Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-07-05
my salvation must have been designed
to show the way to others.
CHAPTER II.
1 Became a Fighting Scout.

Became a Fighting Scout.
1 started flying in Chicago in 1912. I
was her eighteen years old, but l had
had q hankering for the air ever since
l can remember.
AS a %youngster 1 followed the eHs
ploits of the Wrights with the greatest
interest, although / must confess /
sometimes hoped that they wouldn't
really conquer the air until 1 had had
q whack at it myself. l got more
whacks than 1 vas looking for later
on.
Needless to say, my parents were
very much opposed to my risking my
life at what was undoubtedly at mat
time one of the most hazardous pas
tines a young fellow could select, and
every time / had a smashup or some
other mishap 1 was ordered never to go
near an aviation field again.
So / went out to California. There
another fellow and / built our
machine, which we few in various
parts of the state.
In the early part of 1916, when trou-
BILE was brewing in Mexico, I Joined the
American flying corps. 1 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, l resigned and,
crossing over to Canada, Joined the
Royal Flying corps at Victoria, B. G.
1 was sent to Camp Borden, Toronto.
first to receive instruction and later to
instruct. While a cadet l made the
first loop ever made by a cadet in Can
ada, and after 1 had performed the
stunt l half expected to be kicked out
of the service for it. Apparently, how
ever, they considered the source and
let 1t go at that. Later on I had the
satisfaction of introducing the loop
as part of the regular course of in
struction for cadets in the r.. f. c.,
and I 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, 1 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, G. c. Robinson, II. A. Mil
Ter, f. S. McClurg, A. A. Allen, e. B
Garnet, II. K. Boysen, H. A. Smeetor
and A. A. Taylor, and myself, and nine
B%ritishers, Paul II. Raney, J. r. Park
G. Nelmes, G. r. Moore, T. L. Atkin
son, F. G. Conry, A. Muir, E. A. L. F
Smith and A. c. Jones.
Within a few weeks after our ar
rival in England all of us had won oul
"wings"-the insignia worn on the
left breast by every pilot a the west
erp front.
We were all sent to a place IL
France known as the Pool Pilots Mess
Here men gAather-f rapa AL khe traipipi
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 a
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. G. 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 I and my friends were l
must confess that we got q little i'm
patient, although we realized that
every time a 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
a scout pilot and n of my friends
was assigned. I can tell you the rest
Of us were as envious OF him as if it
were the last chance any Of us were
yer going to have to get to the front.
AS it was, however, hardly more than
three hours had elapsed before an
other wire was received at the mess
and I was ordered to follow my
friend. I afterward learned that as
soon as he arrived at the squadron he
pLCfullCQ upOA Ia commanding OA
GER Of the squadron to wire for me.
At the Pool Pilots Mess it was the
custom of the officers to wear "shorts"
brooches that are about eight inches
long, like the boy scouts wear, leav-
ing a 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 Dardanelles.
When the order came in for me. l
had these shorts" on, and l didn't
have time to change into other clothes.
Indeed, 1 was in such a sweat to get
to the front that if l had been in my
pajamas l think 1 would have gone
that way. AS it was, it was raining
and I threw an overcoat over me,
iumned into the machine and we made