allies.
"Nou have the spruce and
You hold the key to the win
ming of the war;" said Lieut..
Col. Rees.
Means Sure Victory.
Every machine from the Unit
ed States is one to the good" he
added. I'VE have enough now
to hold back the Germans; with
thousands of American machines
in the air, victory of the allies is
assured. 1t is a war in the air
they are fighting along the Euro
pean fronts, and It is the airplane
that will decide the war"
Col. Rees is one of the few men
alive who wears both the Victoria
cross and the military cross. Both
of the decorations were won byl
his daring air exploits.
The military cross came first,
and was pinned on his breast by
the king when he had taken IS
miles of trench photographs un-
der artillery fire.
The Victoria cross was awarded |
him for successfully driving back,
single-handed, 10 German air.
planes. One of their bullets
struck his knee, and for the rest
Of his life, he says, 1t will be stiff.
Tall, unassuming, typically
English, and talking of war with
the naive simplicity of one who
has seen its horror too many
lines to be longer impressed, Col.
Rees is one of the most interest
ing international figures in Wash
ngton today, according to the
members of the aircraft
Tells of Being Wounded.
you want me to tell in detail
low / was wounded?" he asked.
ut was a beautiful morning
Turing the Somme push, July l, a
year ago." he began. II left the
aerodome Just after dawn, flying
/ little scout machine that carried
but one passenger.
Ordinary We only send them
tut guarded by a line of heavier
machines carrying bigger guns
md two men, but this morning l
vent alone"
Eight thousand feet in the air
lie climbed without trouble. The
ngine, he says, spun with its even
ong.
"Then they came" he said, and
or an instant his face lost its
mile, as his mind flashed back
o the battle front.
Fly Diamond Shape.
"They fly in diamond forma- /
ion,' he explained. THE first
machine forms one corner of the
liamond and they spread across
he heavens in perfect order. The
irst fellow dropped when / fired
t him with my Lewis gun, and
he second man to the right was
lying little out of places
81 made for him. He climbed
bove me, and once l thought he :
Jould get me, but lucky shot
nd the chips flew from the body
( his machine where the little
teel noses of the machine gun ,
bells bit into it,"
Seven Turn Back.
With two of their fellows gone,
even of the Germans turned back,
hree going at once and the other !
our when Rees had dropped the
ext flyer.
1T was the last man that fired
he shot that got me-" he said.
The beggar fired red light be-
ore he came after me. The red
ght is shot out of a pistol and it
leans. I am heavily attacked
end assistance, please
When | saw II | figured he was Il
1orse frightened than I was. and L
decided to stick 1t oit and get
i'm. picked off his observer L