Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1918-08-23

l was still musing over this melan-
choly phase of the scouts life when
an orderly told me there was q beauti-
full battle going on in the air, and he
volunteered to help me outside the
hospital that l might witness it, and
1 readily accepted his assistance.
That afternoon 1 saw one of the
gamest fights 1 ever expect to witness.
There were six of our machines
against perhaps sixteen Huns. From
the type of the British machines knew
that they might possibly be from my
own aerodrome. Two of our machines
had been apparently picked out by
six of the Huns and were bearing the
brunt of the fight. The contest seemed
to me to be so unequal that victory for
our men was hardly to be thought of,
and yet at one time they so completely
outmaneuvered the Huns that /
thought their superior skill might save
the day for them, despite the fact that
they were so hopelessly outnumbered.
One thing was sure of: they would
never give in.
paratively simple matter for our men,
when they saw how things were going
against them, to have turned their
noses down, landed behind the Ger
man lines and given themselves up as
prisoners, but that is not the way of
the r. f. G.
A battle of this kind seldom lasts
many minutes, although every second
seems like an hour to those who par
ticipate in it, and even onlookers suf-
fer more thrills in the course of the
struggle than they would ordinarily
experience in lifetime. 1t is appar-
ent even to novice that the losers
fate is death.
OF course, the Germans around the
hospital were all watching and roofing
for their comrades, but the English,
too, had one sympathizer in that group
who made no effort to stife his admira-
ton for the bravery his countrymen
were displaying.
The end came suddenly. Four ma
chimes crashed to earth almost stimuli
taneously. 1t was an even break-two
Of theirs and two of ours. The others
apparently returned to their respective
lines.
The wound In my mouth made it i'm
possible for me to speak, but by means
Of pencil and paper requested one
of the German officers to find out for
me who the English officers were who
had been shot down.
A little later he returned and handed
me a photograph taken from the body
of one of the victims. 1t was picture
of Paul Raney of Toronto, and myself,
taken togetherI Poor Raney! He was
the best friend l had and one Of the
best and gamest men who ever fought
in France.
1t was he. / learned long after, who,
when I was reported missing, had
checked over all my belongings and
sent them back to England with a
signed memOrandum-which is now in
my possession. Poor fellow, he little
realized then that but a day or two
later he would be engaged in his last
heroic battle with me a helpless on
lookeri
The same German officer who
brought me the photograph also drew
a map for me of the exact spot where
Raney was buried in Flanders. 1
guarded it carefully all through my
subsequent adventures and finally
turned 1t over to his father and mother
when visited them in Toronto to Der.
form the hardest and saddest duty ]
have ever been called upon to execute
to confirm to them in person the
tidings of poor Paul's death.
The other British pilot who fell was
also from my squadron and a man ]
knew well-Leutenant Keith of Aus
tralia. / had given him a picture OF
myself only few hours before 1 start
ed on my own disastrous flight. He
was one of the star pilots Of our squad
ron and had been in many a desperate
battle before, but this time the odd.
7 were too great for him. He put up {