The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1918-06-21
CHAPTER II.
! Became 4 Fi1htin1 Scout.

Became 4 Fighting Scout.
started flying in Chicago in 1912 l
was then eighteen years old. but had
had a laundering for the air ever since
can remember.
AS youngster followed the ex-
ploits Of the Wrights with the greatest
interest. although / must confess I
sometimes hoped that they wouldn't
really conquer the air until had had
whack at 1t myself. got more
whacks than / was looking for later
on.
Needless to say, my parents were
very much opposed to my risking my
life at what was undoubtedly at That
time one of the most hazardous "pas-
times" young fellow could select, and
every time had smshup or some
other mishap l was ordered never to go
near an aviation field again.
So l went out to California. There
another fellow and I built our own
machine. which we few In various
parts Of the state.
In the early part Of 1915. when trou-
bic was brewing in Mexico. l Joined the
American flying corps. was sent to
San 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.
Twas sent to Camp Borden, Toronto.
flrst to receive instruction AID later to
instruct. While cadet I made the
first loop ever made by q cadet In Can
ada. and after had performed the
stunt half expected to be kicked out
Of the service for it. Apparently. how
ever. they considered the source and
let It 60 at that. Later on had the
satisfaction OF introducing the loop
as part Of the regular course Of in
structi0n for cadets In the r. F. c..
and want to say right here that Camp
Borden has turned out some of the
best fliers that have everyone to
France.
In May, 1917, l and seventeen other
Canadian fliers left for England on the
Meganic, where we were to qualify
for service in France.
Our squadron consisted Of nine
Americans, c. G. Robinson. H. A. MIL
Ter, F. s. McClurg. A. A. Allen, e. b.
Garnet. H. X. Boysen. H. A. Smeeton
and A. a. Taylor, and myself, and nine
Britishers. Paul n. Raney, ]. r. Park,
c. Nelmes. C. r. Moore, T. L. Atkin-
son, F. c. Conry. A. Muir. Il. A. L. r.
Smith and A. G. Jones.
Within q few weeks after our ar
rival In England all Of US had won our
"wings'-the insignia worn on the
LETT breast BY every pilot on the west
orn front.
We were all sent to q 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
memberA
The Pool Pilots Mess Is situated .
fsw miles back Of the lines. When.
ever = pilot is s mo; down 81 Killed. n,
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 1 and my friends were
must confess that we got little i'm
patient, although we realized that
every time new man was called it
meant that some one else had, in all
probability, been killed, wounded or
captured.
One morning an order came in for
4 scout pilot and one of my friends
was assigned. l can tell you the rest
or us We're as enviOus of him as if it
We're the last chance any of us were
ever going to have to get to the front
AS it was, however, hardly more than
three houf5 had elapsed before an
other wire was received at the mess
and l was ordered to follow my
friend. I 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 it was the
custom Of the officers to wear shorts"
-breeches that are about. eight inches
long, like the boy scouts wear, leav-
Ing 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 Saloniki and
at the Dardanalles