Baxter Springs news., 1918-08-23
CHAPTER u.
1 Became a FIuhtInu Scout:


was then eighteen years old, but ! had
had a hankerlng for the air ever since
can remember.
As n youngster I 70 lowed the ex-
ploits Of the Wrlghts " tn the greatest
interest. although I aust confess I
sometimes hoped tha. they wouldn't
really conquer the air until ] had had
whack ut 1t myself. / got more
whacks than / was looking for later
on.
Needless to say, my parents were
very meh opposed to my risking my
life at what was undoubtedly at mat
time one of the most hazardous pas
times" young fellow could select, and
every time had a smashup or some
other mlshap / was ordered never to 90
near an aviation field again.
Sol went out to California. There
another fellow and / built our own
machine. which we few In various
parts Of the state.
In the enrly part of 1915, when trOu-
BILE was brewing In Mexico. l Joined the
American flying corps. was sent to
Sun Diego, where the army flying
school Is located, and spent about eight
months there. but as ! was anxious to
get into active service and there didn't
seem much chance of America ever
getting into the war, resigned and.
crossing over tO Canada. joined the
Royal Flying corps at Victoria. B. c.
was sent to Camp Borden, Toronto.
first to receive instruction AID later to
Instruct. While a cadet ! made the
first loop ever made by q cadet In Can
ada. und after ! had performed the
stunt half expected TO be kicked out
of the service for 1t. Apparently, how
ever, they considered the source and
let Il go ut that. Later on / had the
satisfaction of introducing the loop
us part of the regular course Of In
structlOn for cadets In the r. +. c.,
and want TO say right here that Camp
Borden has turned out some Of the
best fliers that have ever gone to
France.
In May, 1917, and seventeen other
Canadian fiiers left for England on the
Meganic, where We were to qualify
for service In France.
Our squadron consisted Of nine
Americans. c. C. Robinson. H. A. MIL
Ter, +. s. McClurg, A. A. Allen, e. B.
Garnet, II. X. BOysen. H. A. Smeeton
and A. A. Taylor. and myself, and nine
BrltiShers, Paul II. Raney. ]. r. Park.
G. Nelmes. c. Il. Moore. T. L. Atkin-
son, F. c. COnry A. Muir, e. A. L. F.
Saith and A. {. Jones.
Within few weeks after our ar
rival In England all of us had won our
"wlnes"-the insignia worn on the
left breast by every pilot on the west
ern front.
We were all sent to a place In
France known as the Pool Pilots Mess.
Here men gather from all the training
squadrOns In Canada and England and
await assignments to the particular
squadron of which they are to become
members.
The Pool Pilots Mess Is situated q
few miles back Of the lines. When.
ever a pilot is shot down or killed the
Pool Pilots Mess is notified to send an
other to take his place.
There are SO many casualties every
day In the r. F. c. at one point Of
the front or another that the demand
for new pilots is quite active, but when
a fellow is itching to get into the fight
as badly as and my friends were /
must confess that we got little i'm
patient, although we realized that |
every time q new man was called It |
meant thaN some one else had, in all |
probability, been killed. wounded or
captured.
One morning an order came In for |
scout pilot and one Of my friends |
was assigned. can tell you the rest
Of us were as enviOus Of him as II 1t |
were the last chance any Of us were
ever going to have to get to the front. |
As 1t was, however, hardly more than |
three hours had elapsed before an
other wire was received at the mess |
and was ordered to follow my |
friend. / afterward learned that as
soon as he arrived at the squadron he
prevailed upon the commanding OFF,
Ger Of the squadron to wire for me.
At the Pool Pilots Mess 1t was the
custom Of the officers to wear ''shorts"
-breeches that are about eight inches
long, like the boy scouts wear, leav-
ing q space Of about eight inches Of
open country between the top Of the
puttees and the end Of the shorts. The
Australians wore them In Salonlki and
at the Dardanelles.
When the order came In for me,
had these "shorts" on, and ! didn't
have time to change into other clothes.
Indeed, was In such a sweat to get
to the front that II ! had been In my
pajamas / think / would have gone
that way. As It was, It was raining
and / threw an Overcoat over me,
jumped into the machine, and we made
record time to the airdrome to which
/ had been ordered to report.
As l allghted from the automobile
my Overcoat blew open and displayed
my manly form attired In shorts" in
stead of In the regulation flying
hraachaa and the aiOhf arouaad aon. |